Snack: Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Recipe by Lisa Bell Add some color to your cookie tray with these jam-filled thumbprints. This recipe could also be your healthy alternative for the next school party.

Ingredients

3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated almond paste
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons Raspberry Refrigerator Jam

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 °.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper; secure to baking sheet with masking tape.
Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg white; beat well.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and salt to almond paste mixture; beat at low speed until well blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets, and press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake at 325 ° for 10 minutes or until golden.
Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon Raspberry Refrigerator Jam into center of each cookie.
Notes: Almond paste makes the dough moist and pliable. Look for it in the supermarket baking aisle. The large holes of a box grater work well for grating the almond paste. Use a wine cork instead of your thumb to make a deeper indentation in the cookies. If you bake both pans of cookies at the same time, rotate the pans in the oven halfway through baking time for even browning.