Strawberry Thumbprint Almond Cookies

I always grab a handful of almond cookies every time we eat out in a Chinese buffet. I always thought their cookies are so delicious. I like the sweetness and texture of it. My first attempt of baking these goodies was not very successful for some reasons. I have tried to make my second batch with a twist and it turns out really wonderful. Instead of almond cookies, I turned it into thumbprint almond cookies with grape and strawberry jellies. You can put anything that you like though.

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Strawberry Thumbprint Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup strawberry jelly or grapes

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven 350 degrees F.
2. With an electric beater, cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy.
3. Beat egg in a small bowl, reserve one tablespoon for brushing.
4. Add beaten egg, vanilla and almond extract to the sugar mixture until combined. Set aside
5. SIFT together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda onto a wax paper.
6. Add to the cream mixture. Stir until just blended. (Dough will be a bit crumbly but should hold together)
7. Form the dough into balls (1 inch in diameter).
8. Using your thumb or index finger, make deep indentation in center of each ball (be careful not to press too hard).
9. Spoon a jelly or jam into each cookie ball (do not overfill).
10. Place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
11. Get the 1 Tbsp. beaten egg that you reserved and with pastry brush, brush the top edges lightly.
11. Bake cookies about 10 -12 minutes or until slightly brown on the edges.

NOTE: You can add the jelly or jam before or after cooking. I add more jelly after cooking because it was not looking right.


ENJOY