Ginger Apple Thumbprints

Bit of a twist on one of my husband's favorite cookies. Ginger Apple Thumbprints are delightfully chewy, full of ginger flavor, and filled with sweet apple jelly. These would make for a great addition to your holiday table.

Warm, spicy ginger and sweet apple seemed like a pretty natural pairing. Of course, you could tinker with the jelly for an equally delicious and festive cookie. Cranberry sauce or orange marmalade would make for a great swap!

The dough is easily made in advance. In fact, during the holiday season, I often like to keep a bit of the dough in the freezer for fresh cookies at a moment's notice.

Ginger Apple Thumbprints

Ingredients

· ¾ cup butter, softened

· 1 ¼ cup sugar

· 1 egg

· ¼ cup molasses

· 2 ¼ cup flour

· 1 tsp baking soda

· ¼ tsp salt

· 1 ½ tsp ground ginger

· ¾ tsp ground cinnamon

· ½ tsp ground cloves

· ¼ cup apple jelly

Cream together butter and 1 cup of sugar on high speed. Scrap down the bowl, and add the egg. Beat on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl and add the molasses. Combine on medium speed.

Sift together the flour, soda, salt, and spices. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Using a small ice cream scoop, drop a ball of the cookie dough into the reserved 1/4 cup of sugar. Ensure the dough ball is completely covered in the sugar. Place the ball on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart.

Using the end of a wooden spoon or your thumb, create a small divot in the center of each cookie dough ball. Spoon a tiny bit of apple jelly into each of the thumbprints.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. Allow 10 to 15 minutes to cool on the pan. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Notes

If you like, substitute the apple jelly for cranberry sauce for an equally festive Fall treat!

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!

Use a gluten free flour blend. For this recipe, I prefer Cup4Cup. The cookies will go stale much quicker than when using AP flour. Bake in small batches and enjoy within 2 days for the best texture.