Based on thumbprint biscuits (cookies), these tasty jam-topped biscuits are excellent as a Valentine’s day gift. They also go very well with possets, custards and creams. As they keep well for a few days, then can be made well ahead.
Prep time 15 mins/cook time 15 mins/Makes 14-16
Ingredients:
100g (1/2 cup) icing sugar (plus extra for dusting)
200g (1 2/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
50g (1/4 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
50g (1/4 cup) ground almonds
250g (1 ¼ cups) cold butter, cut into cubes
50g (1/3 cup) glacé cherries, finely chopped
½ tsp almond extract
8 tbsp cherry jam, sieved
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/360°F/gas mark 4).
Sift together the icing sugar, flour and cornflour into a bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and butter, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture is smooth. Finally, add the chopped glacé cherries and almond extract, stir to combine, then bring everything together to form a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface, roll out to about 4mm (1/6 in) then stamp out biscuits using a heart-shaped cutter. Keep re-rolling the trimmings and cutting out more biscuits until all the dough is used. Carefully transfer the biscuits to baking trays lined with parchment then place in the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake for 8-10 mins or until just pale golden (you want them slightly under-done at this stage).
Remove the baking trays from the oven and using an upturned bottle top or similar, press gently into the centre of each biscuit to make a round indentation. Spoon a little of the sieved jam into the indentations, then return to the oven and bake for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool, before dusting with icing sugar and serving.
Once removed from the oven, they can be stored in an air-tight tin and will keep for a few days. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
