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My husband says that I can never leave "well enough alone". He frequently says something like this; "Chris, these bla-bla-bla (fill in the blank) are wonderful, so why would you want to do something different with the recipe?" I guess it's the renegade in me........
or maybe a restless spirit, or maybe it's just because I have so much fun trying new things, you know, "re-inventing the wheel"! I always respond to him, "Who knows, I might come up with something even better!". Of course there are times when my experiments are a huge (and I mean HUGE) flop........oh well.
I've been making these fabulous shortbread cookies for years with people always going crazy over them. The recipe is a traditional "thumbprint" cookie recipe; you roll the dough in balls, place them on a baking sheet, press a thumbprint in the center and fill it with jam.
I decided to try something new this time (shhhhh, don't tell my husband!). I rolled the dough out fairly thin, set the timer for half of the baking time, pulled them out of the oven and pressed an small indentation right in the middle. I filled the little cavity with jam and popped them back in the oven to finish baking. They came out prettier than the original way......... kind of like they should be going to a tea party or a visit with the Queen........ or something fancy-dancy like that! Which ever way you make them, they will be delicious and you'll be a big hit!
P.S. Oh, and they are also quite yummy without the jam, like melt-in-your-mouth yummy, especially with a glass of ice cold milk!
Raspberry Almond Shortbreads 
⅔ cup sugar
1 cup butter
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup raspberry jam
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 teaspoons water
Directions
2. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. With thumb make indentation in center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with about ¼ teaspoon jam.*
4. Whisk all glaze ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over cookies in back and forth motion.
After mixing the dough, refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a well floured work surface. Using a cookie cutter, cut dough into circles and place on a baking sheet. Set timer for 8 minutes, pull cookies out of oven and gently make an indentation in the center of each cookie - I used a small vanilla bottle turned upside down, it was the perfect size, about ¾ of an inch in diameter. Fill indentation with jam, about ¼-1/2 teaspoon and return cookies to oven. Bake until golden brown, about 6-8 more minutes. Remove from oven and proceed with directions above.
Adapted from a Land O'Lakes recipe
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says
What a wonderful treat - all my favorite flavors - and really pretty!
Mary
Peggy says
These shortbreads look great - and definitely bring the classic thumbprint to a whole new level =)
Paula {Salad in a Jar} says
O-o-o-o-h ....I like the plain ones. Glad you are a renegade. 🙂
Sandra says
With or without the jam they look incredible, keep experimenting!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I like experimenting with recipes too. In this case it was a very successful experiment they look delicious!