Pistachio Thumbprints

I get lots of requests for this recipe, so I thought I might share it here! I first found these on allrecipes, and have changed just a very few things.  I love pistachio and almond, and I love pudding mixes see {here, here, here and here}….the possibilities are so endlessly amazing for these cookies!

I didn’t take any pictures while I was baking these, and the ones pictured here are the very last 2 cookies of the 6 dozen I made yesterday for a dear friend’s baby shower {In fact I "trimmed" teeth marks off of one}. They've been packed and unloaded twice, so they aren't at their best....but they are still delicious! 

Here's the recipe:

Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies

adapted from allrecipes.com

2/3 cup shortening (Crisco)

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 small box pistachio almond pudding mix

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

Mix shortening and sugar together very well, add eggs and mix well. Then add the pudding mix, almond, and vanilla and mix to combine scraping the sides as you go. Add salt and flour and mix again, just to combine. Scoop into small balls (I use my smallest Pampered Chef scoop) and roll with your hands to smooth out. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 9-10 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool. Frost with buttercream icing.

  

Here are a couple of tips:

• ·      Don’t over mix the dough after you add the flour, just mix to combine, scrape the sides and mix again for a few seconds.
• ·      For best results make the total amount of extracts add up to 1 teaspoon as you mix and match for flavors.
• ·      Resist the urge to make these big, they need to stay small…just about 1 inch wide.
• ·      Use a small scoop so that all your cookies are the same size (mine is 1¼ inch wide). I scoop all the dough out onto the counter and then roll them in my hands to make perfect little balls before I put them on the baking sheets.
• ·      They won’t really brown on top, if they begin to brown on top you are close to over baking them.
• ·      Let the cookies cool completely before icing them.
• ·      FOR GLAZE (like in the pictures): Put one can of traditional store-bought vanilla frosting in the microwave for 30 seconds. Pour it into a bowl along with about ½ teaspoon of almond extract and 1-2 teaspoons of half and half or milk.  Whisk together and add milk so that the glaze is the consistency of melted chocolate. Dip the top of each fully cooled cookie in the glaze, covering the entire top and sides of each cookie. Set on waxed paper and sprinkle with colored sugars or special sprinkles while glaze is still wet.FOR THUMBPRINTS: Buy or make buttercream icing and pipe onto the tops of cookies (similar to how you would pipe frosting onto a cupcake, but smaller). I use a star tip and swirl it in a small circle over the top of the cookie, ending with a peak in the middle – similar to the top of a soft serve ice cream.

These would be so fun to make for Easter, they are truly yummy and easy. Here are some other combinations you could use:

• ·      Strawberry pudding mix with double vanilla extract frosted with melted chocolate for a “Chocolate – Covered Strawberry” Thumbprint.
• ·      Coconut pudding mix with half vanilla half coconut extract and Coconut Frosting or Vanilla Glaze and toasted coconut.
• ·      Chocolate pudding mix with almond and vanilla extracts topped with fudge frosting and a maraschino cherry would be delicious.
• ·      Cheesecake pudding mix would work beautifully with a variety of extracts and frostings.
• ·      Vanilla pudding mix with orange extract or lemon pudding mix with lemon extract would be refreshing.
• ·      Pumpkin Spice with vanilla extract and fall sprinkles for the fall….OR:
• ·      Candy Cane pudding mix with half vanilla and half peppermint extract and crushed candy canes for a Christmas cookie.
• And of course, the original Banana Pudding is a classic....who wouldn't love a banana pudding thumbprint cookie.

So there you go!

Enjoy!