Pistachio Thumbprints

This is the second part of a 'three-cookie-recipes-in-a-day' series. Click here for part 1 and here for part 3.

Several years ago one of my friends tasted some cookies at a Christmas party. She'd never seen or tasted anything quite like them and she smuggled of few out of the party for me!!! What a friend... thanks, Tammy :). She knows I'm a cookie connoisseur.  I tasted them and just HAD to have the recipe, but she had no idea who made them, what they were called or where to find the recipe.

I went on a quest to figure out how to make them. Through lots of searching and piecing together, I figured that they were called pistachio thumbprints. They are yummy and fun, and not so common... which is nice sometimes during the Christmas cookie fests.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp almond extract
1 (3.4 oz) package instant pistachio pudding mix
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips 2 cups finely chopped pecans (optional)

Filling:
2 Tb. butter, softenend
2  cups powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 Tb. milk
A few drops of food coloring (optional)

Glaze:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp. shortening

Set oven to 350

For the cookies:
Cream butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add eggs and extracts. Mix well.

 Combine flour and pudding mix, add to the mixture.

 Stir in mini chocolate chips.

Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in nuts if desired. Make thumbprint in the center of cookie.

 Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Make filling... cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Add coloring if desired. Spoon into the center of cookies

Make glaze... melt chocolate chips and shortening. Drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set.

 Share or Eat by yourself.

XO,
Nancy