Cherry Poppyseed Twinks

For Christmas this year we made 20 different kinds of cookies in our gift baskets. This was not only MY favorite recipie, but it was also rated No.1 by several of the recipients. Wonderful is too mild a word!!!!

Variation: Make walnut size balls, flatten them under a drinking glass. Bake until light golden. When cold glue two bisquites together with lemon curd or raspberry jam. Dust with confektioner´s sugar. Keep in a airtight tin. Will be slightly soft in the middle after some hours. Good to have in the freezer.

I have been making these cookies for a number of years and have tried many variations. One of my favourites is to add a little lemon juice (instead of vanilla) and some grated lemon rind. The combination of lemon/poppy seed with just a dollop of cherry preserves is very tasty! I also chill the dough to make it easier to work and I have learned the hard way to make a deep thumb print. These are very addictive and never last very long!

i made these for a christmas cookie exchange and everybody liked them. they are alittle different than alot of thumbprint cookies and look nice on a christmas plate. very festive. will make again.

These are different, but good. My best advice is do not overfill with jam and do not overcook. I took them out when they were barely done and they stayed soft and not too crumbly. Dipping my finger (index) in water and making the indentions was the easiest way for me. I used raspberry seedless jam. The poppy seeds add dimension. I would make these again for a party, because they do look nice and taste decent too.

Delicious--wonderful texture and they taste divine.

Nice tasty cookie. Next time I will make them a bit smaller, I was surprized to see how big they got, but Yum! I will be making another batch tomorrow. I love the poppy seeds and they look very nice along side the other Christmas cookies on a tray. Thanks for sharing Nancy.

Very tasty and fun to make. Made exactly as directed except for jam flavour. The poppyseeds add good texture, especially when nuts are not an option (allergies). Will make again.

This was such a good, quick and easy, and tasty recipe to prepare. I used just raspberry jam in them, but they are by far the best thumbprint cookies I have ever had!

A new favorite! Update: We really liked these, but they do not hold well. Eat them soon after baking.

My son has a peanut allergy, so these are a terrific thumbprint recipe with no nuts. So delicious, the poppyseeds add a wonderful crunch. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect, only wish I made a double batch!

Delicious: light and buttery. Cherry preserves add a nice sour filling. I found that making the "thumbprint" wide and deep provided the best results. I also baked them at 325 because they weren't getting done at 300. I baked until slightly brown on the edges. I made some with cherry preserves and some with blueberry. Both very good. Next time, I'm going to try some with lemon curd.

If I could only give these 10 stars! They are fantastic. The poppy seeds are a nice change. Thanks!

These cookies were good--melted in your mouth. They could be made with any kind of fruit preserve. I ran out of cherry so used blackberry. The flavor of the cookie base was a little mild--I think using almond extract instead of vanilla would give the flavor a little boost.

Very Good! I did sub some items... Honey for sugar and whole wheat flour for reg. I also used peach for the cherry. WOW! It was very good! Makes alot too! Will be making very often! Thanks!

I have made this recipe recently and they are absolutely fabulous. You don't have to stick with just cherry jelly/jam however. You can also try different fruits like strawberry. I used strawberry and apricot and everyone thought they were fantastic. very flaky and light cookies that seem to melt away in your mouth.

I made these for the 1st time last Christmas. I've made many different varieties of cookies over the years, but these are the only cookies that my daughter (22 yrs) found memorable enough to ask for again this Christmas. She and everyone else very much enjoyed so making again this year!

I added a little more salt and used Chukar Cherries sour cherry or cherry blueberry pie filling. EPIC!

These cookies would be great with any kind of preserves, I think. I used kumquat in half and strawberry in the other half. Both were delicious. I would recommend chilling the dough before scooping it, though, so the cookies don't spread out too much.

Very Good! Made for a cookie exchange & everyone loved them, especially since there were no nuts. Very easy, spread more than I thought they would, but that did not affect the taste. Delicious!

Delicious and really easy. The poppyseeds add a unique flavor. I will add this recipe to my cookie recipe collection and definitely make them again at Christmas. I may even try apricot jam instead of cherry! Thanks.

These are pretty little cookies. And yummy too. They have a delicate flavor, almost like soft shortbread. I used marashino cherry halves rather than preserves or jam. Yummy!

I've made these cookies every year for Christmas since I discovered them (can't remember how long, but at least 4 years now). They are my absolute favorite! Delicate, not too sweet, and a little tart from the cherry preserves. They don't last long at my house!

I had jam from my Christmas package and needed to bring something to a family dinner. The idea of thumbprint cookies came to me. Unforunately I couldn't find any poppy seeds at such notice but I just did without. The cookies are very light and have a subtle taste. Very nice! Tip: don't make the cookies very big (about the size of a quarter) and make sure the thumbprint is nice and deep, otherwise when the cookies melt in the oven, the jam will go everywhere. Also don't make the thumbprint too deep - enough cookie must stay under the jam, otherwise you get a gooey mess when you pick the cookie up. Next time with poppy seeds, though!

I have nanking cherry trees in my yard, which I make cherry jelly with every summer, and I stumbled across this recipe when I was looking for something to do with the jelly. The cookies are very tasty and I make them every Christmas with my seasonal baking!

These are good. I rolled them in little balls before make the indentation & they look more proessionally made. I also dusted them with powdered sugar. I may make them with lemon curd instead of jelly next time. 5-20-10 - tried them with lemon curd, but like the jelly better.

I was very disappointed by these cookies as I found the the dough very bland. I like the idea of using cherry preserves as a cookie filling, but the flavor of the actual cookie was just too dull. I won't make these again.

double recipe. Cook a full 25 minutes. Mlt in your mouth

the photos were so bad of this lovely cookie, i felt i had to make them and take a picture just to save their reputation. followed original poster's recipe with 2 changes: - 1/2 poppyseeds to 1 tbsp instead of 2 - lowered cooking time to 17 minutes to accommodate convection oven we love these ~ our 3 year old twins... notsomuch

I used raspberry jam instead.

These were super yummy - I sprikled them very lightly with powdered sugar. MMMMM good! I will defintely make these again.

These were rather unimpressive, in my book- a dissapointment since I had such high hopes. I used both apricot and cherry preserves (seperately! Not together!). I do like the simplicity of baking the cookies with the filling already done, however, the cookies themselves are a little too dry and non-flavorful. An ideal base cookie for this should have a subtle, rich flavor- and this one doesn't. My dog loves them, though- which is nice since there isn't anything bad for him in them! Perhaps a better chef than I will have better luck...

These are the best. Thanks so much.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THESE COOKIES-SO DID EVERYONE ELSE-I WILL DEFINATELY MAKE AGAIN!!

Very good cookie. The only thing I did different was drizzle powdered sugar and milk glaze over the top to make them look cuter for the cookie tray. They are really good. I love the cherry preserves. I hadn't tried cherry preserves before and they work perfect.

I have been making these cookies at "cookie day" with my friends and sisters for a several years and they are wonderful! Very easy and always a hit. One year someone new to our group made them too big and they were on the ugly side. To save them I made a glaze of powdered sugar, milk and a touch of almond extract to drizzle over the cookies. They looked fantastic and the almond was great with the cherry! We now use the glaze every year.

Marvellous!! I made them with rasberry preserves and with lemon curd. It is one of the best recipes I have ever tried!! My husband and friends love the poppy seed twinks

I love these cookies. I made them last year for our annual Christmas cookie baking day and they were a hit. Cookie day is tomorrow and I am looking forward to these cookies. *Update-I have been making these every year since 2004 (I think) for my annual cookie day with my friends because I love them and because they are always requested. I have used all different flavors of jam over the years and they are good no matter what.

These cookies are WONDERFUL. I made them for the first time at Christmas, and have made them many times since then. They ARE almost addictive! I make them rather large, and make the thumbprints deep to hold lots of jam. (I've used strawberry and raspberry too.) They spread out while baking, and I like the jam to cover most of the cookie. Delicious!

These were very good. I found a cookie scoop gave me a better size than a teaspoon.

I made these for a cookie exchange. I needed to find something easy, tasty, and different than the usual cookie exchange cookies. These cookies are melt in your mouth good, so make extra!

I made these for a cookie exchange, and I have gotten nothing but rave reviews on them! I only had 4 extra cookies then what I needed for the exchange, now my husband is wanting me to make more!

A pretty good cookie.

These tasted better when they came right out of the oven, but I would not recommend freezing. They defrost kind of soggy. Not many of them came out too pretty. I think if you would refrigerate the dough for a little bit, it may allow it to be more workable. It is a very sticky dough. I probably wouldn't make again. Sorry.

My family didn't enjoy these much. The flavor of the cherries was over powered by the almond flavoring.

I loved these cookies! So simple and delicious. I did drop the vanilla to 1/4 t and added 1/4 t almond extract. The kids and hubby likes these too, and they went very fast.

This cookie came out wonderful! My boyfriend loved every bite! After reading the reviews, I decided to use Almond Extract instead of vanilla. I also used Strawberry Preserves. Great recipe!

Just made these yesterday...the texture is really nice, and I really like the poppyseeds too. I used redcurrant preserve, as that was what I had on hand. This was my first go at a thumbprintcookie, so I had a bit of trouble with indent/jam ratio. Some cookies had jam overload, and it sort of bubbled down one side. No problem, really, as I was decorating some other cookies with white chocolate glaze. Took out the whisk, and drizzled, criss-cross, over the top of the whole batch. Hid the flaws, and it looked great.Will definetley make these again!

these were good,but not exceptional. As others have stated a little bland, maybe the almond flavour would shine thru?? I also love poppy seeds so i double those. didn't have cherry preserves so i used apricot for half and wildberry for other half. I would make again....

I've had this recipe in my recipe box for several years, and just got around to using it, and now I know that I will continue to use it. Very good, very easy. Can't ask for more than that!

Made these with orange marmalade. I decreased the poppy seeds a bit, which I regret, as they do add a nice crunch, but the marmade was good.

Loved these! I made plain ones for a variety and both are delicious. I used maraschino cherries and their juice blended with powdered sugar for an awesome frosting.

Easy recipe to make! I made a gluten free version with 1 cup of Bob's Red Mill All purpose flour and 1 cup of coconut flour. added and extra egg white and Xanthum gum (1/2tsp). I also used maraschino cherries instead of the preserves and it was a fun pop to bite into the cherry. Turned out a little dry. I might use almond flour next time instead of all purpose gluten free flour along with a whole egg or butter, or might cook for less time. I do think adding lemon would make it taste even better as other reviewers have done.

These are attractive cookies but rather ordinary in the taste category. I am not saying they tasted bad, I was just hoping for something with more pizzaz.

One of my favorites and

Really good and EASY version. My only substitution was using lemon juice instead of vanilla. Wish I had had zest to add. Thanks for sharing.

i made these cookies at christmas time. they were great and everyone loved them. i gave them to friends and family members. i will make these cookies every christmas and at other times.

I loved these! Easy and fun to make. I made them for a cookie exchange and was sure to keep a bunch for myself. I accidently doubled the poppyseeds and still they were delicious.

This is a very tasty cookie and relatively easy to prepare!

These are a nice alternative to the traditional thumbprints. People had never seen any cookie like this before, and seemed intrigued.

I made these with raspberry preserves rather than cherry (just my preference), and they are wonderful....crumbly without being dry, buttery, and the poppy seeds give a lovely subtle flavor and beautiful appearance. Great with coffee. Would be a wonderful cookie for tea, a shower, or Christmas.

I am looking forward to making this and I do not have cherry preserves so I will be using strawberry and apricot preserves this will taste delicious! The good thing about this recipe is you can replace cherry preserves with any preserves! I'm sure I will enjoy it!

Loved these - they were very good and easy, and the poppy seeds really added something different. Even my husband ate them, and he's very picky about unusual additions to his food!

Although they tasted fine, I must have done something wrong. The cookies seemed to be almost frying on the cookie sheet.There seemed to be too much fat, so for the next load I added more flour, and they baked fine this time, although they seemed a bit ... dense.I did use margarine instead of butter (we have a milk allergy in the family). It might be the margarine, but I have never had problems with recipes requiring butter so... don't know what the problem was.