Blackberry Blackheads^

Don’t let the name turn your stomach, these are just buttery thumbprint cookies with a Halloween sense of humor. A dot of dark blackberry jam pooled in each little dimple looks like, well, exactly what the name promises, which is the whole gag.

Underneath the joke is a genuinely good cookie. The dough is made with egg whites only, no yolks, which keeps the rounds pale, crisp-tender, and shortbread-like, the better to set off that glossy dark jam.

You roll the dough into balls, flatten them slightly, and press a thumbprint into each one to hold the filling. The jam goes in after baking, not before, so it stays bright and glistening instead of cooking dark and dull.

They are simple enough for kids to help shape and just gross enough to make everyone laugh at the table.

Kitchen Tips

• Press the dimples deep enough to hold a real spoonful of jam without it running over.
• Fill the cookies only once fully cooled, or the warm jam soaks in and looks matte.
• If a dimple puffs closed during baking, re-press it the moment the cookies come out.

Variations

• Use blackcurrant, grape, or another dark jam to keep the gross-out look.
• Switch to red raspberry or strawberry jam for bloody-looking ‘wounds’ instead.
• Roll the dough balls in finely chopped nuts before baking for texture.