Thimble Cookies

What a beautiful glorious day it was today! It’s even better in my house since I got to bake Thimble Cookies and the smell is amazing. Nothing better than a home filled with freshly baked cookies! The dough is really simple to prepare with basic ingredients that everyone has on hand. The rest is just as straightforward. Roll dough into balls, dip in egg whites and roll in walnut pieces, then press the center with a thimble. I sew so I had a thimble. I wanted to be authentic to the recipe so I used the thimble instead of my thumb because then I would have made thumbprint cookies. I sanitized the thimble for those who are wondering. Alternating baking sheets, bake for 5 minutes, then press down again with thimble and bake 12-15 more minutes. I got too distracted at times and had to stop and think if it was the 5 minute mark to re-press or the 12 minute mark to take out of the oven! I doubled my recipe today so I’ve been at this for quite some time! I got smarter by the end and started to load up the cookie trays with more cookies than I should. Typically, this would be a recipe that I would have passed over to bake because the jelly filling just looks like too much work – not! It’s just a quick dollop on the top and the jelly adds the perfect texture and flavor to this delicious cookie. I am converted! Theresa wrote that she has had this recipe for 45 years in her recipe box and now we have the privilege to make this keeper of a recipe go on for years to come.

On a different note, I know many families are having a difficult time making ends meet in our tough economy. I learned of three more families I know, just this week, who have been dealing with job losses. My family, working in the auto industry, certainly has had our share of scary times. So when Danielle G. introduced us to www.bargainstobounty.com, I knew this was something BIG! Bargains to Bounty helps Metro Detroiters stretch their dollars by featuring deals & coupon matchups for stores, along with online deals, coupons, money-saving strategies, and more. This site has been an incredible blessing to my family. This week, I was able to purchase 1 oz extracts for .25 each saving me $3.68 per bottle at Meijer. Needless to say, I will not have to buy anymore vanilla for the year. My best deal was purchasing $71 worth of Cover Girl Make-up for free (I did fork over $4 in sales tax). In the last three months, I personally have saved $1000. Couponing is a commitment; however, I feel that it is my responsibility to save my family money and now I am even able to donate groceries to those in need because of the bounty I am receiving! Please share this information so others can have these blessings for their families.

I certainly was in a sharing mood today. There were many surprise cookie deliveries…giving is definitely more fun than receiving! If I missed you, perhaps I’ll get you on the next round, my friends! Danielle “Phoebe”

P.S. Some of the later deliveries got to see me in my standard baking attire. However, I wanted to say to the man at the gas station, haven’t you ever seen a woman pump gas in an apron and pearls??? Shelly, I was clothed!