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As Chief Baking Officer at Magnolia Bakery, Bobbie brings the from-scratch, homemade essence of Magnolia Bakery to customers through the creation and development of new recipes and the perfection of old favorites. Her new book, The Magnolia Handbook A Complete Guide for the Home Baker, offers 150 foolproof recipes and techniques taken directly from the Magnolia Bakery kitchen and adapted for the home baker by Bobbie herself.
Grandma’s Thumbprints
MAKES: 32 Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 cups (230g/8.1oz) coarsely chopped pecans
• 2 cups (270g/9.5oz) all-purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup / 2 sticks (226g/8oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup (66g/2.3oz) granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Jam, buttercream, or powdered sugar for variations
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside
2. In a food processor, finely grind 1 cup of the pecans with ¼ cup of the flour until it is the texture of coarse cornmeal, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl. Coarsely grind the remaining pecans in a food processor, about 5 seconds, the transfer to the bowl with the pecan-flour mixture. Stir in the remaining 1¾ cups flour and the salt.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle, cream the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the pecan-flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds, scrape the bowl and paddle and continue to beat on low speed until the dough just comes together, about 10 seconds.
4. Using a #40 (1-ounce) cookie scoop, make 32 balls, rolling them in between your palms until perfectly round. Place no more than 12 balls on each prepared baking sheet, spaced out about 1 inch apart. If making thumbprint cookies, use your thumb or the back of a measuring spoon to create an indent in the center of each cookie. Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
5. When ready to bake the cookies, position the oven racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat the oven to 325.
6. Transfer two pans to the oven to bake for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating top to bottom, front to back halfway through the baking time, until the bottoms are lightly golden brown
7. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, unless filling with jam, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before icing/rolling in powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container.
