‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond Shares the Secret to Perfect Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint cookies are a Christmas cookie tray staple and Ree Drummond has an easy trick so they come out perfect every time. Check out The Pioneer Woman star’s pro-tips for her simple and delicious cookie recipe.
Ree Drummond says these Christmas cookies are ‘overlooked’ for their simplicity
Drummond shared her thoughts on how thumbprint cookies don’t often get as much love as fancier Christmas cookies even though they’re “so simple and so delicious.”
In an October blog post on The Pioneer Woman website, Drummond shared her recipe for almond raspberry thumbprint cookies.
“During Christmas cookie season, thumbprint cookies are often overlooked for desserts featuring gingerbread or more intricate decorations,” she explained in the introduction. “These almond-raspberry ones, however, deserve your attention during the holidays.”
Drummond continued, “They’re flavored with almonds, almond extract, salted butter (in the Pioneer Woman we trust), and raspberry jam, making the final result a buttery, flavorful cookie.”
Ree Drummond shared her secret to perfect thumbprint cookies
There’s not a lot of mystery around the technique for thumbprint cookies — make the dough, press your thumb in, and fill it with a small amount of jam. Even so, Drummond has some easy tips that make the best thumbprint cookies.
The Pioneer Woman star answered a couple of questions about getting the best cookie results. She first addressed whether to fill the thumbprint indent in the cookies before or after baking, pointing out the difference of each approach.
“Depending on the recipe, you could fill the cookies either before or after baking,” Drummond wrote. “Both methods work but will vary significantly in textural results. Filling the dough before the cookies go in the oven means the jam center will thicken and turn somewhat sticky.”
The other approach, she said, provides more consistent results. “Indenting the warm cookies and adding a small dollop of jam fresh from the oven means the consistency of the jam pretty much stays the same,” Drummond explained.
The Pioneer Woman star’s other pro-tip secret involves making sure the dough is chilled — twice. This prevents the cookies from spreading during in the oven.
“Chill the dough — not once, but twice!,” she shared. “Plenty of fat ensures tender results, but it can also make it slightly more difficult to work with. Let the dough chill for 1 hour, until it’s scoopable, then again, after it’s been formed into balls before baking.”
How to make ‘The Pioneer Woman’ star’s easy thumbprint cookies
Drummond’s almond raspberry thumbprint cookie recipe comes together easily. She starts by pulsing almonds in a food processor, then gets to work on the dough.
The Pioneer Woman star creams together butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, an egg, and almond extract in a mixer set at medium speed for about 2 minutes. Then she adds flour, the ground almonds, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar, mixing everything until all of the ingredients are combined.
Drummond covers the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerates it for at least an hour or overnight. Then she rolls the dough into smooth balls and sets them 2 inches apart on baking sheets. She refrigerates the cookies for an hour before baking them.
The Pioneer Woman star bakes the cookies in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 14 to 16 minutes, removes them from the oven, and presses the back of a measuring spoon in the center of each.
She allows the cookies to cool on a rack, dusts them with powdered sugar, and fills each indentation with ¾ teaspoon of raspberry jam.
