secret recipe club: almond strawberry jam thumbprints

this month's secret recipe club assignment couldn't have come at a better time. for the last few years, a good friend has hosted a bunch of us ladies in december for a cookie party. only this year, with the rush of the holidays - and i swear, the short time between thanksgiving and christmas made christmas come even quicker this year - the party was in january. and while i had plenty of cookie recipes bookmarked for holiday baking that i didn't even come close to making, the majority involved chocolate or peanut butter - two things i was surprisingly sick of.

and then i remembered how much everyone loved these raspberry almond linzer cookies i made a couple years ago along with the jars of strawberry jam i put up this summer. and when i just happened to stumble on these sunny thumbprint cookies made with mango and pineapple jam by inquiring chef, i knew these would be delicious with my homemade jam. not only are they a rich, buttery cookie, but i made the dough and baked three sheet pans in under an hour.
for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!

 

check out my previous secret recipe club posts: almond butter cookies, enfrijoladas, chocolate snack cake, bacon topped maple french toast cupcakes, cherry sorbet, slow cooker beans & mushrooms, mojito chicken tacos, maple glazed whole wheat spiced apple pizza, pig out cookies, pasta with blistered tomatoes & arugula and iced grapefruit cookies, mushroom barley soup, scalloped ham and potato bake & andes mint cake, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, asian pork chops, lemon lime meltaways, blueberry peach crisp, minted lemon ice, white chocolate macadamia nut blondies, raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

almond strawberry jam thumbprints

adapted from inquiring chef

1 hour, makes about 3 dozen

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sliced almonds

about 1 cup strawberry jam, homemade is best

1. preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat and set aside.
2. cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. mix in the egg and almond extract until combined. slowly add the flour and mix until combined. add the almonds and mix until combined.
3. scoop dough into 1 or 1 1/2 tablespoon balls & place on the baking sheet at least an inch apart. use your thumb or the back of a tablespoon measuring spoon to make a well in the center of each cookie. fill the well with jam.
4. bake 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are starting to brown. let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.