Christmas Cookies--Festive Thumbprints

First of all--don't forget to go HERE and enter to win a copy of The Pampered Chef's '29 minutes to dinner: volume 2' cookbook!

On to today's baking!

Today's cookie recipe once again comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Special Publication: Christmas Cookies. (This magazine comes out every fall--buy it! In fact, this issue is still available--it's a great resource for years to come!)

The magazine has EIGHT different varieties of thumbprint cookies--something for everyone.  Since we love chocolate, and are always looking for festive cookies, we went with the Festive Thumbprints.  These are a basic dough with mint extract, and the filling is a candy disk.

I absolutely love The Pampered Chef's Double Strength Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. 

Very easy dough to work with--not too sticky, very easy to roll.

Colored sugar & colored candy disks

Maddie's thumb was the perfect size!

Adding the candy disks

Maddie said, "They look like Christmas wreaths!"

Oooh, time for the red sugar....

Swirling the candy disk with a cake tester to make it look pretty.

Steve did me a HUGE favor and taste-tested one cookie.  He gave it two thumbs up! (Okay, okay, that was bad--I couldn't stop myself!)

Ingredients:

2/3 c butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. mint extract

1 1/2 cups flour

colored sugar

3 dozen candy disks

Preheat oven to 375*. 

Cream butter and sugar.  Add yolks and extracts. Beat in flour.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls, then roll balls in sugar. Press a thumbprint into each ball.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven. If the thumbprint has disappeared, use the back of a teaspoon to press it again.  Put one candy disk into the indentation of each cookie--put tray back into oven for one minute.  When you remove them the 2nd time, use a toothpick or cake tester to swirl the candy.  Cool completely before storing.

Makes about 30 cookies---we quadrupled the recipe and got about 11 dozen.