Christmas Cookie Week: This One's All Thumbs...Plus a Contest

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And it's a thumbs-up! For this edition of Tonia's Kitchen Christmas Cookie Week, Susan Reid, who's the editor at Sift Magazine and King Arthur Flour stopped by to talk about Custard-Filled Thumbprints. Now this recipe goes back a few years, and was suggested by an employee over at King Arthur Flour.  But good cookies never go out of style, and they're a lot of fun for kids to leave their mark on the dough. You actually do imprint your thumb into the dough before you bake. It makes from some fun times and some unique designs!

NOW HEAR THIS: It being Christmas Cookie Week here at Tonia's Kitchen, we are pleased and proud to offer our listeners a chance to win a Three Book Set from Sift Magazine and King Arthur Flour, and entering couldn't be easier. Just email tonia@toniaskitchen.com with your name and the best way to contact you.  Good luck and enjoy the cookies!

Dough

• 24 tablespoons (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Filling

• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment.
2. To make the dough: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, egg yolks, baking powder, and salt until light.
3. Gradually mix in the flour to create a soft dough.
4. Scoop the dough by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets. Use a wet finger to press a 1/2"-deep well into the center of each cookie. Chill the scooped cookies while you make the filling.
5. To make the filling: Place the egg yolks in a medium, heatproof bowl; set aside.
6. Combine the sugar and flour in a small saucepan. Gradually whisk in the cream and milk and place the pan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
7. Take the pan off the heat and whisk half of the hot custard into the egg yolks. Return the yolk mixture to the pan and blend well. Return the pan to the heat and cook just until the filling bubbles.
8. Remove the custard from the heat, stir in the almond extract, and pour into a small bowl. Set aside and let cool.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
10. Remove the scooped cookies from the refrigerator and fill each with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of the filling.
11. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling completely.
12. Store well-wrapped and refrigerated for up to 1 week.