Cardamom thumbprints for days when you're pressed for time

As much as I love slice and bake cookies, there are times I’m in a hurry and in need of a cookie recipe that doesn’t call for time in the fridge or freezer – sometimes one just wants cookies ASAP.

I was in a situation like that last week, but every recipe I had seen lately needed to be made way in advance – don’t get me wrong, I understand that many cookies benefit from time in the fridge, but I rarely have that kind of time: I can’t wait 24 hours to bake a batch of cookies (that is why I haven’t, to this day, tried Jacques Torres’ super famous chocolate chip cookies).

I found these lovely thumbprint cookies on Food & Wine magazine and not only were they quick to make, but they were the perfect use for a delicious apple jelly I had in the fridge – the flavor of the jelly paired beautifully with the cardamom and the almond in the dough.

Cardamom thumbprints
from the always delicious Food & Wine magazine

1 cup (100g) fine almond meal
1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
finely ground seeds of 10 cardamom pods
¼ teaspoon table salt
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
about ½ cup apple jelly – or use your favorite preserve/jam

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.

In a small bowl, whisk the flours with the cardamom and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients, then turn the mixer on low speed and mix just until combined. Using a spatula, form dough into a ball – at this stage, my dough was a bit too soft, so I stirred in 2 ½ tablespoons (25g) all purpose flour.

Using 2 leveled teaspoons of dough per cookie, form dough into balls and place onto prepared sheets 2.5cm (1in) apart. Using the back of a teaspoon, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until slightly firm. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and press the indentations again. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 7-8 minutes longer, until lightly golden and dry but not hard. Remove from the oven and fill the indentations with the jelly. Cool completely on the sheets over a wire rack.

Makes about 38