Food and Recipes Recipes Almond Thumbprints with Fig Jam Be the first to rate & review! If you're a fan of pecan sandies, you'll appreciate the nutty flavor and pleasantly crumbly texture of these thumbprint cookies. By Joy Howard Joy Howard Joy Howard is a cookbook author, food stylist, and recipe developer who's spent more than a decade creating recipes for home cooks. She is the author of Disney Eats and the forthcoming Tomato Love (Storey Publishing, Summer 2022), is a frequent contributor to Southern Living and America's Test Kitchen, and for many years wrote a column for EatingWell magazine about cooking with kids. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on December 15, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Joy Howard Hands On Time: 20 mins Total Time: 35 mins Yield: 2 dozen Both attributes are the result of an unexpected addition to the cookie dough—almond flour. Long used as a gluten-free alternative for baking, here it adds just the right qualities to make it make it similar to a traditional sandie. You'll likely find it at any conventional supermarket, but it can also be purchased online or at most health food grocers. For the best results, be sure to purchase almond flour and not almond meal. The latter has a more coarse texture and will yield less desirable cookie. Ingredients 2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup almond flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg, room temperature 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup fig jam Confectioner's sugar, for dusting (optional) Directions Heat the oven to 350° and line two baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and almond flours, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment and set on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to incorporate. Reduce the mixer's speed to low and blend in the flour mixture one-third at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Scoop a level tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls 2 inches apart. Use the back of a teaspoon to make a deep divot in the center of each dough ball. Spoon fig jam into each. Bake the cookies until set and lightly golden on the bottom, turning them once halfway through about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Rate it Print