Strawberry & Fennel Jam Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are full of surprises. The strawberry jam is scented with a light whisper of fennel and the chocolate cookie dough just melts in your mouth. The middle stays a little soft and reminds me a bit of a dense brownie in its buttery texture. I coated half of the cookies in crunchy demerara and half in white sesame seeds for a nutty kick. They both work really well. If you’re looking for an easy bake which packs a punch of flavour, these are for you. I love the strawberry fennel jam so much, it will probably become a fridge staple for me.

Ingredients - makes 15 cookies
Please note: the jam recipe will make more than you need for the cookies as you can’t make a smaller batch. It’s great with peanut butter on toast!

Strawberry Fennel Jam:
350g frozen strawberries
100g caster sugar
10ml lemon juice
1 tsp fennel seeds, ground & sifted**
** I ended up using 2 tsp whole fennel seeds. Once ground in a pestle & mortar and then sifted, it came to 1 tsp.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookie Dough:
200g unsalted butter, softened
75g icing sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla paste
200g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
30g cornflour
1/2 tsp flaky salt
White sesame seeds & demerara sugar, to roll

Method
For the jam; place all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As the fruit softens, mash down the strawberries with a fork. Continue to cook until the jam has thickened. You can test it is done by placing a plate in the freezer to chill. When you think your jam is done, place a dollop on the cold plate and let it set for a minute before running a finger through it. It should hold its shape but slowly glide back into the middle. Pour the jam into a container place into the fridge to chill completely.

For the cookie dough; Lightly cream the butter and icing sugar together until combined. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla paste. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornflour and salt. Fold in the dry ingredients until combined. Place some demerara sugar onto a plate and some sesame seeds onto another. Scoop the dough into 15 balls, rolling half of them in demerara sugar and the rest in sesame seeds. Lay them out onto lined baking trays, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Make an indent in the middle of each ball with your thumb. Fill each hole with a tsp of jam and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. While they chill, pre-heat your oven to 175°C.

Once chilled, bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until puffed and the jam is set. You want them to stay a little soft in the middle. Leave to cool completely before serving. These can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.