Christmas

Chocolate Cherry Thumbprints

December 17, 2009
3
4 Ratings
  • Serves 2 dozen
Author Notes

My father loved chocolate covered cherries - the gooey, sticky, sugary kind that showed up on drug store shelves, each year, around the holidays. And each year, just around Thanksgiving, I would start to save my nickels and dimes so that I could present him with a box on Christmas, just from me. I made these in sweet memory of him. —Jennifer Ann

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Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour, plus 1 Tablespoon, divided
  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup Morello cherry conserve (or other cherry preserves)
Directions
  1. preheat oven to 350
  2. spread almonds on baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes (until fragrant, and just beginning to brown); cool to room temperature, then add to food processor with 1 tablespoon flour, until finely ground.
  3. cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
  4. whisk together flour and ground almonds; and stir into creamed butter mixture until well combined; cover and chill for at least an hour.
  5. roll about 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball, and place on parchment lined baking sheet; press finger into top center of ball to create a well; repeat with remaining dough, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until just beginning to lightly brown; remove from pans to racks to cool
  6. melt chocolate in a double boiler; stir in cream; and remove from heat
  7. dip bottom of cookies into melted chocolate and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet
  8. when chocolate has set, carefully spoon the cherry conserve into the thumbprint well
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4 Reviews

Sarah G. December 21, 2020
Maybe it's because I used gluten free flour, but this recipe did not work at all. The cookies spread out completely flat. And then when they were cool, they disintegrated into little piles of sand.
Franca December 3, 2014
I wasn't sure about the look of these when I pulled them out of the oven as they spread out quite a bit and I wasn't expecting that. I used plum jam that I had made from my father plum trees. Absolutely delicious. Will be making these again and again. My kids inhaled them. Thanks for posting.
Jennifer A. January 13, 2010
Thanks Shayma! It was the first time I had tried morello cherries, and I was so pleased with the nice velvetty cherry flavor - not at all tart, or cloyingly sweet
shayma January 12, 2010
what a lovely combination. morello cherries, delish. in memory of your father, this is a lovely and loving gesture. x