All Thumbs: Cocoa-Cherry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

When I first made these thumbprint cookies last year, I almost immediately wondered if I could make a chocolate version. The easiest solution was substituting a portion of the flour with unsweetened cocoa. Since cocoa is drier than flour, I didn't want to use too much, but the result was still a good first step. The cookies have a nice hint of chocolate with the wonderful tang of cream cheese, and are still rich and tender like the originals. And if you don't finish them all in one sitting, no worries—they taste even better after a few days!

Cocoa-Cherry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup cherry preserves (stir to loosen if the preserves are very thick)

In a medium bowl, stir flour and cocoa together until combined. In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract, then blend in flour mixture until smooth. Cover dough and chill in the fridge for 45 minutes (don't skip this step, the dough is very sticky).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line baking sheets with foil or parchment.

Using a one-Tablespoon scoop or measuring spoon, scoop dough and roll into balls, then place on lined sheets a few inches apart. Press down firmly in the middle of each with your thumb (I found that washing my hands with hot water, then drying them completely, made this easier as the residual heat helped reduce sticking). Fill each indentation with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of preserves, and bake for 12-16 minutes, or until slightly darker around the bottom edges, the tops of the cookies appear "dry" and the filling is bubbling a bit . Remove and let cool before moving. Once completely cooled, store cookies in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper, either in the fridge or a very cool spot in your home.

Notes: Fill these cookies with any jam or preserves you like—I chose cherry this time since it's a classic with both chocolate and cream cheese, but I also wondered how a fine-cut orange marmalade or a lightly sweetened nut butter would work. Have a delicious variation of your own? Please share in the comments!

>o<

Under My Thumb: Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

A thumbprint cookie is a great treat to make, providing all the flavors of a sandwich cookie with just a fraction of the effort. The vibrant color of the jam also looks great against the creamy complexion of the cookie, and you can't have Valentine's Day without lots of red! Instead of just my thumb, though, I wanted to make heart-shaped cookies. There are various methods for creating the heart impression, and I would have used one, but then I remembered: I had decorative glass hearts that would do the work for me in just one go!

Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup jam, stirred until smooth (I used seedless raspberry)

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla extract, then blend in flour until smooth. Cover dough and chill in the fridge for 45 minutes (the dough is very soft, so this step is important).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line baking sheets with foil or parchment.

Using a one-Tablespoon scoop or measuring spoon, scoop dough and roll into balls, then place on lined sheets a few inches apart. Press down in the middle with your floured thumb (or whatever you're using the make the indentation—see notes below). Fill each indentation with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam, and bake for 12-13 minutes, or until just golden. Remove and let cool on sheets before moving. Once completely cooled, store cookies in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper.

Notes: These cookies are adapted from this recipe. The original calls for using two Tablespoons of dough per cookie, but one Tablespoon was perfect, and yielded exactly 56 cookies. It's better to underfill slightly than to overfill with jam—use the tip of your spoon to gently spread the jam evenly throughout the indentation before baking. Instead of your thumb for a round impression, you can try using your index finger to make a "V"-shaped impression to look like a heart :-)

>o<

10 Little Buttons: How to Make a Country Heart Garland

I had ten little buttons—RED buttons, the only ten of their kind in a multi-pack of assorted buttons. They were petite, pretty, and instead of saving them in a jar like some crazy button-hoarder, I wanted to use them! Being red, a Christmas craft was the obvious answer, but then again...

It was a simple idea, very "country" in style, and easy to execute. And there's no reason it can't adorn a Christmas tree when the time comes. But for now, it will be festive in February for Valentine's Day:

Country Heart Garland

Materials:
Tan craft felt
Dark brown embroidery floss or No. 5 mercerized cotton thread
Small red buttons
Waxed twine
Heart-shaped template or cookie cutter, 1-2 inches in diameter
Doll needle
Straight pins
Sharp scissors

Trace and cut two heart shapes for each finished heart you would like on your garland. Center and sew a button on the front side of half the heart shapes, then pin the fronts to their backs and blanket stitch around the edges of each pair. Once all the hearts are done, thread the waxed twine through the topmost stitch on the back of each heart (you may need to use the needle to help you). Slide the hearts along the twine until you have the spacing/length you would like, then cut the twine. The garland is now ready to hang!

>o<

A Snowball's Chance: Mexican Snowball Cookies

Need a little something to melt your true love's heart this season? Give these Mexican Snowballs a try! Like a Russian Teacake's spicier cousin, these little devils go down well with a good cup of coffee (or a nice glass of red wine). The cayenne pepper adds a pleasant warmth, without being too hot to handle ;-)

Mexican Snowball Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 additional cup powdered sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then blend in vanilla. Add flour mixture until combined, then stir in the pecans. Bring dough together with your hands (wrap tightly in plastic and chill for a few minutes if dough seems to soft at this stage).  Roll dough into one-inch balls and place an inch apart on lined baking sheets. Bake until set and just barely colored, about 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for two minutes, then roll immediately in powdered sugar and place on lined racks; once completely cooled, roll in powdered sugar again and store in an airtight container.

Notes: These are not overly sweet or chocolate-y, but you could certainly substitute 1/2 cup finely chopped chocolate (or mini chips) for the pecans to make them more decadent. If you have a favorite dried, ground chili, such as ancho or chipotle, use it in place of the cayenne.

>o<