To be totally honest, these did start out as an attempt at making thumbprint cookies. I did not end up with thumbprint cookies. Maybe it was the baking powder or that they don't have flour, but they spread out a lot; like more than a cookie I want to spread, spreads. But I'm really ok with that because these are tasty, crispy, nutty and absolutely delicious. They are also just as festive as a thumbprint cookie. Another interesting thing about them (that I briefly mentioned before) is that they don't have any wheat flour. Instead I used ground almonds and ground oats. So I think that makes them gluten-free, as far as I understand what gluten-free is. Pretty easy to make, so there isn't really anything that should stop you from making them. Some times mistakes aren't such a bad thing...

And don't worry, I'll be attempting the thumbprint cookie again.

The Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 c. ground oats (you can do this in a food processor)
1 c. ground almonds
1/2 sour cherry preserves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy.

Add the egg and the extracts and blend until creamy.

Stir in the salt, baking powder, oats and almonds. Do this by hand if you have been using a mixer.

Roll tablespoon pieces of dough and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

Make an indentation in each ball (see the photo). This is important even though they aren't thumbprint cookies because this indentation leaves space for the jam while it bakes.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and fill the flattened divot with about 1/2 tsp of preserves. I tried strawberry and cherry and preferred the cherry because it was just a bit sour. This contrasted quite well with the sweetness of the cookie itself.

Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until the cookies are slightly crispy and is just beginning to brown. Cool completely on a rack, so that the preserves have time to set. Makes 28-30 cookies.