Honey-Roasted Peanut Thumbprints

Step 1

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.

Step 2

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 1 cup peanuts and 1/2 cup flour until the nuts are coarsely ground. Pulse in remaining flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg, then add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pulse in the egg yolks, vanilla extract and zest. Continue to pulse until the dough is well combined and starts to clump (but doesn’t form a ball).

Step 3

Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, form the mixture into 1-inch balls.

Step 4

Put the egg whites in a shallow bowl, then beat them lightly with a fork until frothy. Put the remaining 2/3 cup chopped honey-roasted peanuts in another shallow bowl, and stir in the salted, roasted peanuts.

Step 5

Dunk each ball of dough first in egg whites, then in the nuts, rolling to coat the balls well. Place the balls on the baking sheets 2 inches apart. Using your thumb, press an indentation in the center of each round of dough.

Step 6

Using a small spoon (an espresso spoon works well), fill the indentations with jam. Bake until the edges of the cookies are just golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.