DESSERT OF THE MONTH

thumbprint cookies

RECIPE JENNIFER BARTOLI

PHOTOGRAPHY MAYA VISNYEI

FOOD STYLING CLAIRE STUBBS

PROP STYLING

ANN MARIE FAVOT

something that comes up a lot in the Style at Home offices, but it’s never been as yummy as this. Our take on these traditional holiday cookies replaces the usual jam with three of our favourite sweet spreads – pure

genius, if we do say so ourselves.

BAKED APPLE PIE CHEESECAKE

Prep: 30 min. | Total Time: 7 hours 10 min. | Makes: 16 servings

WHAT YOU NEED

3 Granny Smith apples (about 1 lb./450 g), peeled, sliced 11⁄2 cups sugar, divided 11⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided 11⁄4 cups graham crumbs 1⁄4 cup quick-cooking oats 2 Tbsp. butter, melted 4 pkg. (250 g each) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese, softened 1 tsp. vanilla 4 eggs 1 cup whipping cream

MAKE IT

Cook apples, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in saucepan on medium heat 6 min. or until apples are tender, stirring frequently. Cool. Heat oven to 325°F. Combine graham crumbs, oats, butter, remaining cinnamon and 2 Tbsp. of the remaining sugar; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Beat cream cheese, vanilla and 1 cup of the remaining sugar in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Spread half the apples over crust to within 1/2 inch of edge; cover with cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate remaining apples until ready to use. Bake cheesecake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 min. or until centre is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours. Drain remaining apples just before serving cheesecake. Meanwhile, use clean beaters to beat whipping cream and remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar in clean medium bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Arrange apples on top of cheesecake; top with whipped cream.

Mix and match THE TOPPINGS AND BASES for

an artistic array of these delectable delights this season.

INGREDIENTS

MAKES 3 DOZEN COOKIES

1 cup unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup icing sugar 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp salt ½ cup each: dulce de leche, chocolatehazelnut spread and cookie butter Finely chopped nuts, cocoa and cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the icing sugar until fluffy; beat in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger and salt; stir into the butter mixture just until the ingredients are combined and come together to form a dough.

Shape the dough into thirty-six 1" balls.* Arrange 1" apart on parchment paperlined baking sheets. Press your thumb into the centre of each ball, leaving an indentation; pinch together any cracks around the edges. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. When the cookies are cool, spoon a scant 1 teaspoon of filling into the well of each one. *To roll the cookies in nuts, whisk 2 egg whites with 1 teaspoon water until frothy; place finely chopped nuts (such as pistachios, walnuts or hazelnuts) in a bowl. Using a fork, dip each dough ball into the egg mixture, then into the nuts to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheets and continue with the recipe as directed. To dust with cocoa or cinnamon, roll the dough balls into either cinnamon or cocoa powder, shaking off any excess. Place on the prepared baking sheets and continue with the recipe as directed.