ButterTart Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

¾ cup sugar
¾ cup butter
3 eggs
¾ cup ground pecans * if you cannot find ground pecans, just use chopped pecans and grind them in the food processor
¾ tsp baking powder
2 ½ cups flour

Butter tart filling:
1 tbsp unsalted butter + 1 tsp
½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp raisins *pecans can be substituted -finely chopped

Directions

Butter tart Filling:
In small pot on stove top, add vanilla and whipping cream, heat, then add butter.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, and brown sugar.

Add egg mixture to warm cream mixture and simmer on low, then add vinegar and cornstarch.
Keep whisking until thickened on med-low heat for about 10-15 minutes. It should be the consistency of gravy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. After 10 minutes, refrigerate.

Cookie dough:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs and mix well.

In a separate bowl, add flour, ground pecan and baking powder together. Mix with spoon until it becomes to stiff to continue using a spoon, then use your hands to mix the dough together until it’s completely incorporated.

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour

Assembly:
Roll dough into 1 ” (approximately) balls. If the dough feels sticky, make sure you have some flour nearby to flour your hands as needed.

Press thumb into center of ball to make a pit. Press outside edges of cookie with a floured fork, as you would around the edge of a pie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom.

As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, use your thumb or the bottom of a teaspoon to reinforce indent in cookie.

Fill indent with about ½ tsp of cooled butter tart filling.

Continue to cool on rack for 5 minutes.

Store in fridge for 10 days or freeze for up to 4 months.