Festive Thumbprints

Name: Festive Thumbprints
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: about 4 dozen.
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; Colored sprinkles or nonpareils; Red and green food coloring; FILLING:; 1 cup sugar; 1/4 cup butter, cubed; 1/4 cup 2% milk; 8 ounces white candy coating; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I never cared for jam-filled thumbprints, so I decided to fill them with frosting instead. This makes them easy to ship, which you can’t do with the sticky jam filling. I sent these to my daughter while she was serving in Iraq, and they made the long haul in perfect condition. —Wendy Schlueter, Babbitt, Minnesota

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Colored sprinkles or nonpareils
Red and green food coloring
FILLING:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup 2% milk
8 ounces white candy coating
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Place sprinkles in a shallow bowl or bowls.
Shape dough into 1-in. balls; dip tops in sprinkles. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in center of each with your thumb. Bake until edges are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Using a wooden spoon handle, enlarge any indentations that may have narrowed or closed. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
For filling, bring sugar, butter and milk to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add candy coating and vanilla; stir until smooth. Divide filling between two bowls. Using food coloring, tint filling in one bowl red and in the other bowl green. Spoon fillings into indentations; let stand until set.