Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
These tasty thumbprint cookies are a buttery treat with a delightful crunch and a sweet surprise at the center. The result is a melt-in-your-mouth cookie with a perfect balance of texture and flavor: a toasty pecan on the outside, soft and delicate cookie inside, and a sweet, gooey center ties it all together.
By J.W. Renfroe Pecan Co
Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients for Filling
- 2 cups Renfroe pecan halves
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg - white only (reserve yolk for cookie ingredients)
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp. espresso powder
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
-
¼ tsp almond extract
Ingredients for Cookies
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, divided; plus more for serving (optional)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
Instructions - Filling
-
Preheat oven to 350°F.
-
Lightly toast pecans and let cool.
-
Set 1 ¼ cup pecans aside for making the dough
-
Pulse granulated sugar and remaining ¾ cup pecans in a food processor.
-
Add egg white and pulse just to blend, then add butter, espresso powder, salt and almond extract. Pulse again just until mixture is smooth and combined
Instructions - Cookies
- Pulse flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup reserved pecans in food processor.
- Beat butter, granulated sugar, and ¼ cup powdered sugar.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined and no streaks remain.
- Add dry ingredients.
- Cover bowl with plastic film and chill dough until it's firm
- Pace racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°.
- Place ½ cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl.
- Working in batches, scoop out tablespoons of dough and roll into balls between your hands, then roll in powdered sugar.
- Transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets as you work, spacing 2" apart.
- Bake cookies until puffed, but edges are still soft, 6-8 minutes.
- Carefully remove from oven and make an indent in the center of each cookie with the handle end of a wooden spoon or a similar heatproof object.
- Spoon a heaping ½ teaspoonful of filling into each and top with a pecan half from remaining reserved ¼ cup.
- Return cookies to oven and continue to bake until edges are set and very lightly browned, 6-8 minutes longer.
- Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets. Just before serving, dust cookies with more powdered sugar if desired.