Special Cherry Thumbprint Cookies -- Marking the Moment Tommy Took His First Steps

August 2036. Tommy took his first steps in the kitchen. That was where it happened, on a Saturday morning when I was making breakfast and Kai was reading at the table and Sarah had stepped outside for a moment. Tommy was holding the cabinet handle and then he let go and took three steps toward me and then sat down heavily on the kitchen floor and looked at me with the expression of someone who had just surprised themselves.

I said: you did it. He studied my face with his usual assessment of faces. I crouched down and he took two more steps and reached me. I picked him up and he looked around the kitchen from this new height like he was orienting to something that had just changed. He was at eye level with the prep counter now when I held him. He looked at it very seriously.

Sarah came back in and I said: he walked. She put her hands over her mouth. Kai looked up from his book. Tommy repeated the performance three more times over the next hour, getting steadier each time, understanding that he could do this and that the doing of it was worth doing.

First steps in the kitchen. I wrote it down immediately. Tommy takes first steps in the kitchen, August 2036. The same kitchen that was designed for gathering and teaching and feeding. The first step toward everything that follows.

That Saturday morning called for something made with intention — something I could press my own thumbprint into, the way Tommy had just pressed his small footprints into our family’s story. These Special Cherry Thumbprint Cookies felt exactly right: simple enough to make while still riding the rush of the moment, sweet enough to match how I felt, and shaped by a gesture that reminded me of Tommy reaching out and finding me there. We made a batch that afternoon, all four of us in the same kitchen where it all happened.

Special Cherry Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 34 min | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry preserves or cherry jam
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2–3 teaspoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (for glaze)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Add extracts. Mix in the vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract until fully combined.
4. Add dry ingredients. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour and salt, mixing until a soft dough forms. Fold in the chopped maraschino cherries.
5. Shape the cookies. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
6. Make the thumbprint. Use your thumb (or the rounded end of a wooden spoon) to press a small indent into the center of each ball, being careful not to press all the way through.
7. Fill with cherry preserves. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry preserves into each indent.
8. Bake. Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden. Do not overbake. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract until smooth and drizzleable, adding more milk a few drops at a time if needed.
10. Drizzle and serve. Once cookies are fully cooled, drizzle the glaze lightly over each one. Allow the glaze to set for 10 minutes before serving or storing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 148 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 28mg