Rum Nut Thumbprints

It’s time for holiday baking! Over the next month or so, I have selected 12 different treats to make. This year is a little different, for many reasons, but this year I plan to bake 6 holiday cookies and 6 different types of fudge! I have been declared the fudge maker for the family, and I figured it would be good to share those recipes with everyone.

This first recipe is a Rum Nut Thumbprint cookie. It was originally an Eggnog Thumbprint, but it contains rum and virtually no eggnog. I know that anything with rum or rum flavor paired with nutmeg becomes eggnog, but I don’t think that it is quite that simple. I decided to just call them “rum” since that is obviously there. It still isn’t a strong flavor, but that’s ok.

This dough does need time in the refrigerator, so don’t skip that step! The cookies still aren’t the easiest to shape because the dough is either sticky or too firm. Rolling any cookie in egg whites is quite a messy prospect, but it does help the nuts stick. I carefully made an impression on the top of the cookie, but then refined the impression when the cookies were done baking. I piped the rum filling since that is quick and easy. This recipe made about two dozen cookies, less than expected, but that was ok. The combination of rum, nuts, and the filling all come together to make a lovely cookie!

Rum Nut Thumbprints
¾ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
2 egg whites, beaten
1 ½ cup finely chopped nuts

¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon rum
1-3 teaspoons milk/eggnog

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and nutmeg on medium until light. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour. You may need to mix the last bit of flour by hand. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Place the whipped egg whites in one bowl and the chopped nuts in another. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, roll in the egg white and then the chopped nuts. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Make an indentation in the top of each cookie with your thumb or similar tool.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned. If needed, reshape the indentation in the top of each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, make the rum filling: in a mixer bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on medium. Beat in the rum and 1 teaspoon milk, adding more milk until the filling is of a spreadable consistency.  Spoon or pipe the rum filling into the indentation of each cookie.

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens