This is my 100th post here. My, my… time flies. And so many cookies went along for the ride.

Speaking of taking a ride, I read recently that some auto dealership in the United States is giving away free AK-47 assault rifles with every truck purchase. The real cherry on top would be if the gun were already in a gun rack mounted in the new truck (but this would not comply with the law). Um, yeah. Only in America…

Among the many cookies I baked last weekend, brown sugar thumbprints are some of the “standards” on which I grew up. My mother always made them for Christmas (and never any other time of year). When I recently “taught” (if you could call 20+ people running around a small kitchen in what can only be described as a state of chaos as “teaching”) a baking course at work, this is one of the recipes we made. It is a simple recipe but allows for a lot of customization when you go for rolling the dough in different things (coconut, nuts, sprinkles, etc.) and putting what you want in the thumbprint (various jams or a maraschino cherry). The traditional way in my household was what I went for here — chopped walnuts and half a maraschino cherry on top. The literal cherry on top.

THUMBPRINTS (this recipe makes a very small amount of dough; I always double it and sometimes quadruple it)
Preheat oven to 350°F

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional — you can use sprinkles or whatever you want to roll the dough in)
halved maraschino cherries OR jam

Mix together all ingredients except egg white, nuts, cherries. Chill. Shape 1 inch balls. Roll balls in egg whites, nuts and press cherry into top. Or make a thumbprint and fill with jam. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.