That's what these Thumbprint cookies normally elicit when they're served. These aren't your standard sugar cookies with any old jelly either. Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin, who-wrote the new cookbook, Fabulous Modern Cookies came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about their Jam-On Toast Thumbprints. They told Tonia it's like eating buttered toast with marmalade, and ingredients are a high-quality. Things Panko and Whole Wheat Flour. It's a different taste to be sure, but it's delicious
Jam-on-Toast Thumbprints
(Makes 16 to 21 cookies)
3/4 cup (43 grams) panko bread crumbs (unseasoned)
1/2 cup (71 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (104 grams) whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (200 grams) orange marmalade, preferably fine-cut
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line two 18-by-13-inch baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Toast the panko in a skillet over medium heat, stirring or tossing frequently, until light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small shallow bowl to cool completely.
Whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours and the salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Combine the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, and beat together on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla until the yolks are incorporated and the mixture is uniform. Mix in the flour mixture on low speed until no dry flour is visible. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the beater with a silicone spatula to ensure all of the ingredients are properly mixed in and no stray clumps remain.
Lightly whisk the egg whites in a separate shallow bowl to loosen them.
Portion 1 tablespoon (19 grams) of dough, using a #60 cookie scoop. Roll the dough between your palms into balls. Roll the balls in the egg white, let any extra egg white drip off back into the bowl, and roll the ball in the panko. Place the coated balls on one prepared baking sheet (13 per sheet). Press an indentation into each ball, using a ball tool (a pencil-size tool with marble-size balls at both ends) or the very tip of your index finger. The cookies will puff some while baking, so the indentation can be fairly deep, but not so deep that it breaks through the bottom of the dough ball.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and use a ball tool, metal measuring spoon, or some other heatproof tool to re-indent the dimple that has filled in during baking. Stir the marmalade in a bowl until it is loose and no longer lumpy. Fill wells with 1 teaspoon of orange marmalade. Place the pan back in the oven to bake until the cookies are just browning at the edge, 13 to 15 more minutes. While the first pan bakes, prepare the next sheet. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough once the baking sheets have completely cooled, or prepare additional baking sheets. After cooling, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container or at room temperature for several days.
Note: For slightly smaller cookies, portion the dough with a 2-teaspoon scoop and fill with 1/2 teaspoon of marmalade. This will increase the yield to about 30 cookies. Also, although we usually opt to fill thumbprint cookies with a piping bag, the pieces of citrus rind in marmalade make the use of a spoon preferable.
