Tea Party Treats

After my girls finished eating "surprise lunch" on Tuesday we suddenly had the urge to bake, I went to the kitchen, grabbed a recipe I have been waiting to try, and took 3 sticks of butter out of the fridge. (my recipe called for unsalted but I only had 1 unsalted so the rest was regular)
Here is the recipe me and my girls used to make so wonderful Jam Thumbprint cookies ~ which were so pretty we had to enjoy them over an impromptu tea party ~ and of course put off nap time as long as possible!
These cookies are the perfect cookie to make with kids, they are very hands on, and there is a lot kids can do ~ just make sure they wash their hands very well first!

Ingredients
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup jam ~ I used seedless raspberry, which was perfect, I think these cookies really need a tart jam ~ lemon curd would have been wonderful too!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until smoot, continue beating and add vanilla and egg.  Beat until completely combined.  With mixer on low slowly add flour, and mix until just incorporated.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet at least 3 inches apart. (If you wish to add extra sweetness you can roll your cookies in sugar)

3. Moisten thumb with water and gently press the center of each ball, making an indentation about 1/2 inch wide and an inch deep.   Melt jam on the stove or in the microwave until liquified.  Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon jam into each indentation.  Bake until cookies are golden brown around the edges, 18-20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. (If storing, place in an airtight container at room temperature, up to two days)
Enjoy!

Note: this recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's Recipes.