This fun thumbprint version of my popular amaretti cookie recipe can be filled with just about anything, and makes for a perfect addition to your holiday cookie plate.
Yield: 25 cookies
Cook Time: 25 minutesminutes
Total Time: 1 hourhour
Ingredients
2 ¼cups/ 200galmond flour or very finely ground almonds, sifted
¾cup/ 150ggranulated sugar
pinchfine sea salt
2large egg whites, about 65 grams
¼teaspoonlemon juice
2teaspoonsamaretto liqueur, optional (if you omit, replace with ¼ teaspoon almond extract)
confectioners’ sugar, as needed
Jam Filling:
⅓cup/ 85gjam of your choice, ideally on the thicker side
2teaspoonsamaretto liqueur
Ganache Filling:
2oz/ 57gdark or bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped
¼cup/ 60gheavy cream
1teaspoonamaretto liqueur
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Stack two matching, heavyweight, light to medium colored cookie sheets one inside the other (stacking two cookie sheets together keeps the bottoms of the cookies from getting too brown). Line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sugar and salt until evenly incorporated.
In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and lemon juice until they hold soft peaks.
Add beaten egg whites and amaretto liqueur to dry ingredients and stir until mixture forms a soft, sticky dough, kneading with your hands if necessary. No need to be gentle here, we're not making macarons.
Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into a smooth ball, then roll in powdered sugar. Slightly flatten the ball between your palms, then place on prepared cookie sheet. Using your finger tip or the bottom end of a wooden spoon, gently press an indentation into the center of the cookie. Ideally, you're looking for a bunch of small, thin cracks around the edges of the cookies as opposed to a few larger cracks. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving 1 inch of space between cookies.
Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until bottoms are just barely golden (if you are NOT using doubled cookie sheets your cookies will brown much quicker, and will likely need less time, so watch them closely).
While cookies are baking, prepare your filling. For jam filling, whisk together jam and amaretto in a small dish. For ganache, place chopped chocolate in a small, heat-proof bowl. Warm cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to bubble around the edges (do not let it boil). Pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Staring the center, slowly whisk, working in concentric circles, until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Add amaretto and whisk until combined. Let cool until slightly thickened, but still fluid.
For jam-filled thumbprints: take the cookies out about 5 minutes before they're fully done. While they're still hot, use the round bottom of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon (something like a melon baller or even a marble would work too). Then drop small dollops of jam into the center of each cookie. Return to the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
For ganache-filled thumbprints: bake the cookies all the way through. Remove from the oven and use your measuring spoon/marble/etc to re-define the indentation. Cool slightly, then you can fill the lukewarm cookies with your ganache.
Cookies will keep at room temperature in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 5 days.