Little Christmas Jewels……

I think that there are some cookies, or sweet treats, that just scream Christmas. In my opinion some of them are Spritz, gingerbread, fudge, chocolate covered cherries, sugar cookies, Turtles, and last, but not least (Of course this is just naming a few.) thumbprint cookies. My mom made them every year, and I always thought they looked like they were studded with rubies after the jam set. Of course her cookies were full on sugar and butter (actually I think my mom used margarine in everything.), but you know me, I couldn’t just let that happen, I had to change it a bit.

 

Your traditional thumbprint cookie is half the same size of mine, but equal the same amount of calories (and mine use Truvia, reduced sugar preserves, and light butter) as mine. So, if you eat two traditional cookies, which would equal the size of one of my cookies, you will be towing the line at 134 calories per cookie. You could use sugar free jam, jelly, or preserves to reduce the calories a bit more, but I don’t like the sweetener that they use in the sugar free versions.

 

I learned a lesson this morning when I made them and I will pass it on to all of you. I was worried about under cooking them so when I went to put the thumbprint in when they were partially cooked I thought they felt to squishy so I cooked them TWO minutes longer and they seemed just right, but once I added the preserves I needed to cook them another 8 minutes to set the jam and while they tasted perfect right out of the oven, as they sat they over cooked. We all know that food, especially baked items, continue to cook once they are removed from the oven, and this was no different. So, make sure you check their full doneness when they are cooled. That is when the test is true. In this case 2 minutes extra pushed them over the edge. In saying that don’t over bake your cookies, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

 

Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

By Angie Gouchenour

12 cookies

Ingredients

6 Tablespoons light butter – Room temperature

¼ cup Truvia zero calorie sweetener

2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring or extract

3 Tablespoons egg whites

1 cup all-purpose white flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

2 Tablespoons reduced sugar strawberry preserves (Or any other jelly or preserves you like)

 Directions

Pre heat oven to 350’f

In a medium bowl cream together butter and Truvia

Stir in the vanilla and egg whites

Mix in flour and baking powder

CHILL FOR 20-30 minutes (Otherwise they will spread)

Remove from the fridge and roll dough into 12 balls and place on parchment paper, foil, or a non-stick baking sheet

Bake cookies for 8 minutes

Use your thumb or the back of a rounded measuring spoon to make slight indent

Equally spoon preserves into the indents of each cookie

Bake 8 more minutes

Remove and place cookies on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes until preserves are cooled and set

 68 calories per cookie