The original recipe is Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies from Cooking Light.
I searched and searched several stores in my area here in NC but I couldn't find almond paste anywhere. Many people who I talked to had no idea what it was. I decided to try to find a recipe for making here at home.
Almond paste is fairly easy to make yourself - providing you have blanched almonds. The recipe that I used is from Taste of Home.
I would not recommend using sliced almonds with skins. Although the almond paste turned out ok, the cookies dried out really fast and didn't last overnight. However, the cookies were really tasty right out of the oven.
My favorite part of the cookie was the blueberry jam that I made for the cooking filling.
Classic Blueberry Jam
from Put 'em up!
8 C. blueberries
2 C. sugar
1/4 C. bottled lemon juice
Combine the berries with a splash of water in a med. nonreactive pan. Bring to a boil, stirring and crushing the berries to release their juice. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Stir in the lemon juice. Continue to cook at a steady boil, stirring frequently, until the jam reaches the desired gel.
Remove from the heat and let the jam rest for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to release air bubbles and prevent fruit float. Skim any foam from the top of the jam.
Refrigerate: Ladle into bowls or jars. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
I waited until the jam had cooled down and then used it to fill the cookies.
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
YIELD: 3 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)
Ingredients
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated almond paste
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons Raspberry Refrigerator Jam
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325°.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper; secure to baking sheet with masking tape.
Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg white; beat well.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and salt to almond paste mixture; beat at low speed until well blended. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets, and press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes or until golden.
Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon Raspberry Refrigerator Jam into center of each cookie.
Notes: Almond paste makes the dough moist and pliable. Look for it in the supermarket baking aisle. The large holes of a box grater work well for grating the almond paste. Use a wine cork instead of your thumb to make a deeper indentation in the cookies. If you bake both pans of cookies at the same time, rotate the pans in the oven halfway through baking time for even browning.
Raspberry Refrigerator Jam
The ratio of sugar to pectin is ideal so the jam thickens as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. Use this jam in the Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies.
This recipe goes with Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
YIELD: 4 cups (serving size: 2 tablespoons)
Ingredients
12 cups fresh raspberries (about 4 pints), divided
2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 (1.75-ounce) package pectin (such as Sure-Jell)
Preparation
Place 9 cups raspberries in a blender; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing lightly with the back of a spoon; discard seeds. Combine raspberry puree and remaining 3 cups raspberries in a large bowl; partially mash raspberries with a spoon. Stir in 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Combine 3/4 cup warm water and pectin in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup sugar; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; add pectin mixture to raspberry mixture in bowl, stirring until combined. Cool to room temperature. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Spoon into airtight containers; cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.
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