Raspberry Almond Thumbprints

I've decided that December will be a month of cookie recipes. With only three days left until Christmas, cookies are kind of the only thing on my radar. Today I had my best girlfriends over to bake and decorate cookies. Of course, we had to devour some brie and queso dip before getting started. Seriously, every party we have involves cheese... probably not normal. Anyway, I whipped up a few batches of these thumbprints (based off of my grandma's recipe) and my friends made some classic sugar cookies. Here are the prettiest cookies of the bunch:

It's funny how we spend so much time shopping and getting ready for the holidays, but the best moments are simply sitting around with your best friends and family. I moved to Boston several years ago, but somehow I still find the same charms every time I come home. As I write this I'm listening to "Love is Christmas" by Sara Bareilles, so perhaps that's why I'm feeling so introspective. To wrap this up, when you're running around this holiday season don't forget to slow down and enjoy the people around you. And also have a cookie. :)

Raspberry Almond Thumbprints
Makes: 1 dozen cookies  Prep: 10 minutes  Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg, divided
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped
1/4 cup raspberry jam

Directions
Mix butter, brown sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Crack the egg and separate the white from the yolk, saving the egg white in a small bowl. Add the yolk to the sugar mixture and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
Lightly whisk egg white. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and dip into egg white. Roll into finely chopped almonds and place on a greased baking sheet. Press thumb into the center of each cookie and bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until the dough is set. Remove and let cool. Fill each cookie with raspberry jam and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.