Raspberry Thumb Cookies

With Jennifer Scala McGrath

Jennifer McGrath Scala of Cookies by Jenn, shows you how to make a very popular Italian Raspberry Thumbprint cookie, her son’s favorite and also known in her house as Auntie Florence’s cookie. When Florence would bring them over to the house all of the kids would fight over them, which gives you a pretty good idea of how good they are.

Using a stand mixer, Jennifer mixes the shortening, brown sugar and vanilla before adding the flour and egg yolks. If you mix it this way be sure to run the mixer on low after adding the flour so that it does not fly out of the mixer bowl. Using your hands, make the dough into balls, dip into egg whites and roll completely in some crushed walnuts. Put in 350 degree F. oven for 5 minutes, remove from oven and push a hole in the middle with your thumb being careful that they are not too hot. Add a small amount of raspberry preserves with a spoon.

Ingredients

2 cups shortening
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
Reserve egg whites from 3 eggs
1 package walnuts, ground very fine
raspberry jam, as needed

Instructions

1. Cream shortning and sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer.
2. Slowly add flour salt and egg yolks and continue mixing.
3. Using your hands, make into balls about the size of a golf ball and roll them into the egg whites, and then roll them in the walnuts.
4. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, remove from oven and make thumprint in each cookie.
5. Fill thumbprint with jam and then return to oven for 5 minutes more.

Let cool and serve warm or room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Jennifer Scala-McGrath, Cookies by Jenn, 2010.

Born and raised in Gloucester, Jenn now resides in Concord NH with her husband and three boys - Anthony 16, Steven 11 and Nicky 8. The boys are the highlight of her life.

She grew up in an Italian Family where food was the center of everything. Jenn watched as a little girl her grandmother; mother and aunts bake cookies for the holidays. When she was “old enough,“ they would give her dough to play with and it made her feel so important and that is when she started to love baking and cooking.

Over the years her friends and family couldn’t wait for Christmas time (and for other holidays) because they enjoyed her cookies so much. For the past several years she has been employed at the Concord School District where her friends at work encouraged her to sell her cookies. 

In New Hampshire there are not many Italian bakeries and many people who have had Italian cookies in the past were very excited that she made them and that they no longer had to drive to Boston. In October of 2010 Jenn, along with two close friends, Richie and Michelle Noe, decided to open our business, Cookies By Jenn.  It has been a fun and interesting experience for them all and eventually they are planning a store front in Concord, NH, selling their specialty, cookie arrangements for all occasions.

At this time you can order small and large platters of assorted cookies in decorative platters for the holidays, birthdays, parties and other get-togethers at her web site, www.cookiesbyjenn.com. They are now available for sale at Lynnfield Deli, The Corner Store and Bob’s in Medford.