Desserts
Vanilla-Pomegranate Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
These buttery Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies feature a homemade vanilla-pomegranate jam that's as tasty as it is beautiful. No time to make the jam? No problem. You can use your favorite store-bought jam or jelly as a quick and tasty substitute.
Ingredients
WHISK:
BEAT:
MEANWHILE, HEAT:
Test Kitchen Tip
If you don’t have, or can’t find, 7-inch tart pans with removable bottoms, use one 9×13-inch baking pan, but the cookies won’t have the pretty fluted edges.
Instructions
Lightly coat two 7-inch-round tart pans with removable bottoms with butter. Whisk together flour, 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, and ½ tsp. salt.
Beat butter in a bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add ⅔ cup sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, 2 minutes more.
Add half the flour mixture; beat on low speed until combined. Add remaining flour, beating only until flour is incorporated. Divide dough in half and press each into a prepared pan. Pierce dough with a fork to mark cut lines, then dock.
Make a small indentation about ½–1-inch from edge of each wedge using back of a one teaspoon measuring spoon; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat pomegranate juice and ½ cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high to a boil, stirring often to dissolve sugar.
Whisk 2 tsp. cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. hot pomegranate mixture in a bowl; whisk into boiling mixture. Stir in lemon juice and pinch of salt, cook until pomegranate filling is very thick and syrupy, 6–8 minutes; cool to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 300° with rack in center position.
Bake shortbread 30 minutes; remove from oven and lightly repress indentations with measuring spoon. Rotate pans and return to oven; continue baking shortbread until edges begin to brown and start to pull away from sides of pans, 30–40 minutes more.
Carefully remove ring when cool enough to handle. Transfer shortbread to a cutting board; cut into wedges along score lines and indent again if needed. Spoon about 1 tsp. filling into each indentation; transfer shortbread to a rack to cool completely.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per cookie
Calories: 246
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 38mg 12%
Sodium 75mg 3%
Carbs 29g 9%
Protein 2g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.