Spell check is second guessing me… what is a “marionberry”? For the former mayor of Washington DC, Marion Barry: see here. For those of you who have missed out, see: marionberry. The strain was created at Oregon State University, and is sweeter and juicier than the normal blackberry you may eat.
The jam is especially delicious, and I stock up on it when we are in Sisters, Oregon, because their seedless version is the best. Fun fact: At one point, the Oregon Legislature considered making the marionberry the official state berry (which would have been awesome). See now why I am obsessed with this state?
Whole Wheat Marionberry Thumbprint Cookies (makes ~3 dozen)
- 1/2 c butter
- 1/4 c packed brown sugar
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 c whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp milk
- Any flavor jam (marionberry obviously being superior)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla together and then add the flour in slowly, blending well. Add a tablespoon or two of milk if your dough isn’t sticking together well enough, but it should be quite flaky (see picture below). Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and roll small tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the baking sheet. Push your finger into each ball to make an indent for jam to fill later on.
Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until they are barely turning a golden color. Take the cookies out and fill the indentations with jam. Finally, pop them back in the oven for 2 minutes to seal the filling. Now take them out of the oven and let them cool.
Merry cookie baking,
Marisa
These look delicious. I love that you used whole wheat flour. I am planning on purchasing some after I use up the flour I purchased for the holidays :)
I’ve always wondered what marionberries are. Thanks for clearing that up. The whole wheat cookies are a must-try!
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