‘Tis the season for jam filled cookies covered in a dusting snow of white powdered sugar. These thumbprints scream Christmas! They are soft and buttery and have a slight tang from sourdough discard. Dotted with plum jam- we call these sugar plum fairy cookies! Feel free to swap it out for the preserves of your choice- raspberry, strawberry or apricot would also be wonderful.
Notes and Tips for Success
• Active sourdough starter or discard can be used
• The dough can be baked right away or mixed and rolled a day ahead of time for the added benefits of fermented grains
• Make sure your butter, eggs and discard are at room temperature before starting
• To make them without sourdough leave out the discard and increase the flour to 325 grams
• Thumbprints will store in an airtight container for up to a week
• These can also be filled with your favorite curd- lemon, passionfruit, cranberry…
Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies
Description
‘Tis the season for jam filled cookies covered in a dusting snow of white powdered sugar. These thumbprints scream Christmas! They are soft and buttery and have a slight tang from sourdough discard. Dotted with plum jam- we call these sugar plum fairy cookies! Feel free to swap it out for the preserves of your choice- raspberry, strawberry or apricot would also be wonderful.
Ingredients
12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (50 grams) sourdough discard, room temperature
2 1/2 cups (300 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar for rolling
plum or your favorite jam
powder sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176° C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the egg yolks, vanilla, sourdough discard and salt, and beat until well combined. While mixing on low, gradually add in the flour and beat just until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed during mixing.
- Place ⅓ cup of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop to measure out a 1 tablespoon size portion (25 grams) of cookie dough and shape into a ball. The dough is quite crumbly, rolling the balls in the palm of your hand will help warm it up. Roll it in the granulated sugar to coat. Place the dough ball on the baking sheet and use your thumb or the back of a measuring spoon to press an indentation into the dough ball. (If you are fermenting the cookies over night transfer the baking sheet to the fridge before adding the jam) otherwise, spoon or pipe about a ½ teaspoon of jam into the indentation. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Once cookies have cooled completely, dust the tops with powdered sugar.
Notes
Notes and Tips for Success
• Active sourdough starter or discard can be used
• The dough can be baked right away or mixed and rolled a day ahead of time for the added benefits of fermented grains
• Make sure your butter, eggs and discard are at room temperature before starting
• To make them without sourdough leave out the discard and increase the flour to 325 grams
• Thumbprints will store in an airtight container for up to a week
• These can also be filled with your favorite curd- lemon, passionfruit, cranberry…
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