Thursday, April 22, 2010

Barefoot Bloggers - Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Yes, April is the Month of the Cookie for the Barefoot Bloggers. We started with raisin oatmeal pecan cookies and now we have the jam thumbprints, chosen by Cassandra of Foodie With Little Thyme!. I for one appreciated that there was less than a pound of butter in these (unlike Ina's pecan squares I made last week). I was so inspired by the recipe I made strawberry jam. Yes, it was a first, but it won't be the last time. The strawberries are glorious here and I had just returned from a nursery sojourn to Watsonville with a friend. Watsonville is about an hour south of San Jose. On the way back, we stopped at a farm stand in San Martin and bought these beauties:

So I made jam with about half of them, froze some (after washing, coring and drying them) and ate a lot of them.

Once the jam was made, it was cookie time. This recipe was pretty easy, if a bit messy. The messiness was due to rolling the balls of dough in egg wash and then rolling them in coconut before smashing them onto the cookie sheet with your thumb. Dribble some jam on to each one and pop them in the oven.

I must admit I went into this one thinking, it's a jam thumbprint cookie, how great could it be? Well, they were really really really great. I wish I could take credit because of the homemade jam, but it was the flavor combination of the buttery cookie with the toasty coconut with the strawberry jam that made these irresistible. I topped a couple with salted caramel ganache from the freezer, but the heat of the oven made the chocolate all curded...still delicious but ugly. Maybe I'll mix strawberry and ganache next time and take it completely over the top.

Thanks, Cassandra, for a fantastic pick! If you'd like the recipe you can find it here.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Leslie, I agree with you food can be ugly but delicious, those strawberries look yum..

Kayte said...

These look wonderful. Homemade jam...I want to make homemade jam! Especially strawberry homemade jam. Maybe once the season gets going for strawberries around here, I will give it a shot.

The Domestic Adventurer said...

Wow, I'm so impressed that you made your own jam. How ambitious! I think you CAN take credit for the greatness of your cookie - the quality of the jam is what really makes this cookie special.

Nice job!

vibi said...

Those look indeed amazingly delicious... and that jam on top! WOW. How more lusciously thick could it get, really ...I ask you!

Hey! You and I chating over a cup of tea with a couple of those cookies... Anytime!

Keri said...

Really lovely. You're an accountand, baker wanna be and a photographer! Hope all's well in your kitchen. Love strawberry jam

Keri (a.k.a. Sam)

Hanaâ said...

I'm envious of your beautiful strawberries. Just gorgeous. I can't wait to eat the strawberries in my garden :o)
Your cookies look very pretty. I love making homemade jam (we usually make grape jelly with the concord grapes in our garden). Did you use the recipe from The Sweet Melissa book? It's so easy and you don't to buy pectin.

Dimah said...

I love thumbprints! These look so nice and yummy!

Dimah
http://orangeblossomwater.net

Todd M said...

I wish I was ambitious enough to have made my own jam. They look great.

Jacque said...

Those look positively delish! Way to go, making your own jam, I'll bet it was fantastic.

Unknown said...

Wow, look at those strawberries! I'm jealous :) The cookies sounds awesome - I'm really intrigued by the addition of coconut!

Anonymous said...

Those strawberries look yummy! I bet the homemade jam made your cookies that much better. What do you normally bake your pecan squares in?? I've been afraid to make them in a sheet pan, but I hear you can halve the recipe for a 9x13.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Homemade strawberry jam? Be still, my heart! And I love thumbprint cookies, because, hello, jam!!