Lemon Rose Jam Thumbprint Cookies

I still have a good deal of that gorgeous rose jam left over I was gifted with a few weeks ago. So I’m looking for creative ways to use it up. Not just creative but the recipe has to be rose jam worthy. 

One of my favorite go-to cookies are these four ingredient thumbprint cookies I posted ages ago. The recipe is from a vintage german baking book from my collection.

Versatility is the star of this basic recipe. Just replace the lemon zest with a tablespoon of anything you like – cinnamon, ginger, lime or grapefruit zest. Name it and you can add it. You can also get creative with the flour and sugar by substituting brown or coconut sugars and experiment with whole grain flours such as spelt if you fancy. Don’t get me started with what you can put in the middle (chocolate, marzipan)  or how you can decorate them further (coloring the dough, adding sprinkles, edible glitter, etc.) 

But back to these tasty babies. The addition of lemon extract plus zest gave these a strong flavor punch.  The lovely jam rounds out a great cookie experience with a burst of sweetness. 

A thumbprint that leaves a delicious impression.

Prep Time: 10 minutes   Bake Time: 10-12 Minutes   Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 Stick of Butter
• 1/2 Cup of Sugar
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 + 1/2 Cups of Flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup of Rose Jam

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F
• Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add egg yolk and extract. Mix thoroughly.
• Knead in the flour.
• Add lemon zest
• Roll into balls, flatten out on a baking sheet and make an impression in the center with the handle of a wooden spoon.
• Bake for 10 -12 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack.
• When cooled, fill a pastry bag with rose jam (or whatever filling you like) and pipe it into the middle.