Thimble or Thumbprint Cookies (Squirrelly Cakes)
 

This is also a Christmas size recipe and can be cut in half.
5 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 cups of butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs, separated
3 tsp. vanilla
3 cups of ground in the blender walnuts
1 jar of E.D. Smith Black Raspberry Jam - the best, or another brand of pure raspberry jam like Smuckers - not the double fruit ones, they are too watery.

Pre-sift flour. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy; add yolks and vanilla. Stir in flour 1/2 at a time. Separately, beat your egg whites until foamy and set aside - just until foamy, not until they even look white - they should still be clear with bubbles. Make up cookie dough into balls. I do them all, put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Then I line the table or counter or a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Dip the balls in the egg white and place them on the waxed paper - this is so that the excess drips off. You may actually need to beat an extra egg white or too to have enough. Then I put the ground nuts on a shallow dish like a pie plate or a shallow bowl. I roll the balls in the nuts, by kind of shaking the bowl or plate and moving it in a rolling motion. Or you can just roll each cookie ball. I prefer to do several at a time. Place the nut covered cookie balls on a slightly greased cookie sheet. Imprint each one with either a thimble or your thumbprint. Add a small amount of jam to this indentation. Bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling wrack.
These freeze very well. To freeze, I line a cookie tin with waxed pper and place waxed paper or plastic wrap between each layer, plastic wrap on top, close lid and seal tin in a plastic bag or two - the grocery store bags work well for this. Alternatively, I bag them into freezer bags, like the extra large Ziploc bags, label them as to type and amount. They will freeze for up to 6 months and longer.

Posted by Squirrelly Cakes