Cranberry Orange Thumbprints

This is a recipe that I found in Martha Stewart's Living. I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe. Overall, the recipe is very good. It is crisp and quite delicious. These are a true dainty cookie and very classy as well. They went over well with folks at the various Christmas parties I attended. I thought the addition of cornmeal would make for a strange cookie, but don't be fooled - these were amazing!

Cookies:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 tsp. course salt

4 ounces (1 stick) ulsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup plus 2 TBS sugar

1/2 tsp. finely grated orange zest

2 TBS. orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg

Filling:

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. orange zest

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. To make the cookies, whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and 1/4 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add orange zest, orange juice, vanilla, and egg yolk. Mix well. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

Lightly whisk egg white. Scoop a teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball. Dip into egg white, and roll in remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Repeat with remaining dough; transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart, as you work. Gently press center of each ball with your thumb (or with the back of a small rounded teaspoon). Bake, rotating your baking sheet half way through, until cookies are a pale golden brown (15 to 17 minutes). Gently indent each cookie again using the handle end of a wooden spoon. Transfer sheets to wire racks, and let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling by bringing the cranberries, orange juice, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, gently mashing cranberries, until thick and jam-like, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and let cool completely. (The filling can be refrigerated for up to one week). Spoon a small amount of filling into each cookie indentation. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to one week.