Spice 'N' Nut Thumbprints

Buttery, crumbly thumbprint cookies loaded with ground pecans and cinnamon, each one holding a jewel-like drop of fruit jam in the center. They look like they took hours but the dough comes together in minutes.

Ground pecans go directly into the dough, not just on top as a coating. This gives every bite a rich, nutty flavor and a slightly sandy, shortbread-like crumb that melts on your tongue. The cinnamon adds warm spice that plays beautifully against the sweet-tart jam.

The flour gets added in two batches for a reason. Adding it all at once makes it harder to incorporate evenly without overmixing, and overmixed cookie dough gets tough. Half first, blend smooth, then the rest goes in with the nuts and cinnamon.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the handle of a wooden spoon for more uniform indentations than your thumb. It creates a deeper, rounder cup that holds the jam better.
• Don’t overfill with jam. A scant quarter teaspoon per cookie is plenty. Too much jam bubbles over and burns on the pan.
• Let cookies cool completely on the rack before stacking or storing. The jam stays sticky when warm and will glue cookies together.

Variations

• Try apricot, raspberry, or strawberry jam for different flavor profiles and colors.
• Swap pecans for ground almonds or hazelnuts.
• Drizzle cooled cookies with a simple powdered sugar glaze for a dressier presentation.