Gratification

I was looking for a "mailable cookie" - a sturdy enough cookie with a slightly longer shelf-life. Can't say that I chose the best kind of cookie or shall I say the best recipe, but due to lack of experience, I decided on Raspberry Lemon thumbprint cookies. I knew I had made a bad choice the moment I took one bite - this cookie was buttery, soft & airy, OH MY! It reminded me of Danish cookies that we used to get around the holidays, except not as dense & crunchy. I think the regular dense Danish cookies would have been much better for shipping, but that's not what I made. The cookies were good & I still mailed them...I hope they made it to Houston all in one piece!

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Blueberry-Orange Thumbprint
1/4 cup blueberry jam
1 1/2 tsp brandy/kirsch

1 1 /8 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white, lightly beaten (optional)
1/2 cup grounded almonds (optional)

• In a small bowl, combine jam & brandy. Stir to combine & set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients & whisk to combine.
• Using an electric mixer, cream butter & sugar till light & fluffy.
• Beat in egg yolk, zest, juice & extract.
• Add flour slowly & beat just until moist crumbs form.
• Gather dough into a ball & refrigerate for about 15 minutes, or until a little firmer & easier to work with.
• Preheat oven to 350F & line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg white & ground the toasted almonds in a food processor if necessary.
  
• With the dough, form 1-inch balls & create a deep indention in the center of each ball.
  
• Roll the edges of the cookie in egg white & dip into grounded almonds until covered.
  
• Place cookies about 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
• Fill each center with 1/2 teaspoon jam.
• Bake until lightly golden brown, about 20 - 30 minutes.
• Transfer to wire rack for cooling completely.
• Makes 24 cookies.