When Forum cooks read of Constance Webster’s problems making one of the recent recipes for thumbprint cookies, they rushed to help.
Lynnwood helper-outer Florence Babcock tells us, “When you make thumbprint cookies, put the dough in the refrigerator for a while before you make the balls. The dough should be firm. I am 84 and have been making these cookies since I was 21.’’
Erin Kelly of Everett says, “Back in seventh grade (back in the Stone Age), Miss Hansen taught our all-girls’ class in ‘homemaking’ how to make thumbprint cookies. She taught us the difference between margarine, softened, and soft margarine; to refrigerate the mixed dough before rolling into balls; to dip balls only half-way into the egg white, then into sugar; to line cookie sheets with parchment paper; to press our thumbs about half-way into the dough (she had us put the jelly into the thumbprint before baking); and ALWAYS, ALWAYS, use an accurate oven thermometer. Hope this helps.’’
Monroe cookie person Anita Burslem says her recipe, taken from “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book’’ matches the problem recipe exactly, “except for method, baking times and baking temperature. I have used this recipe in my home economics classes in Monroe since about 1957.’’
Anita adds, “Also, maybe the dough should be chilled before rolling into balls. Note that the balls are dipped in egg white and rolled in nuts, and baked for 5 minutes at 375 degrees BEFORE pressing with thumb. Then, baked 8 minutes longer. Also, this recipe makes only about 2 dozen, 11/2-inch cookies, compared to the other recipe’s 3 dozen. Hope this can be of some help!’’
Karen Hume of Lake Stevens says, “I pulled out my very tattered 1960-something ‘Betty Crocker’s Cookie Book’ and found the recipe there. The ingredients are all the same, the directions 99.9 percent word for word.
“The only difference is the use of the word ‘softened,’ which does not appear, and the 1/2-cup shortening part reads ‘part butter or margarine.’ Perhaps the lady liquified the shortening to soften it. Otherwise, the recipe is correct.’’
Another Lake Stevens cook, Karen Boe says, “The recipe I have for thumbprints calls for the dough to be refrigerated for a half-hour before working with it. This should solve the stickiness problem. Also, you can keep the cookies from sticking by putting them on a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet. I hope this helps.’’
Trudy Tobiason writes, “I needed a few cookies for gifts, so I doubled the recipe, using 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk in the dough (reserving the extra egg white for dipping, and 1 egg white was sufficient for the double batch), and the rest of the recipe the same, except that I rolled all the balls and then refrigerated them overnight because I ran out of time with interruptions.
“The next day, I took them out of the refrigerator and dipped, rolled in finely chopped nuts, placed them on the cookie sheet, pushed my thumb in and all was as perfect as I could wish for. They didn’t stick to my thumb and came off the pan very easily.’’
Next, Everett contributor Jeanne Metzler eagle-eyed her original 1971 thumbprint cookie recipe and reports, “I’ll solve the mystery of where the recipe went wrong. The recipe should have 1/2 cup each granulated and brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda.’’
Last but not least, referring to a totally different recipe, the one we call jam-filled, glaze-drizzled thumbprint cookies, the very same one Everett reader B. McGuire told us was a cherished keeper that had somehow disappeared and which she needed desperately, B. now writes, “Please thank your Forum readers for my family. Boy, did they identify the illusive missing recipe for our favorite thumbprint cookies. (They are Terry Brundage, Shirley Lee and Nancy Thurmond, all of Everett, and Lori Carlson of Arlington.)
“Three grandchildren helped me thumbprint them. The 18-month-old actually used her pointer finger. Then we filled them, baked them, and drizzled the glaze on them.
“After the first taste of the warm cookies, both of the older children looked up and grinned. ‘Nana, this is the one.’ No doubt. All the adults love them, too.
“I can’t thank you enough for restoring this treasured recipe to our family.’’
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