Almond Thumbprint Cookies are light, buttery, almond flavored shortbread cookies that just melt in your mouth.  They get filled with Salted Caramel and topped with slivered almonds.  These cookies will blow you away!

It’s the holiday season!  This year, McCormick and I are teaming up to show you two ways to showcase your holiday flavors.  If you are like me and love almond-flavored desserts during this time of year, you have got to try this recipe and make my Easy Brown Butter Almond Cake.  It makes an incredible dessert, too!  These yummy desserts show off my flavors of home and make any holiday gathering twice as nice!

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Don’t you just love the different aromas of the holidays?  Cinnamon, peppermint, gingerbread….  ahhhh I just love this time of year.  They really bring the holidays to life!  I especially love the smell of almond as you are baking.  That sweet, cherry-like scent as you pour it into the batter, and how the aroma fills the house while I am baking.  We love to turn on the Christmas music.  Nothing seems to get us in the Christmas spirit quite like that does!

You may have seen that I posted two recipes today.  My Brown Butter Almond Cake and these Almond Thumbprint Cookies are part of a two-recipe series.  I am showing you how you can use one holiday classic flavor in not only one, but TWO delicious baked treats.  These two desserts have hands down been my favorite to hit the blog this year.  As soon as they were done baking, I almost wanted to hoard them all to myself and sneak them little by little for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Ha!

These Almond Thumbprint Cookies soared to my top 5 all time favorite cookies.  And that says a lot.  But let me tell you just a bit about these little bites of heaven.  They have a buttery almond flavored shortbread base that literally melts in your mouth.  Then, they get filled with a salted caramel filling and topped with slivered almonds.  They look absolutely gorgeous on that cookie plate, and let me tell you,  THEY ARE AMAZING!!

How do you make Almond Thumbprint Cookies?

• In a medium sized mixing bowl combine butter, sugar and McCormick Almond Extract in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add flour and continue mixing until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.

• Preheat oven to 375 °F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in center of each cookie with end of spoon.

• Next, in a microwave safe bowl melt caramels along with heavy cream and salt, stirring every 30 seconds until fully melted and smooth.
• Fill each center of cookie with 1 tsp of the salted caramel.
• Finish it off with topping with coarse sea salt and slivered almonds.

3 things to know about McCormick’s Almond Extract:

• Almond extract has a delicate yet nutty fruity flavor.
• It is gluten free, non-GMO, and has no added corn syrup.
• It is the key ingredient to make your dessert a huge hit

HOW MUCH ALMOND EXTRACT SHOULD I USE TO MAKE COOKIES?

You can substitute almond extract one for one with vanilla in a recipe.  It is usually recommended to use one teaspoon in most recipes, but this cookie recipe calls for two teaspoons.  This really brings out rich almond flavoring in these cookies.

IS ALMOND EXTRACT STRONGER THAN VANILLA EXTRACT?

Almond extract has a warmer, sweeter, and definitely stronger taste.  It brings out rich almond flavor that is strong, pure and sweet.  It is one of my favorite extracts to use while baking.

CAN I FREEZE ALMOND THUMBPRINT COOKIES?

Yes.  You can freeze the cookies.  Wrap it tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap or foil.  It will keep up to about a month in the freezer.

Looking for more desserts to bake with almond extract?  Look no further!

• Almond Poppyseed Bundt Cake
• Almond Crusted French Toast 
• Cherry Almond Bread 
• Lemon Almond Poppyseed Bread 

Almond Thumbprint Cookies with a Salted Caramel Center

 

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Almond Thumbprint Cookies are light, buttery, almond flavored shortbread cookies that just melt in your mouth.  They get filled with Salted Caramel and topped with slivered almonds.  These cookies will blow you away!

Author: Alyssa

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoon McCormick Almond Extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• Caramel Coconut Layer:
• 15 ounces store-bought or homemade soft
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ tsp sea salt
• Flaking salt for topping
• Slivered almonds for topping

Instructions

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine butter, sugar and almond extract in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add flour and continue mixing until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 375 °F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in center of each cookie with end of spoon.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool completely.
4. In a microwave safe bowl melt caramels along with heavy cream and salt, stirring every 30 seconds until fully melted and smooth.
5. Fill each center of cookie with 1 tsp of the salted caramel.
6. Top with sea salt and almond slivers and enjoy!

This post was sponsored by McCormick.  All opinions expressed are my own.  I love supporting brands that I use for myself in the kitchen! 

This was apart of a two series post.  Click HERE to get the recipe for Easy Brown Butter Almond Cake.