Almond Thumbprint Cookies

From the kitchen of Carly

Tender almond cookies with a nutty crumb and jammy center. Toasted almonds ground fine keep them delicate, while matzo cake meal adds subtle richness. A simple thumbprint shape holds bright raspberry jam that pools slightly when warm.

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Toasted almonds ground into a tender, almost marzipan-like base make these cookies special, especially since matzo cake meal replaces flour. The dough stays tender and crumbly in the best way, and a thumb-pressed well filled with jam bakes into something soft and jammy at the edge. These are elegant enough for a Passover table and buttery enough to disappear fast any other time of year.

Prep
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Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 3/4 cupsliced blanched almonds, toasted and cooled
  • 2/3 cupsugar
  • 2/3 cupmatzo cake meal
  • 1/4 tspsalt
  • 1 stickunsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 largeegg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 tspvanilla extract
  • 1/4 tspalmond extract
  • 1About 2 tablespoons fruit jam
  • 1such as raspberry
  • 1strawberry
  • 1or apricot

Instructions

  1. Combine the almonds, sugar, matzo cake meal, and salt in a food processor and pulse until finely ground, stopping before the mixture turns pasty. Scrape everything into a bowl, then stir in the butter, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until the dough comes together evenly. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

  2. While the dough chills, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

  3. Portion level tablespoons of dough onto 2 ungreased baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart, then roll each portion into a smooth ball. Return the balls to the fridge for about 10 minutes, until slightly firm. Press a 1/2-inch-wide, 1/3-inch-deep indentation into the center of each ball using your thumb, index finger, or the rounded end of a wooden spoon, then spoon 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each hollow. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are pale golden and the undersides have deepened to a richer gold. Slide the cookies onto a rack and let them cool completely.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Toast and cool your almonds first. It only takes 8 to 10 minutes in a 350°F oven and makes a real difference in flavor compared to raw.
  • Pulse the dry mix until it looks like fine sand, not wet clumps. Stop as soon as you don't see distinct almond pieces anymore.
  • Chill twice: once for firmness and again after shaping, so the dough doesn't spread when it hits the oven and your thumbprint stays defined.
  • Use your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon handle, not your whole finger. A shallow, narrow indent (1/3 inch deep) is plenty to hold jam without it leaking everywhere.

Variations

  • Pistachio version: swap toasted shelled pistachios for almonds, and fill with a thin layer of white chocolate or plain jam.
  • Honey-sweetened: replace half the sugar with honey and reduce matzo cake meal slightly (use 1/2 cup instead of 2/3) for a softer crumb.
  • Chocolate dipped: once cookies cool, dip the bottom half in melted dark chocolate and let it set on parchment.
  • No-jam route: skip the fruit and press a single chocolate chip or candied fruit piece into the indentation instead.

Make ahead and storage

Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They don't freeze particularly well because the texture gets dense when thawed, so eat them fresh.