Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

An unexpected bright lemon flavor is a bright surprise to this traditional holiday cookie.

Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Our final cookie this month, Lemon Raspberry Thumbprints, is pretty for the holidays, but they also can be enjoyed for spring or summer celebrations (such as Easter dinner, bridal or baby showers, Mother’s Day). The recipe from Tastefully Simple® caught my eye because growing up, Mom and Grandma baked traditional thumbprint cookies, as well as something they called a Lemon Snowball, which was a rich, buttery cookie that included lemon extract in the dough and in the glaze.

I guess it’s no surprise we had thumbprint cookies every year because Mom’s dad came from Hungary. Thumbprints are believed to be a culinary creation with roots in 19th-century Eastern Europe. The cookie dough is rolled into a ball, an indentation is made with your thumb, and that divot is filled with a spot of jam, almond paste, Nutella or even lemon curd.

I’m featuring this recipe because the cookie starts with Tastefully Simple’s Sunny Lemon Pound Cake mix, so we’re saving some steps without sacrificing any flavor. Of course, you can make these thumbprint cookies with another boxed lemon cake mix (or any flavor for that matter); search “thumbprint cookies with cake mix” on the internet and you’ll find a variety of recipes. But I liked using the Sunny Lemon Pound Cake mix because the packet for glaze is included with it. I made Lemon Raspberry Thumbprints for a St. Louis Culinary Society event, and they were a hit! These culinary professionals were surprised to know a box mix was used!

To make Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies, which yields about 24 cookies, you’ll need these ingredients:

• 1 package TS Sunny Lemon Pound Cake & Icing Mix

• 10 Tablespoons butter (1/2 cup softened + 2 Tablespoons melted), divided

• 2 large eggs

• ½ cup raspberry preserves

• 1 Tablespoon water

• ¼ cup sliced almonds

Follow these directions to make Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, ½ cup softened butter and eggs. Stir by hand until dough comes together. Roll dough into 1 ½-inch balls.

Place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes.

Remove sheet pan from oven. Using the back of a teaspoon, make a rounded indentation in the top of each cookie. Fill with ½ teaspoon of preserves. Continue baking another 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool cookies on sheet for 1 minute before transferring to the wire rack. Cool cookies completely.

In a small bowl, stir together the icing mix, 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 1 Tablespoon water. Whisk until smooth and drizzle over cookies. Top with sliced almonds.

Cookie tips

Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint cookies keep well in an air-tight container, but I noticed a pink color from preserves bled into the white glaze icing after a few days. So, I’d recommend storing the cookies before you add the glaze. If you want to glaze a portion of the cookie yield to serve the next day or two, reserve the mixed icing and store it in a small air-tight container in the refrigerator. When ready to use, microwave the glaze for a few seconds until the consistency has softened enough to drizzle on your cookies.

Did you know . . .

Thumbprint cookies are also known by many other names, including: 

• Hallongrotta: The Swedish name for thumbprint cookies, which translates to "raspberry cave"

• Jam drops: The name for similar cookies sold in Australia

• Polish tea cakes: Another name for thumbprint cookies

• Other names include bird’s nest cookies or butterballs

  
  

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Cherry and Pistachio Cookies

This buttery, simple cookie starts with a pound cake mix and includes tart dried cherries and delectable pistachios.

Cherry and Pistachio Cookies

Cookie lovers fall into two camps: dunkers and non-dunkers. My family comes from a long line of dunkers because we also love coffee, and cookies and coffee are a marriage made in heaven. So, this year, instead of the usual cutout cookies, I was intrigued to try this recipe from Tastefully Simple® for Cherry and Pistachio Cookies.

Because this recipe starts with the TS Absolutely Almond pound cake mix, the prep takes just a few minutes. You’ll have these delightful buttery cookies next to your coffee mug in no time. Let’s get baking.

To make Cherry and Pistachio Cookies, which yields 24 cookies, you’ll need these ingredients:

1 package Absolutely Almond pound cake mix

½ cup chopped dried cherries

½ cup chopped shelled pistachios

½ cup softened butter

2 large eggs, beaten

Because I didn’t have the TS pound cake mix, I subbed with Betty Crocker pound cake mix and added 1 teaspoon of almond extract. The flavor turned out comparable to the TS mix, but the cookies spread a little more than I anticipated; we’ll look at that in a minute.

You also could swap dried cranberries for the cherries without a problem.

Follow these directions to make Cherry and Pistachio Cookies

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until a dough is formed. I’d recommend mixing this by hand using a wooden or heavy plastic spoon.

Divide dough in half. Place each half on a sheet of parchment or wax paper. Form into an 8-inch log and roll up in paper to refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a sharp knife, slice each log into 12 slices and place 2-inches apart on a large, greased baking sheet. (You also could line the sheet with parchment paper.)

Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned on edges. Let cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a rack. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container or freeze in a zip-top bag.

Cookie baking tips

As I mentioned, the cookies seemed to spread more than those in the original recipe photo. It may have been due to the difference in cake mixes. I also mixed the cookies using my Kitchenaid®, and if flour is overworked, gluten develops too much, which could cause dough to become too elastic and spread when baked.

Shirley O. Corriher, author of Kitchenwise: Essential Food Science for Home Cooks, in her chapter about cookies noted that cookies made with butter can spread when there’s too high a ratio of fat to flour. Using a little shortening — of course, you cut back on the butter in recipe — can help prevent cookies from spreading.

So, next time, I’ll mix in the ingredients by hand. And I wouldn’t recommend plastic wrap for the dough as it sits in the refrigerator.

I noticed the dough seemed to stick to the plastic wrap after refrigerating. A way to fix might have been to chill for another hour or to mix in additional flour until the dough was less “wet.” Next time, I’ll also try wax paper or parchment to wrap the dough.

---

The joy of a simple cookie

These Cherry and Pistachio Cookies are so comforting to me; I can’t help but think of my Dad in his chair with a mug of coffee and a plate of three or four cutout cookies on the side table in our living room. Strong memories are often tied to holiday foods, which is why I think this year I’ve been so into baking. Each time I get out the baking sheets and a few pantry items, it’s a way to connect with Mom, Dad, and Grandma Dorothy.

I hope you’ll create some lasting memories in the kitchen this year with your family. Happy holidays!

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Snowdrift and Snowball Cookies

These holiday sweets are a breeze to bake.

Snowdrift cookies

This week’s post includes two cookies for you to try. What I’m calling Snowdrifts is a Weight Watchers® recipe, according to several online posts. It only has three ingredients — angel food cake or white vanilla cake mix, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. The second cookie comes from my family’s recipe box, although these have been around for a long time. We called them Snowballs.

Although both recipes have confectioner’s (powdered) sugar, they couldn’t be more different. The Snowdrifts are more of a tiny cake with a defined chew. Snowballs are a very “short” (crumbly with a high fat content) cookie that will melt in your mouth, much like the snowflakes we catch on our tongues.

The holidays are approaching, so let’s get baking! First up, Snowdrifts.

To make Snowdrifts, which yields 2½ dozen cookies, you’ll need these ingredients:

• 1 package vanilla white cake mix (or angel food)

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Confectioner’s sugar to decorate cookies

Online comments pointed to cookies made with angel food mix tending to spread a little more than desired, so I chose the white cake mix. And, as with most super-simple recipes, quality of ingredients is important. Get the full-fat yogurt and the best vanilla or even vanilla bean paste. Read instructions for converting the vanilla paste versus extract on the jar if you go that route.

Follow these directions to make Snowdrifts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, yogurt and vanilla. This dough will be dense and stiff. Measure a full teaspoon per cookie and drop two inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool about two minutes on the sheet before transferring to the wire rack. Let the cookies cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar. I thought edible glitter in silver would be pretty, but it looked more like ground pepper on these cookies! Best to stick with the powdered sugar or decorate with blue sanding sugar or nonpareils in wintery colors.

Having never made Snowdrifts before, I had no idea how they’d turn out. Visually, it’s a pretty little “cookie” but the texture is very different. It’s closer to a macaroon (without the coconut) or maybe a French Madeleine. The tang of Greek yogurt definitely comes through.

There also was a tacky (as in slightly sticky) quality to this Snowdrift. The few I stored at room temperature in a covered plastic container were super sticky the next day, so stored the remaining cookies, without the dusting of sugar, in a zip-top bag inside my refrigerator. When I served these, I dusted them with confectioner’s sugar just before serving.

You can’t get any easier than three ingredients, and they present well on a platter. The final texture, however, threw me a little, but if you like macaroons, give these a try.

Now, on to the Snowball cookies. These were baked every year for the holidays when I was growing up. I love the buttery goodness and delicate texture. We almost always used pecans, but I remember one year when my Uncle Lou brought mom walnuts from trees on his property. Almonds also are a suitable swap for pecans.

Snowball cookies

To make Snowballs, which yields 3½ dozen cookies, you’ll need these ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup ground pecans

• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups sifted flour

The recipe my mom and grandma used came from an old cookie recipe booklet that, judging by its yellowed paper and tattered pages, dates to the 1960s. It may have come with their Mirro cookie press. In the booklet, these cookies are called Butterballs but they went by the name of pecan balls or snowballs at our house. Although there are a few more ingredients than the Snowdrifts, these still are simple cookies to make.

Follow these directions to make Snowballs

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

I used my standing mixer again to cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar and salt and continue creaming until fluffy. Add pecans and vanilla.

Gradually add the flour (keep at a lower speed to avoid flour from flying everywhere) and continue mixing until dough is thoroughly combined.

With a buttery dough like this, I like to chill the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Shape teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. There’s enough butter in this dough, believe me, the cookies won’t stick.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes; do not brown. Roll the warm cookies in additional confectioner’s sugar. Store in airtight container.

About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.