Christmas Surprises

These are a holiday-season variation on the thumbprint cookie with a snowy coconut disguise. Brown sugar cookie dough gets dropped in tablespoons onto the sheet, thumbed with a well in the center, filled with a dab of jam or jelly, and blanketed with shredded coconut before baking. The “surprise” is the fruit center hiding under all that coconut.

Using light brown sugar instead of granulated gives these a mellow molasses note that plays beautifully with both the tart jam center and the sweet coconut. Cream of tartar is the traditional stabilizer that keeps the cookies tender, a little chewy, and prevents them from spreading into thin, crispy disks.

Pick your jam to match the holidays you celebrate: raspberry and strawberry are classic, but apricot, fig, or a deep blackberry look gorgeous against the white coconut backdrop.

Chef Tips

• Make the well in each cookie with a teaspoon or your thumb, not too deep. Too-deep wells cause the jam to bubble over.
• Use thick jam, not runny jelly. Jelly melts into puddles during baking; jam stays put.
• Sprinkle coconut generously. It toasts lightly in the oven and protects the soft center from over-browning.
• Cool on the sheet for 3 minutes before transferring. Warm cookies are fragile and the jam centers are molten.

Variations

• Swap shortening for butter for a richer, slightly browner cookie.
• Dip cooled cookies halfway in white chocolate for a festive finish.
• Use lemon curd or dulce de leche instead of jam for a different hidden surprise.