Jam Thumbprints

I have made these tender and crumbly Jam Thumb Prints in the past and they are just these real simple and real delicious little cookies. For this recipe I used raspberry jam and plum butter and they both worked great with this type of cookie, although I really still prefer the raspberry ones :)  Unlike Martha, I place the jam in  the indentations made in the dough prior to baking, opposed  to afterward.

Ingredients ( Jam Thumb Prints from Martha Stewart Magazine, Special Issue; Holiday Cookies. 2001)

1/4 pound (1 stick ) of butter
1/2 cup + 2tbsp  granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 +1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds finely ground
1 large egg white lightly beaten
1/2 cup jam or preserve

Preheat oven to 325*f.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the 1/2 cup of sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix to combine. And flour and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.

Combine the ground almonds with the remaining sugar. Form the dough into small 1  inch balls, dip in the egg white followed by the ground almond mixture, place on baking sheet.  Make small indentations in to the dough balls using your finger or the bottom of a thick wooden spoon. Fill the indentations with the jam or preserve. Bake for 10- 15 minutes until lightly golden around the sides.Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.