Welcome to my first post of my 12 Days of Easy Christmas Cookies! This is my recipe for Thimble Cookies or some people may call them Birds Nests. I decided to share some my family’s favorite traditional cookie recipes like Sugar Cookies and Shortbread, and also try out some new recipes like Cocoa Crinkle Cookies and Red Velvet Sugar Cookies. If you’re not already signed up to receive email updates, might I suggest you do? You don’t want to miss out! You can also follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram!
As you work your way through my list of cookies, you will notice that most of them are peanut, nut and coconut free. Of course, you always have the option of including them but all recipes work very well without these ingredients. That would be due to my husband having extreme allergies. There are so many people who are allergic to peanuts and nuts; it’s actually quite scary. I’ve heard of people having to stop eating at Tim Hortons when they started putting Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on some of their products. Not to mention the schools are now peanut/nut free.
We tend not to have any peanut products in our house. Watching my husband brought to the hospital in the back of an ambulance is one too many times already. (although I could go on a rant about how sinfully delicious chocolate and peanuts, or chocolate and peanut butter are together. I’ll secretly indulge when I’m at a friends house then come home and decontaminated myself with a hot shower and teeth brushing before I go near my husband. Call me dramatic, but I just love my husband too much to take a chance.)
So back to these melt in your mouth morsels. My mom always made thimble cookies (aka birds nests) for Christmas when I was growing up. My mom also always rolled them in shredded coconut or crushed walnuts. Heavenly!! Then I meet my husband. On a whim, I decided to try making these without the extras so it’s basically like a sugar cookie made into the shape of a thimble cookie. As it turns out, these are one of my husband’s favorite Christmas cookie and as you can tell, #1 on my list.
I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as my family does!
Thimble Cookies (aka Birds Nests)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter , softened
- ½ cup Brown sugar , packed
- 2 Egg yolks
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 Egg whites , slightly beaten
- 2 cups Walnuts , finely chopped (optional)
- ½ cup Jam , seedless*
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the brown sugar and beat till combined, scraping the sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks till combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon or your hands.
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Shape dough into 1 1/4 – inch balls. Dip each ball in egg whites; roll in chopped nuts. Nuts can also be substituted for shredded coconut, or can be left plain for those with allergies. Place balls 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each ball. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or till edges are lightly brown.
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Transfer cookies to wire racks and cool. Before serving, fill centers with jam or preserves (about ½ tsp each)
*My favorite is Smuckers Strawberry jam. Cherry, raspberry or apricot jam is also recommended.
These cookies are great to freeze and take out for as needed. Do not freeze the cookies with the jam in them the cookies will become soggy.
Don’t forget to check out my other easy Holiday recipes!
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