Santa Thumprints

We meet again for my favorite holiday cookie of  them all...the Santa Thumbprints! I love these guys. They are like an oatmeal cookies (my favorite kind) rolled in chopped walnuts (I like those too) and filled with jam (what a combination).

Santa Thumbprints

 

1 1/2 cups of butter Crisco (I used 3/4 cup of butter and 3/4 cup of shortening)

1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon of vanilla

2 1/2 cups of uncooked oats

2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

2/3 cup of fruit preserve

 

Heat oven to 350f. In a large bowl cream together the Crisco and brown sugar.

 

 

Then add the egg, vanilla and salt.

 

 

 Once combined add the flour and oatmeal. It will be easier if you add it in parts instead of adding it all and trying to stir it all at once. It can get a little messy.

 

 

Roll into small balls. They rise a little, but not much. Put the chopped walnuts in bowl. Roll the balls into the chopped walnuts and place on a cookie sheet . Put a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. This will save you some scrubbing and speed up your time between batches. Once cookies are on the sheet press down with your thumb in the middle of each ball making a crater (I should of took a photo). Now fill the crater with fruit preserve.

 

 

Bake for 12-15 minutes (mine took 14 minutes)

As a little girl we would go blackberry picking every summer. Our freezer would be full of bags of frozen blackberries and on special occasions we would even make blackberry jam. If you would really like to make these special try using some homemade jam. Those years we used homemade blackberry jam I couldn't keep my paws away from them.

Love these? Try some other holiday goodies like Bre's chocolate chip cookies, Betty Crocker lemon bars or peanut butter balls.