Thumbprint Cookies Recipes

Lightly grease 2-3 baking trays (they need to be the right size to fit comfortably in your fridge). Weigh out the butter and the sugar, then tip them into a large mixing bowl and add the vanilla essence. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together, either with a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer on a low setting, until creamy. Crack the egg into a cup or small bowl first (this makes it easier to remove any wayward bits of eggshell), then tip it into the mixing bowl and beat again until the egg is well combined. Next, weigh out the flour, then sit a sieve on the top of your big mixing bowl and sieve in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix again, until you have a nice soft biscuit dough.

To make the cookies, break off small pieces of dough and roll them into balls about 3cm in diameter. Put the balls on the prepared baking trays, leaving some space between them, as they will spread in the oven. When you have used all the dough, it’s time for the fun bit! Gently press the pad of your thumb into the top centre of each cookie (as if making a thumbprint), to make a small hollow - if preferred, you can use a small measuring spoon or the end of a wooden spoon to do this.

Using a teaspoon, carefully add enough Nutella to fill the hollow in each biscuit, then put the trays in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. Now is a good time to do some washing up! When there is 5 minutes of chilling time left, pre-heat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4). After 15 minutes, take the baking trays out of the fridge and put them carefully into the hot oven. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes, until they are turning lightly golden. Take them out of the oven and leave them on their baking trays to cool completely. When the cookies are cool, transfer them to a wire rack, and add the final finishing touch by decorating the tops with your choice of small chocolate treats!