Salty, Crafty, and Sweet {Thumbprint Cookies}

My neighbor made these for me last year.  One of the benefits of bringing people treats is sometimes they return the favor.  They were so good, I hid them from the rest of the family and put them in the freezer to eat in January.  Extra good sweets cannot be mixed with run-of-the-mill sweets, in my humble opinion.  There's a little restaurant/bakery here in Fort Worth, McKinley's, and these taste similar to their thumbprint cookies.

They are buttery and GOOD!

And really easy to make.

What kid doesn't like to put his thumb in cookie dough?

Cry Cry is always good for a fake smile these days.

This one is for Asher, because he made the star on our tree... in Baylor colors (Sic 'em, Bears!).

See it, all blurry right above Nathan's head.

Then we got in the car and headed out to deliver some on a rainy Saturday.

Here's the recipe.

Cookie Ingredients

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting Ingredients

1 stick butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

6 Tbsp. milk

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

First make the frosting so it has time to thicken.  In a saucepan, melt butter, cocoa, and milk.  When it just begins to bubble, remove from heat.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla.  Set aside.

For cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add vanilla.  Add flour and salt.  Then roll into balls, push your thumb in each cookie.  Bake for 12 minutes or until just beginning to turn light brown at the edges.  Allow to cool completely before spreading frosting.

Hide the cookies from your children so you can eat them by yourself while the house is quiet and they're in bed.