Spiced Hazelnut Thumbprints Recipes

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix flour and baking powder. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until blended. Shape into 48 balls, using about 1 tablespoon for each.
• Beat egg whites lightly. Dip dough balls, 1 at a time, in egg whites, then roll in nuts until evenly coated. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-covered baking sheets. Press your thumb into centres to indent.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Spoon cream cheese into pastry bag fitted with star tip. Use to pipe cream cheese onto cookies, adding about 1 teaspoon to each.

CHOCOLATE, CINNAMON, AND HAZELNUT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet on upper rack, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins (don't worry about skins that don't come off) and let cool.
• Grind 1/2 cup nuts in spice mill until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.
• Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat granulated sugar and 1 cup butter in another large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low, add dry ingredients, and beat until just combined.
• Combine sanding sugar and remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll heaping 1-Tbsp. rounds of dough into balls, then roll in sanding sugar. Arrange balls on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets at least 2" apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until puffed and set but still moist, 10-12 minutes.
• Remove baking sheets from oven and immediately make an indentation in the center of each cookie with the small end of a melon baller or the bottom of a rounded 1-tsp. measuring spoon. Transfer cookies on parchment to wire racks and let cool completely.
• Finely chop remaining 2 Tbsp. nuts and set aside. Heat chocolate and remaining 4 Tbsp. butter in a small bowl in 10-second intervals in microwave, stirring often, until melted. Transfer chocolate mixture to a small resealable plastic bag and snip a 1/4" hole in one corner. Pipe chocolate into cookie indentations. Immediately sprinkle chocolate with reserved nuts. Let cookies stand until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes.
• Do Ahead
• Cookies can be made up to 1 week ahead; keep in an airtight container at room temperature.

SPICED HAZELNUT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg yolk until blended. On low speed, beat in flour, hazelnuts, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart.
• Bake 10 minutes. Using end of handle of wooden spoon, press a well into center of each cookie. Fill each well with 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Bake about 10 minutes longer or until edges are light golden. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the flour mix, xanthan gum, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, mixing on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and egg replacer. Mix for 20 seconds.
• Add the flour mixture to the creamed batter in three batches, alternating with the rice milk, mixing on low speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Scoop out the dough by 2 teaspoonfuls and place on the baking sheets, 12 per sheet. Wet your hands with a little water and roll the dough into balls.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 5 minutes.
• Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and melt. This will take about 1 minute; check the chips halfway through and stir. Once the chips are melted, set them aside.
• Remove the cookies from the oven. Wet your thumb with cool water and, working quickly, make thumbprint marks in the center of each cookie. Fill the thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate.
• Return the cookies to the oven and bake an additional 5 to 6 minutes, or until set.
• Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.
• Jammy Thumbprint Cookies: Fill thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon jam instead of chocolate. Raspberry, strawberry, and apricot all work very well for this.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; add a third at a time to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in nuts. , Roll dough into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 1/2-in.-deep indentation in the center of each ball; fill with 1/4 teaspoon of preserves. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool. Just a before serving, lightly dust with confectioners' sugar.

HOLIDAY PIE-SPICED HAZELNUTS

Steps:

• Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.
• Put the egg white in a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add the hazelnuts and toss to coat in the egg white. Add the spice blend and toss to coat again.
• Spread the nut mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a large bowl.