Chocolate & Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

1.  Start cookie dough by creaming butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla, mixing well.

2.  In a separate bowl, whisk flour and salt.  Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

3.  Pour wine into a shallow pan and add strawberries.  Stir in lemon juice and wine.  Cook on medium high heat until thickened, approximately 8-10 minutes.  (As fruit cooks down, mash berries with a fork or spatula to speed up the process.)   Remove from heat.  When cool enough, transfer jelly to a small bowl, cover and set in the fridge.

4.   Once dough is ready, pour egg white into a cup or small bowl and whisk until frothy.  Pour nuts onto a plate or wax paper.   Make balls of dough and dunk in egg white followed by a roll in the nuts.

5.  Lay dough on parchment paper covered baking sheets and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.  Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until bottoms turn golden brown.  Remove from oven and immediately press a hole in each cookie with your finger (if you have asbestos hands!), the back of a spoon, etc. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

6.  As cookies cool, put chopped chocolate into a heat resistant bowl and set over a small pot of simmering water.  Stir chocolate slightly until it’s completely melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and scrape into a piping bag or plastic baggie with the tip cut off.

7. Drop a dollop of jam into the center of each cookie, making sure to fill them completely.  Once all of the cookies have been filled, drizzle them with chocolate.  (These cookies taste great warm and even better once they’ve had a chance to cool completely and set.)