Text and styling by Esther Ottensoser
Photography by Devorah Applegrad

These apple thumbprint cookies are not only adorable but delicious too! You can experiment with different color jellies or even try this idea with a honey cookie dough.

Thank you to Rebekah Lowin for graciously sharing this inspiration with us!

You will need:

• cookie dough recipe (see below)
• Baker’s Choice oven-proof jelly of your choice (I used raspberry)
• Fiber One cereal
• green fondant for leaf (you can also use a piece of green taffy or a green sour belt)

Cookie Dough

Recipe adapted from Sugarspunrun.com

• 1 cup unsalted margarine, softened to room temperature
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¾ tsp vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup sugar, for rolling (optional)

Place margarine in the bowl of your mixer and beat until creamy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add sugars and beat gradually, increasing mixer speed to medium-high until ingredients are well-combined (about 30–60 seconds).

Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.

With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients until completely combined.

Scoop cookie dough into tablespoon-sized balls and roll very well (so that the dough is round and there are no cracks/seams in the cookie dough — this will help keep your thumbprints from cracking).

Roll in granulated sugar (if using) and place on a wax-paper covered plate or small cookie sheet. Use your thumb or the rounded back of a teaspoon to gently press an indent in the center of the cookie dough. Repeat until all of the dough has been used.

Transfer cookie dough to freezer and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place cookies at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 11 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown.

Spoon jam into each thumbprint. (No need to let the cookies cool first.) Add a piece of Fiber One for the apple stem.

Shape fondant into a small leaf and place on jam for the leaf.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 857)