Magic forest thumbprint cookies: A fun and buttery treat inspired by nature

If you wanted to get a peep into baker Kim-Joy’s brain, just take a look at the inspiration behind this recipe.

“Imagine you’re strolling through a magical forest and there are mushrooms at your feet, frogs hopping up around your ankles and bumblebees peacefully buzzing in the air,” she says.

“You reach the forest kitchen, and you decide to make some quick and buttery thumbprint cookies based on what you’ve seen.”

Makes: 16

Ingredients:

200g salted butter (or use 80%-fat vegan butter), softened at room temperature, cubed

90g caster or granulated sugar

½ tsp freshly ground cardamom (increase to 1 tsp if using pre-ground cardamom as the flavour isn’t as strong) (you can also omit this if you prefer)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

280g plain flour (or use a gluten-free flour blend plus ¾ tsp xanthan gum)

100g of your favourite jam (use apricot or sweet marmalade for the bees; any red-coloured jam, such as strawberry or raspberry, for the mushrooms; add green food dye to apricot jam or sweet marmalade for the frogs)

To decorate:

Flaked almonds (or you can pipe wings on after baking using white icing)

40g icing sugar

Black food dye

Method:

1. Line a baking sheet with baking paper or a silicone mat.

2. Add the butter, sugar, ground cardamom and vanilla to a large bowl and beat together with a spoon or spatula until smooth and spreadable.

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3. Add the flour (or flour plus xanthan gum) and mix until just combined. The dough should be slightly sticky, but soft and easy to handle.

4. Divide the dough into 16 roughly equal pieces, then roll each piece into a rough ball and flatten with the palm of your hand.

5. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. If making the bumblebees, press each cookie with a finger or a measuring spoon to create roughly oval-shaped indents in the centre of each, then press on flaked almond wings, just above the indent. To make the mushrooms, press the cookies with your fingers to create the top of the mushroom, then press to create the stalk using a chopstick or similar. For the frogs, press each cookie to create a round indent, then use your fingers to press and create two smaller indents above for the eyes.

6. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or in the freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 140C fan.

7. Using a small spoon, add a little jam/marmalade to each indent (depending on which design you are making – see photos), so that it is flush with the surrounding cookie. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until ever-so-slightly browned at the edges. Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

8. Meanwhile, make the quick icing to decorate. Whisk together the icing sugar and one teaspoon water, then add black food dye to colour. Transfer to a piping bag and cut a small tip. For the bees, add half a teaspoon of the white icing to a small piping bag and cut a tiny opening on the end. Mix the remaining icing with black food dye to colour. Add three-quarters of this icing to a piping bag and cut a slightly larger opening (this piping bag is for the bee stripes). Add the remaining quarter to a third piping bag and cut a tiny opening (this is for the eyes/mouth). For the mushrooms, you only need white icing, so just put this straight into a piping bag. For the frogs, keep two-thirds of the icing white. Dye the remaining third black. Put in separate piping bags.

9. Once the cookies have cooled, you can finish decorating! Use the photos as a guide, but feel free to add your own flourishes. Store in an airtight container for one to two weeks.

‘Bake Joy: Easy And Imaginative Bakes To Bring You Happiness’ by Kim-Joy (Quadrille, £16.99, available 29 August).