Recipes: Guava Paste Thumbprint Cookies

• Prep Time:30 minutes
• Cook Time:20 minutes

 

Tagged:
almond extract, guava paste, vanilla extract, walnuts,

Guava Paste Thumbprint Cookies have a surprise filling that will delight your guests for the holidays!

Makes 5 dozen cookies.

 

Foodie Byte

Ingredients

2 cups (210g) lightly toasted walnuts
1 3/4 cup (250g) cups flour
2 sticks (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (112g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
1 cup guava paste
few drops of lemon juice (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Line two baking sheets with silicone mats.
Place the walnuts in the food processor and whirl until finely ground, being careful not to turn into a paste.
Add the flour and process until well combined.
Working with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Add the extracts and beat to blend.
Reduce the speed to low, and add the nut-flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl, mixing only until it is incorporated into the dough.
Working with a teaspoon of dough at a time, roll between the palms of your hand to form small balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Secure each cookie with one hand down at the sheet pan, and use the pinkie of your other hand, or the end of a wooden spoon to poke a whole in the center of each cookie. Be careful not to go all the way down to the baking sheet.
Bake until slightly colored, about 15-18 minutes, rotating the sheet at the mid time point.
Remove the baking sheets from the oven, and let them cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. When cool, sprinkle on confection sugar.
Repeat baking procedure with all the dough.
Place the guava paste in a sauce pan and add just a few drops of water to melt the paste to the consistency of jam. Add a few drops of lemon juice to balance the sweetness (optional).
You want to fill the cookies while the jam is still warm, so that it hardens inside the cookie. Fill the indentations of all cookies with enough warm guava jam to come to the level with the tops. Cool to room temperature.

source FoodChannel http://ift.tt/1I4rbmT