Beach Plum Thumbprint Cookies

Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but my oatmeal sugar cookie recipe is really good: the perfect chewy/crunchy texture and just the right amount of sweetness. The recipe is so good, in fact, that I've used it as the base for my Boston Cream Pie and Lemon Curd & Gooseberry thumbprint cookies.

Thumbprint cookies are really simple to make. Just make indentations in the dough balls, fill them with stuff, and bake. So tasty and pretty.

For the latest iteration of the recipe, I decided to use some strictly local stuff to fill the thumbprints. I came across some beach plum jelly when I was home visiting Mumma, and I thought it would make the perfect filling for a cookie. Oh, boy was I right.

The beach plum jelly has a really interesting flavor. It's both sweet and tart and has hints of apple, cranberry, and grape. If it isn't available in your area, simply swap it out with your favorite locally sourced jam, jelly, or preserve.

Makes 21 cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Beach Plum Thumbprint Cookies.)

Thumbprint Filling

1/2 cup beach plum jelly

Creamables	1 stick butter 1 cup white sugar
Wet Ingredients	1 egg 1 tablespoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients	1 1/4 cups finely ground oatmeal 1 1/4 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
3. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together until smooth.
4. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
7. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
8. Place the  dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
9. Use your thumb to make an indentation in each dough ball. Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the beach plum jelly.
10. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.

Comments

[Mumma]

Not only are these cookies absolutely delicious, they are pretty to look at. At Christmas time, you could add a little green food coloring to the dough and with the red jelly you have a very festive holiday treat!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Thanks, Mumma. Two recipes for the price of one! :-)

[Emily]

2 T. dough balls were way too large. I decided instead to proportion the dough into 21 pieces (which was more like 1.5 T each) and baked those. I still feel that the cookies baked out too wide and may try tablespoon-sized balls next time.

However, these cookies were absolutely delicious. The oatmeal cookie itself (I used quick Irish oats) may be the best oatmeal cookie I've ever had. The texture was just fantastic -- the perfect balance of a slight crunch on the exterior with a chewy interior. I used cloudberry jam in homage to a breakfast I've had in both Sweden and Russia. I brought them to a movie night with 5 other people, and there were none left by the end of the movie.