Recipe: Haley's Pittsburgh thumbprint cookie

TAMPA, Fla. - This season, we’ve asked our FOX 13 staff to share some of their favorite holiday cookies – and the memories that go along with them.

Everyone who knows Haley Hinds knows she's proud to be from Pittsburgh. She shares with us her family's cookie and the love of her hometown. 

INGREDIENTS: 

For cookies:

5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups butter at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tsp vanilla extract
Red and green sprinkles/jimmies
Milk (if dough is too crumbly, add milk until is reaches a wetter, doughy texture)

For icing:

1½ cups of powdered sugar
2 Tbsp of corn syrup
3 Tbsp of milk 
A pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla
2 tsp of butter at room temperature
Red and green food coloring

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

Cream together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla 

Add flour and salt, little by little, until the dough forms

Scoop spoonfuls of dough and roll into round balls

Press dough balls in sprinkles so they stick to the outside

Roll back into balls

Place dough on cookie sheet 1 to 2 inches apart

Using your thumb, push down into each cookie, creating a reservoir for the icing filling. Be careful not to let the walls crack or the icing could leak out later.

Bake for 10 minutes

Remove cookies from oven and use your thumb or a small spoon to press each cookie to deepen the thumbprint

Let cookies cool completely on baking rack 

Combine powdered sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, 2-3 Tbsp of milk (add more milk if the icing is too thick)

Divide icing into 2 bowls

Add red coloring to one and green coloring to other

Spoon icing into center of cookies until it reaches the top without overflowing