Peaches-n-Cream Thumbprint Therapy

Peaches-n-cream trumps “get-political-n-scream” just about any day. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say the political climate has me rather down in the dumps lately. Every-time I turn on CNN or the BBC, I just find myself feeling worse than before I started.  So today, I avoided all media, and replaced it with these peaches-n-cream thumbprint cookies, because this much I know: whatever your political preference, peaches n’ cream will help fuel you through these trying times.

Peaches-n-Cream Thumbprint Cookies

Take a leaf from my kid’s book, set Spotify to Twenty One Pilot’s, Stressed-Out and crank-up the volume.  With your head bobbing, working this dough grows oddly satisfying. Start with making a simple pastry cream and refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm. Next, it is time to amp up the workout. You’re ready to begin making some perfectly round dough balls – let’s do this!   Peaches-n-Cream Thumbprint Cookies

Get your palms rollin’ and repeat to yourself this mantra, “Thumbprint therapy is cheaper and tastier than real therapy.” For the record, it’s also much tastier than real therapy.

The dough here is really straightforward: an easy butter base, add in your wets, then finish with the dry ingredients.  Chill the dough, and begin shaping it into balls with the palm of your hands.  You can roll it in roasted walnuts, and then chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so till firm.  Save some time and make the cream on the stove top while your cookies are setting.

Now for the stress relief – take your chilled cookies and line them up on parchment atop a sheet pan.  Take a rounded edge, either the back of a wine cork or some other contraption you may have (I used a pestle), and gently push down into the dough ball to make a ‘jam’ impression.  You to ensure it’s deep and wide enough so that with every bite, you will get a slosh of jam in your mouth!

Peaches-n-Cream Thumbprint Cookies

Peaches-n-Cream Thumbprint Cookies

Next, squish into the jam hole a peach jam of your choosing. If you’re not a jam nerd like myself,  I recommend using my huge crush and local purveyor of jam, Sqirl LA.

Once baked, cool your finished peaches-n-cream thumbprint cookies completely before you make your big decision.  Are you eating them now? If yes, then put a dollop of pastry cream on the cookie and leave this contemptuous world for bliss.  If you can restrain yourself, place both the pastry cream and the jam thumbprints in the refrigerator.  When you are ready to spoil yourself or you loved ones, top ’em off, and serve.

Peaches-n-Cream Thumbprint Cookies

If you’ve made it this far, many thanks for tolerating my political murmurings.  Everyday is a new day, and each and every cookie is saving me money on therapy, so life is sweet.  Literally. Cheers, everyone!

Peaches-n-Cream Thumbprint Cookies

Credits: Cookie Love, Mindy Segal

Photos by: Maria Hedrick Photography

Peaches and Cream Thumbprints

By TheSweetNerd  

March 2, 2017

  • Prep: 40 mins
  • Cook: 25 mins

Ingredients

Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 extra large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Pastry Cream

1/4 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups whole milk (1 1/2 + 1/2 separate)

4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 pinch salt

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 oz unsalted butter

Filling & Finish

2 cups toasted, salted walnuts

1 cup honey peach preserves

Directions

Cookies

1Dries: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours and salts.

2Mixer (with paddle): Start by mixing the butter briefly on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the brown sugar and beat together until the butter mixture is aerated and pale in color, approximately 4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until it comes together into a smooth batter and the fats are homogenous.

3Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed until the dough comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.

4Saran wrap the dough and place in refrigerator until it is chilled throughout (3 hours to overnight).

5Once chilled, remove from wrapper and scoop (with an ice cream scooper) out balls. Then roll them with your palms until you have smooth round balls.

Pastry Cream

1Combine the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl, then stir in 1/2 cup of the milk. Blend the yolks into the cornstarch mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat.

2Temper the egg mixture by gradually adding about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. Add the remaining milk mixture to the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat, vigorously stirring with a whisk, until the mixture comes to a boil and the whisk leaves a trail in the pastry cream, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and the butter, and cool over an ice bath. Stir occasionally until cool, about 30 minutes.

Filling & Finish

1Food Processor: Pulse the walnuts until a fine meal forms (but before their oils start releasing). Put into a bowl.

2Roll & Chill - Roll the dough into balls. Next, roll the dough balls into the nut mixture for full coverage. Chill for 20 minutes.

3Shape & Fill - Next, with a rounded tool or pestle, make an indentation into the chilled dough-balls. Next, spoon the jam into the center of each thumbprint.

4Bake on pan at a time for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake until the cookies have slight cracks on the top and are set, another 6 to 8 minutes.

5When ready, the cookies will have set around the edges and be light golden brown on the bottom, but the cookies will still be soft. Let cool completely on the pan.

6To serve each cookie, take a spoonful of the custard and smear it across the jam.

7Without custard on top, the cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Mindy Segal, Cookie Love

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7 Comments

  • Honestly, I just can’t with the political climate of our country anymore. I can’t even get on FB to post a new recipe without reading EVERYONE’s opinion on the situation. I want to know what ever happened to the saying, “keep your opinions to yourself”? Seriously. I find it obnoxious. 😉 Anyways, these beautiful thumbprints are the opposite of offensive and obnoxious! These are just FABULOUS! I looooove anything peaches and cream, so you know I’m all over these! Can’t wait to try them, chicka! Cheers to a weekend as wonderful as these treats! <3

    • Cindy "TheSweetNerd" Rodriguez
      7 years ago

      Thanks Cheyanne. Weekends are the treat! Appreciate your honesty about the political madness.

  • Ha! I I know, I’m sick of it too Cindy! These cookies look so good. I have Mindy’s cookbook and I love it. So many great recipes. My son Sean would love these. He doesn’t eat chocolate, so fruit cookies are always at the top of his list!

    • Cindy "TheSweetNerd" Rodriguez
      7 years ago

      Gosh, me too. Every cookie in that book is a Godsend! Glad Sean would love these. (Can’t remember if he is the one that just had surgery or if you will be sending your care package abroad). Either way, it is a lovely cookie!

  • 7 years ago

    It must be difficult to be bombarded with Trump and anti trump sentiments all day every day. Exhausting 🙁 Trump politics are even making an appearance on our political scene down under! But i think baking sweet little cookies like these babies is a good way to deal. Tune out and live in the sweet now! They are seriously gorgeous! Peaches and cream is just the best flavour combination!!

    • 7 years ago

      It is exhausting for sure. I agree, baking is my happy place for sure.

  • Kendall
    7 years ago

    I am such a sucker for peaches… I’m pretty sure my boyfriend and I will attempt these beauties this weekend. Yum!! Thank you for the awesome recipe.

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