Santa's Thumbprints

These holiday thumbprint cookies are a Christmas cookie tin staple for good reason. The oat-and-flour dough has a nutty, wholesome chew, each ball gets rolled in finely chopped nuts for a crunchy exterior, and a jewel-bright dot of jelly fills the center like a tiny gift.

Brown sugar gives the base a warmer, more caramel-like sweetness than white sugar would, and the rolled oats add texture and heartiness that keeps these from being just another butter cookie. The nut coating is where the real personality comes in. As the cookies bake, the nuts toast slightly and form a crunchy shell around the soft, chewy center.

Pressing your thumb into each ball to create the well is a tactile, satisfying step that kids love helping with. Fill each indent with about ¼ teaspoon of your favorite jelly or preserves. Raspberry, strawberry, and apricot are classic choices, and mixing colors across a batch makes a beautiful holiday presentation.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat the margarine and sugar until truly fluffy. This traps air and makes the cookies tender rather than dense.
• Roll in nuts before making the thumbprint. The nut coating needs to adhere to the dough before you create the well, or it cracks and falls off.
• Don’t overfill the thumbprints. More than ¼ teaspoon of jelly bubbles over during baking and burns on the pan.
• Store loosely covered. Airtight containers trap moisture and soften the nut coating. A loosely covered tin keeps them crisp.

Variations

• Use different jellies across the batch for a colorful cookie tray. Red raspberry, golden apricot, and purple grape make a festive spread.
• Pecans, walnuts, or almonds all work for the nut coating. Match to your preference or what you have on hand.
• Chocolate filling: Skip the jelly and press a chocolate kiss into each hot cookie right out of the oven.