Christmas Cookie Recipe from “Covered Mercies” Upcoming Release

Chapter Thirteen – Christmas

With Christmas looming next, my anxiety level stayed on high panic. How could I do this holiday without Joshua? He loved Christmas. As the only child left at home for many years, he requested we do this and that and we were happy to comply.

At Joshua’s nudging, the last few Christmases before he died, we went to a certain Christmas tree farm to pick out our tree. They served hot apple cider, so this was a main draw for our young adult son. He also made sure his vote counted between me, his dad, and him, in choosing the tree. He did such a good job choosing the perfect tree the last few years before his death, that his dad gave him the job. Off we would go down the rows with Joshua in the lead to pick our tree. After we brought it home, we drug out the ornaments. Joshua and I had the tree decorated by the time his dad came home from work.

Food always surrounded this holiday season and was especially important to Joshua. We planned the desserts we wanted each year and we didn’t waver on our choices. Joshua made iced sugar cookies from the same cutouts I had before he was born: an angel, Santa Claus, reindeer, and snowman.

His favorite cookies after his teen years, though, were Grandmother Williams’ thumbprint cookies. I sometimes wondered if taste alone wasn’t the draw, because he insisted on placing his thumb print on each cookie before we baked them.

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Joshua’s Favorite: Christmas Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter

1/2 cup of sugar

Two eggs, separate yolks from the whites

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

About a 1/4 to 1/2 of a cup of finely chopped walnuts or nut of choice

Mix butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla. Cream thoroughly in an electric mixer. Sift flour and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Roll into one inch balls. Dip and roll into slightly beaten egg whites. Roll in finely chopped nuts. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for only five minutes and remove from oven. Press your thumb into the center of each cookie and return to oven. Bake for 8 minutes longer or under light golden in color. Cool. Spoon your favorite jams or jellies into the thumbprint center. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Joshua enjoyed these best with blackberry jam nestled within his thumbprint.