We finally got around to some Christmas baking today, H and I. There’s something just so enjoyable and close about working in the kitchen with an 8-year-old who loves baking! We found a recipe for Thumbprint Cookies – basically shortbreads that you dent in the middle with your thumb and then fill with jam after baking.
H read the recipe, we got out most of the ingredients and a nice big bowl, and we got to work. H creamed the butter, I added the sugar as she worked it, then in went the flour, egg yolks and vanilla extract. She kept referring back to the recipe to see what we were supposed to do next, which was quite entertaining in its own way. “How do you get just egg yolks?”
“Separate them,” I said. “Like this,” demonstrating the half-eggshell technique.
“It says here we need chopped nuts. We don’t have any! What do we do?”
“Skip them,” I replied, “we’ll use chocolate chips.”
Eventually the cookie dough looked somewhat as it should and we chilled it for the longest hour in the history of baking. Onto the cookie sheet and into the oven they went. Out they came and on went the jam in the little indents. They were scrumptious, especially when still warm!
I’m so grateful for little times like this with my grandchildren.