Description
Ina Garten’s jam thumbprint cookies offer classic comfort with elegant simplicity. Buttery shortbread nestles delicate fruit preserves, creating perfect sweet morsels you’ll savor with each delightful, crumbly bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 7 ounces (198 grams) sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Butter and Fat:
- ¾ pound (340 grams or 3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Finishing and Flavor Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
- ½ cup raspberry and/or apricot jam
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius), ensuring the rack is positioned in the center.
- Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, blend unsalted butter and granulated sugar until they form a smooth, pale mixture. Incorporate pure vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl, carefully sift all-purpose flour and fine salt together, eliminating any potential lumps.
- Gradually introduce the flour mixture into the butter combination, using low mixer speed to create a cohesive dough that just begins to hold together.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently shape into a flat, uniform disk approximately 1/2 inch thick. Wrap securely in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Remove chilled dough and portion into uniform balls weighing approximately or measuring 1 1/4 inches in diameter.
- Prepare a shallow bowl with beaten egg wash. Roll each dough ball first in egg wash, then completely coat with shredded coconut.
- Arrange coconut-covered balls on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving slight space between each cookie.
- Using a clean fingertip, create a gentle depression in the center of each coconut-coated ball.
- Carefully drop approximately of fruit jam into each indentation.
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until coconut turns a rich golden brown color.
- Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
- Let cookies cool completely before serving, allowing jam to set and flavors to develop.
Notes
- Precision matters when measuring flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling with a knife, preventing dense and heavy cookies.
- Refrigerating dough for a minimum of 30 minutes transforms your baking experience, making the dough more manageable and helping cookies maintain their delightful shape.
- Butter straight from the countertop creates magic when creamed with sugar, producing a silky smooth mixture that guarantees tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
- Gentle fingertip pressure works wonders when creating jam indentations, protecting the cookie’s delicate structure and preventing unwelcome cracks.
- Vigilant baking requires watching cookies closely during the final minutes, aiming for a golden-brown finish that signals perfect doneness without burning.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg