The last recipe from our Passover sweet adventure is Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies. Although you can fill the thumbprint with a whole pistachio, or a whole almond as I did with some of these, fig jam is my favorite flavor so I also spooned in some L’Epicurien White Fig & Almond Confit, and Black Fig Preserves. Did I mention fig is my favorite flavor of jam?
We love thumbprint cookies. For Christmas, Geoffrey made some Almond Thumbprint Cookies with our Mixed Red Berry Jam. Thumbprints are not only fun (and feels a little naughty) to stick your thumb in the middle of the cookie, you also get to create so many different flavor combinations by choosing what to spoon into the thumbprint, like Cashew Thumbprint Cookies with Cajeta Caramel Sauce. For these Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies, I made some with pistachios in the middle, and some with whole almonds in the middle. But... did I mention I love figs?
Recipes with White Fig & Almond Confit
Some of the Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies have our White Fig & Almond Confit in the center. This wonderful jam is produced by L'Epicurien in France, and is a delicious combination of white figs, white wine, and almonds with a hint of lemon. We have made so many recipes with this Fig & Almond Confit including Fig Jam-Filled Almond Cupcakes and a Fig Almond Torte just to name a few. Geoffrey even made some Vanilla Fig Almond Ice Cream which was out of this world. So spooning some in the thumbprint cookies was a “no brainier.”
Black Fig Preserves is Ruler of the Night
I also made some Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies with my personal favorite, Black Fig Preserves. This delightful jam has all natural ingredients; fresh figs, pure cane sugar, and lemon juice. Simmered in small, handmade batches, this fig jam was the unknowing star of a wine-cheese-jam tasting cocktail party we hosted. We invited some friends over, and presented five wines from different countries, paired with five different cheeses of varying potencies, paired with five of our jams, spreads and tapenades. The Black Fig Preserves was the ruler of the night going along with every cheese and almost every wine. We were surprised and very pleased.
So, if you haven’t figured out yet how much I love figs, and fig jam, and Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies with fig jam centers, I’m not sure what else I can tell you – except try this recipe. You will love it almost as much as I do.
More Traditional Jewish Dessert Recipes
If you are looking for more Jewish traditional dessert recipes for Hanukkah or Passover, check out these recipes.
- How to Make an Easy Rugelach with Jam Walnut Filling
- Lemony Almond Macaroons
- Persian Almond Cardamom Pistachio Cake
- Hazelnut Citrus Torte
Have a figtastic week,
Carlos Leo
Your Recipe Concierge
Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies with Fig Preserves
- Total Time: 8 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 36 cookies 1x
Description
Walnut Macaroon Thumbprint Cookies are crunchy with just the right amount of sweetness. You can fill the thumbprint with a whole almond or pistachio, or Spoon in some L’Epicurien White Fig & Almond Confit, or Black Fig Preserves, or shelled pistachios.
Adapted from the NYT Cooking section.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups blanched almonds
- 1 ½ cups walnuts
- 1 scant cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 large egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup of rose water, optional
- ½ cup of:
- L’Epicurien White Fig & Almond Confit
- or Black Fig Preserves
- or ½ cup shelled pistachios.
Instructions
- Put the almonds in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until mostly powdered with a few crunchy bits remaining, about 15 pulses. Transfer to a large bowl. Put the walnuts in the food processor and pulse until mostly powdered. Add the walnuts to the almonds.
- Add the sugar, cardamom, egg and egg whites to the bowl and mix to combine. Cover with a towel and let the mixture sit for at least 8 hours or overnight to dry out a bit.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour rose water (or regular water) in a small shallow bowl. Dampen your hands with the water and scoop up about a Tablespoon of the dough at a time, pressing it into walnut-size balls. Place the macaroons on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten them slightly. Use your thumb to make a small indentation in the middle of each.
- Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and cook for 15 minutes, then remove and put either ¼ teaspoon of the White Fig & Almond Confit, Black Fig Preserves, or a pistachio or whole almond, in each thumbprint.
- Rotate the pans and continue baking for 10 more minutes or until golden and firm. Cool to room temperature on the baking sheets and serve or freeze.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 36 cookies
- Calories: 85
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
Hey there, I'm Carlos, a food and drink enthusiast, recipe blogger and 
Leave a Reply