Grandpa Cookies

When Ben and I had been dating for only a few weeks, my extended family had a reunion in Seattle. I was pretty head-over-heels over the Benny man, and I decided to get him something at Pike Place Market. I came across a stand of homemade jellies, and I decided to get him some rose jelly. Jelly made from rose petals. I don't know why I got that for him. I guess I just thought that the concept of jelly made of roses was weird and funny and that Ben would think the same. He did. (I don't think he ever ate it, though.)


Whenever my gramps comes up for the summer, he brings my sisters, my mom, and I a little surprise. Last year, it was this. This year, he brought an assortment of jellies he had made - lemon, pomegranate, cactus, and jalapeno. I kid you not. When he brought them over, I wondered aloud what to do with all of this yummy jelly. I mean, I knew I could use the pomegranate jelly on pb&j's, but what of the jalapeno? Or the lemon?

Gramps told me we could make what my younger cousins call "Grandpa Cookies." I guess they spread the jellies onto crackers and eat them that way. So that's what we have started to do. Dylan thinks the jalapeno is delectible. I disagree with him. :) But I really like the others.

The jalapeno jelly is the green one:

I also had an ingenious idea and made thumb-print cookies for a family get-together, filling the cookies with the different types of jelly. I didn't put jalapeno jelly in any of them; I knew that wouldn't fly with anyone except Dylan. However, I used the rest of the jellies in them. I learned that lemon jelly doesn't really mesh with thumb print cookies. But the pomegranate and cactus were a good fit. Cactus jelly is surprisingly sweet. I used some other jellies I happened to have in my fridge, as well, and they were fantastic - raspberry, strawberry, currant, and huckleberry. In the past, I've also used apricot jam and peach jam. Just whatever is in my fridge and needs using up.

Want the recipe? Okay.

Thumb Print Cookies
(makes 2 dozen)

1 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans
jelly or jam

Mix margarine, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Sift flour and salt. Add to sugar mixture. Roll dough into balls. Beat egg whites slightly with a fork. Dip balls into egg whites. Roll in nuts. Place one inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Press thumb gently into the center of each, creating a little divot. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Cook and fill each divot with jam or jelly.