Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

From EatingWell: February/March 2005 — Subscribe Now!

Thumbprint cookies are an old-fashioned treat, a little cookie well holding a dot of jam. Here, they're reinterpreted with walnut oil and whole-wheat pastry flour for today's healthier eating standards - and, of course, with chocolate, simply for the taste.

About 36 cookies

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Nutrition Profile

Diabetes appropriate | Low carbohydrate | View Complete Nutrition Guidelines»

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup toasted walnut pieces, (see Tip)
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup walnut oil, or canola oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips, melted (see Cooking Tip)
6 tablespoons apricot jam, (see Enhancements, below)

Preparation

Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Grind walnuts in a food processor until they resemble coarse meal.
Beat butter, oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until almost creamy"the mixture may still be a little grainy. Beat in egg and vanilla; scrape down the sides and beat in melted chocolate and the ground nuts. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
Roll 1 tablespoon dough into a ball, place on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly until it looks like a deflated basketball. Continue with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently press your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon in the center of each cookie. Place 1/2 teaspoon jam in each indentation. Bake until the jam is melted and the cookie is set but still a little soft, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the pan cool for a few minutes before baking another batch. Enhancements: Use any flavor jam you want, just don’t use preserves (the pieces of fruit may be too large) or jelly (it will melt too quickly and run).

Tips & Notes

Tip: To toast chopped walnuts: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Cooking Tip: To melt chocolate:
1. Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a double boiler set over medium-high heat, then place chocolate in the top pan. (Alternatively, to improvise a double boiler, place chocolate in a heat-safe mixing bowl that fits snugly over a pan with 1 inch of simmering water.) Stir until half the chocolate has melted. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until the chocolate has fully melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.
2. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on High for 1 minute. Stir well, then continue microwaving in 30-second increments on High until two-thirds of the chocolate has melted, stirring well after each heating. Remove the bowl and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Cool for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Nutrition

Per cookie: 109 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 9 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 53 mg sodium; 42 mg potassium.

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat