Orange Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies

I cut way back on the Christmas baking this year. It is just the two of us so I figured we didn’t need quite as many goodies.

So far I have made butter tarts and mincemeat tarts and last week’s gingerbread squares. All of them are very good but I really felt like I needed a cookie!

I decided on these cute little orange cranberry thumbprint cookies.

These cookies are perfectly crisp on the outside and soft in the center. They are perfectly flavored with a hint of orange and the tart cranberry sauce on top is fabulous.

These cookies are the perfect addition to any holiday goodie plate

What you need,

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1 cup butter, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 tbsp. orange zest

1 tbsp. orange juice

2½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt (I used salted butter so I left the salt out as usual!)

1 cup cranberry sauce, I used this recipe

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or some parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks in one at a time and beat until well incorporated.  Stir in the orange zest and juice. Add the flour and salt (if you are using it) gradually until it is just incorporated.

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place on the baking sheet.  Press and indent into the middle of each ball with your thumb.

Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes until the cookies are set and light golden brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and fill the indents with about ½ teaspoon of cranberry sauce.  Put the filled cookies back into the oven for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

After the cookies have cooled you can sprinkle them with a little bit of powdered sugar.

Store the cookies in an airtight container for a week or in the freezer for a month.

These cookies are just delightful! They are going to make it into my regular holiday baking rotation for sure!

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Absolutely fabulous!

Jen

Recipe adapted from Taste and Tell