Thumbprint Cookies With Toasted Nuts and Whole Grains
- 1 1/2 cups pecans (6 1/2 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups dark rye flour (6 1/2 ounces)
- 23 cup granulated sugar (4 1/2 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened at room temperature
- Jam, marmalade or lemon curd, for filling
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
- In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine nuts, flour, sugar and salt and pulse until very finely ground, about 1 minute.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add butter by hand, a few pieces at a time, massaging butter into dry ingredients until it forms a shaggy dough.
- (If dough seems dry and is not coming together, work in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does.)
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together with your hands.
- Have a bowl of warm water at hand nearby.
- Divide dough in half, dip your hands in water and roll each lump into a thin log, about 15 inches long and 1/2 inch across.
- Cut each log into 1/2-inch slices and roll each slice into a ball, dipping hands in water as needed to prevent dough from sticking.
- Transfer balls to prepared pans, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart.
- Using your pinkie or the rounded end of a small wooden spoon, press into the top of each ball to make a well.
- As you press, use your other hand to hold the ball and shape it around the finger or handle into a small, flat-bottomed cup.
- The goal is to give the dough an even thickness throughout the cookie.
- Place pans in refrigerator and chill cookies for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
- Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through to ensure even browning, until cookies are golden around the edges.
- Remove baking sheets from oven and let cookies cool completely.
- (The recipe can be made up to this point 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.)
- When ready to serve (up to 8 hours ahead of time), use a pastry bag or a small spoon to fill each well with jam, marmalade or preserves.
pecans, dark rye flour, sugar, salt, unsalted butter, lemon curd
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015809 (may not work)