Thumbprint cookies are an American take on hallangrottor, Swedish for “raspberry cave.” You can fill these buttery shortbread cookies with anything, but I hope you’ll try lemon curd!
“Walk towards the sunshine, and the shadows will fall behind you.” – Mary Engelbreit
My workplace just instituted a Swedish “fika,” a midday coffee break. In the Swedish tradition, as I’ve come to understand it, every workplace has a 15-minute fika mid-morning and another mid-afternoon. And the break is actually legally required! Because we are in the U.S., guided by American work norms, our fika is only once a week. But it is slated for 30 minutes, and there are cookies served along with the coffee and tea.
Swedish fika’s ancestor is something called kafferep, a social coffee hour held amongst women in their homes. In the 18th and 19th centuries, coffee was an elite drink that only the wealthy could afford. Coffee shops were for elite members of society, and for that reason, they were closed to women. So they started their own private affairs. Guests were expected to dress in their best and they were seated according to their social rank. This is where the hallangrottor was born, Swedish for “raspberry cave.” It’s a Scandainavian cookie or small cake filled with jam – the ancestor of the American thumbprint cookie!
One story is that the American version was popularized by the Arcade Bakery inside Pittsburg’s Kauffman’s Department Store, which would eventually become Macy’s. It utilized the logic of a shortbread cookie with an indentation in the center. But rather than the traditional jam filling, all matter of flavored icings were used. The most popular was peanut butter. Throughout the 1980’s, Pittsburgh residents put the cookie in high demand. In 2015 one of the original bakers carried the cookie torch by featuring it as his new bakery, Prantl’s.
Thumbprint cookies are a popular holiday cookie. They’re known by many names: bird’s nest cookies, butterballs, and Polish tea cakes. While their Swedish background is notable, there may be Polish and Jewish influence too. They’re filled with fruit or jam or Nutella or Hershey’s kisses. They’re the perfect Christmas cookie. You’ve probably seen them at a cookie swap – or you could bring them yourself.
The recipe I use for these comes from Mary Engelbreit’s Cookie Cookbook. My best friend’s mother growing up loved Mary Engelbreit. I can’t remember if the cookbook was hers originally or is she gave it to me as a gift. But I’ve kept it all these years just for this perfect recipe.
Mary Engelbreit is an interesting character. She’s a rare artist who was able to become a mainstream household name. Perhaps she was cottage core before we had a term for it. Her drawings embody an ideal landscape of wholesome nostalgia, kind of like a feminine Norman Rockwell. Perhaps this is why she experienced such pushback when she began making political art in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2015 – her audience just didn’t see it coming. In fact, she lost 11,000 followers on her Facebook page in just 1 day when she posted a drawing of a crying Black mother holding a child reading a newspaper that said “Hands Up! Don’t’ Shoot!”
It may sound silly, but her bravery to stand up for what she believes in makes me love these cookies even more. And they are already lovely. The buttery cookie, the walnuts, and fruit are bliss together. Usually, I use raspberry jam with seeds, and they are wonderful. But this time I thought about using lemon curd and a white chocolate drizzle. It was the right impulse – these are divine! Try them, and toast Mary while you’re at it.
Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy12
servings30
minutes10
minutesIngredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, depending on taste)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts (or nut of your choice), finely chopped [see Note 1]
About 2/3 cup lemon curd [See Note 2]
- White Chocolate Drizzle [optional]
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 TBSP canola oil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture.
- Put the walnuts in a shallow bowl. Shape heaping teaspoonfuls of the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the walnuts, pressing to coat. Place about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets, and with your thumb, make a deep depression in the center of each cookie. Spoon ~ 1/2 tsp of lemon curd into each hollow.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Cool for ~3 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- White Chocolate Glaze [optional]
- In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate and oil in 30 second intervals, mixing in between. Use a fork to drizzle glaze over the cookies.
Notes
- Note 1: I used mixed nuts this time. Any favorite nut will do.
- Note 2: You can use store bought lemon curd or make your own. You can also substitute raspberry jam or use chocolate kisses. If using chocolate kisses, wait until after they are done backing to place them in the center of the cookie - put them in place immediately after they come out.
- Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
