Nuts About PaJAMas

I've had this jar of local fruit spread for about 6 months now, and I've never gotten around to use it. It's perfectly good jam. It's blackberry, even! But short of the good ol' 2 a.m. staple, PB & J sammich, I don't really use jam that much, unless it's in something.

Which is precisely why I decided these cookies were worth this jar of jammy goodness.

Jarry jammy jam jam june and july, jimmy jauntily jolts his joints.

I'm sorry but we don't serve belligerent bully bears beer in bars in Billings. Billings is in Montana.

I wonder how their jam is?

Thumb Print Jam Cookies

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Butter
3 Large Eggs (Separated)
1/4 tsp Salt
1-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Pecans (Finely Chopped)
1 Cup Fruit Preserves (this is the jam!)

Preheat Oven to 350 F.

Beat sugar and butter until fluffy, add the egg yolks, vanilla and salt. Slowly add the flour and stir until well blended.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Put the pecans in a serarate bowl.

Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Dip each ball into the egg whites, and then roll in the pecans to coat. Place on baking sheet and use your thumb to press the top of each cookie, making an indent (Thats for the Jam!)

Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, and then remove from over (they won't be done yet). Carefully spoon jam into the center of each cookie, reshaping the thumbprint as needed with a spoon.

Return the cookies back to the oven for an additional 6-9 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.