Walnut Thumbprint Cookies

You know those days when you just feel far away from home? I grew up in Utah but have been living in California for the last seven years. California is fortunately a short two hour plane ride from Utah but sometimes I still feel far away from home. These cookies remind me of home. They are one of my mom's favorite cookies. I remember my dad making them for her. He's quite a cookie master. And these cookies are quite delicious. Most cookies use both brown and white sugars or just white sugar by itself, but these use only brown sugar. Brown sugar feels homey, don't you think? Warm and comforting. Top everything off with crunchy walnuts and fresh raspberry jam and home doesn't feel so far away.  

Walnut Thumbprint Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg, separated

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Walnuts, chopped

Raspberry jam

1. Cream together butter, shortening, and brown sugar.

2. Add egg yolk and vanilla; mix well.

3. Mix in flour and salt.

4. Roll into 1" balls. Dip in slightly beaten egg white and then walnuts.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove cookies and press thumb into center of each cookie (careful! they will be HOT!) Bake an additional 8 minutes.

6. When cool, fill centers with raspberry jam.

Grandma's Snickerdoodles

This is my lovely Grandma Ruth's Snickerdoodle Recipe. It really needs no introduction. They are sweet, chewy, delicious little morsels. I love them.

Grandma's Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cups butter, room temperature

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 TBLS sugar

1/2 TBL cinnamon

Cream together sugar, butter and eggs. Add flour, soda and cream of tartar. Mix well and roll into walnut size balls. Mix together cinnamon and sugar. Dip top of each cookie into cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. 

We gobbled them up so fast at Book Club, I forget to get a picture. Thanks, Grandma!