Apple Pie Thumbprints
A sweet, crunchy Thumbprint cookie like you have never had. To give these cookies a little of that smoky touch and taste(whick I love by the way), place the cookies under a broiler for just a couple seconds before cooling to fill
Share This Recipe
Ingredients
For 1 Batch(es)
Recipe
- 3 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
- 5 firm apples, any variety
- 3/4 cup(s) granulated sugar, divided
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1/2 cup(s) butter or margarine, divided
- 1/4 cup(s) applesauce
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup(s) flour
- 1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg, divided
- 1/4 cup(s) apple or apricot jelly, heated and whisked smooth
- 1 cup(s) powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) each ground cloves and dried ginger
Apple Pie Thumbprints Directions
- In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water and lemon juice; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Meanwhile, peel, core and grate apples onto a plate as quickly as possible to prevent browning. Immediately transfer to boiling water, stir well and cook 20 seconds, continually stirring. Immediately empty into a large wire sieve, pressing against the sides to extract as much water as possible. Transfer to a plate, mix in 1/4 cup sugar well and refrigerate until needed.
- Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.In a large bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter, applesauce, egg and vanilla using an electric mixer until as creamy as possible on high speed. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour, cinnamon and half the nutmeg until thoroughly mixed. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
- Remove dough and cooked apples from refrigerator. Tamp a paper towel on top of the apples, soaking up as much accumulated liquid as possible. Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Shape dough into 1 1/2-2-inch balls. Roll in shredded apple, pressing into the dough ball evenly. Place on prepared pan and indent with your finger halfway though dough. Repeat with remainder of dough, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack or platter and brush, or spoon, jelly over each. Let cool completely before piping filling into each indent.
- To make filling, simply beat remainder of butter, powdered sugar, remainder of nutmeg, ginger and cloves until fluffy, adding milk to make loose enough to pipe or spoon into cookies. Cool completely before serving.
- Makes about 25 cookies