Pecan & Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Makes 24-26 cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• Your favorite jam

Cream together the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and almond extract. Add the salt and flour, and stir until well mixed. Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate for at least an hour. When the dough is ready, roll it into balls of 1 tbsp size with the palms of your hands. Dip the cookies into the finely chopped pecans on one side. On that same side, use your thumb to make a small indent on the cookies to hold the jam filling. Use the tip of a teaspoon to fill the indents with jam, and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your cookies into the freezer for the few minutes it takes your oven to preheat to help them hold their shape when they bake. Once the oven is preheated, place the cookies into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

I used raspberry preserves for these, because I love how it tastes with almond and pecan; some other great ones would be apricot or cherry. If you don't have almond extract you can use vanilla extract instead, you will just have a different flavor. The recipe is pretty strong on the almond flavor, fair warning. You can also substitute the pecans with any nut you have on hand; or maybe some caster/demerara sugar if you don't have any nuts at all, for some texture and sparkle.

I have this recipe posted along with a pretty picture on www.hearthritual.com

bon appetit