When I think of fall, I think of pears, apricots, and figs. I do not have many cookies with pears so I thought this would make a great cookie for this week.
Pears have such a delicate flavor so you have to be careful with the amount of spice you add or you lose the pear flavor.
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Thumbprint Cookie Ingredients
- Cream cheese
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
Homemade Pear Filling Ingredients
- Bartlett pears
- Sugar
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- Ground cinnamon
- Allspice
- Water
How to Make Pear Filling
You can make the homemade pear filling or you can get a good pear jam. Of course, I am hoping you will try my version, but I know that sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done. The full step-by-step instruction can be found at Homemade pear filling.
I like to make this pear filling the day before so that the spices can infuse the pear pieces. It also gives the syrup time to thicken even more. I stir it 2 or 3 times while it is in the fridge.
Zest and juice a lemon into two separate bowls and set them aside.
Peel and dice your pears. You can make the size of the pieces whatever size you like. I wanted a chunky pear filling, but you could go a little smaller if you prefer.
I added all the ingredients to a 3qt saucepan and turned the heat to a medium high. Now comes the stirring. The stirring not only helps from the pears burning but also to reduce the liquid.
This process could take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. When you can take a wooden spoon's backside and run it across the bottom of the pan and it takes 4 to 5 second before the liquid fills in that space, you can take it off the heat.
The best test is to taste the filling and see if your pears are soft and not still firm. If they are still firm or the syrup is still runny, you can put it back on the heat and reduce the liquid more. Then add the filling to a glass container to cool. After 15 minutes, put the lid on and put it in the refrigerator.
Making Thumbprint Cookies
I start by weighing or measuring the sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour. Then, add the salt and run a whisk through to blend.
Cube the butter and the cream cheese, placing them in a mixer bowl.
Cream the cream cheese and butter for about 2 minutes on a medium mixer speed.
Next, add the sugar and mix for 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed. You want it to look creamy with soft peaks. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom.
Turn the mixer to a low mixer speed and add about ⅓ of the flour mixture at a time until it is incorporated. This should only take a minute. Don't over mix the flour. You can always incorporate any loose flour with a strong one piece spatula.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling and Baking Thumbprint Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I also use a medium cookie scooper to get a consistent amount of cookie dough for each ball.
I scoop and roll the cookie dough into a ball and place 12 on one of the prepared cookie sheet pans.
I grab a wet paper towel to wipe my thumb after making the well after each cookie. I also gently spread the well to be a little bigger than my thumbprint. But be careful if the walls are too thin, it can cause cracking.
I use one of those long handled teaspoons you use for stirring ice tea to fill the wells in my cookies. I know it is hard but try not to overfill the wells. This is easier said than done in my book. I love to overfill my cookies.
Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 11-13 minutes. You want the bottoms of the cookies to be a light brown color. Move the cookies to a cooling rack after you take them from the oven.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
I am guilty of this all the time. I overfill my thumbprint wells too much or have too much liquid in with the fruit pieces. The juice needs somewhere to go and it usually just forms a crack so it can run out. Try not to overfill the well if you can.
I always use parchment paper when baking cookies. I get less spread of the cookies this way.
I store them in a container that has a lid. But with any cookie with fresh fruit, if the cookie gets too soft, just lay the lid across the container so air can get in to evaporate some of the fruit liquid. My cookies last 5 to 7 days.
More Thumbprint Cookies
Recipe
Thumbprint Cookies with Pear Filling
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH
- 8 ounces (8 ounces) Cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher salt
PEAR FILLING
- 3 (3) Bartlett pears
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) Allspice
- ¼ cup (59.15 g) Water
Instructions
If you are making the pear filling and not using a bought pear jam, I make my pear filling the day before and refrigerate overnight.
PEAR FILLING
- Quarter and peel the skins off of your pears. Then, slice the quarters into thin slices and dice. You can decide how small you want to make the pieces. Next, zest and juice the lemon into two different bowls or container.
- In a 3-quart saucepan, add the diced pears, sugar, water, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon and the allspice. While stirring, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Depending on how much liquid is in your pears will determine how long it will take to reduce the liquid to a syrup consistency. You want the pears to cook at a medium boil and it took my batch about 20 minutes.
- Continue to stir during the reduction phase. If you are using a wooden spoon to stir and you take the back of the spoon across the bottom of the pan. If you see the bottom of the pan for 4 or 5 seconds before the liquid fills in the pan's bottom, you can take it off the heat. When checking the syrup, if it is too thin, or the pears have not softened, just reheat for a little while longer to reduce the liquid more.
- Move to a glass container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. I make the pear filling the day before so the flavors have overnight to absorb into the pears.
COOKIE DOUGH
- Weigh or measure the sugar and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour the salt and run a whisk through to blend.
- In a stand mixer cream the butter and the cream cheese together for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix on a medium mixer speed for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl's sides and turn the mixer onto a low speed. Add about a third of the flour mixture at a time and incorporate. It only takes about a minute to add all the flour. Scrape the bowl's sides again and incorporate any loose flour. Cover loosely and chill for an hour.
- Preheat 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scooper, scoop and roll the cookie dough with your hands to form a ball. If the dough is too cold, warm the cookie dough ball in your hands. It will make it easier to do the thumbprint. I added 12 balls to a sheet pan.
- Put your thumb straight down into the ball and then just spread out the hole a little so you have a lovely well for the pear filling. Add the pear filling using a teaspoon. Bake for 11-13 minutes. You want the cookie bottoms to be a light brown. Once the cookies are removed from the oven, move the cookies to a cooling rack.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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