In my opinion, thumbprint cookies are some of the best Christmas cookies because there are so many different ways to fill and top them. You can even experiment with a different flavor of cookie dough.

Put nuts in a separate bowl ... being sure not to make a hole all the way through the dough. Bake cookies for eight minutes (they will not be fully baked). Remove from oven.

You can order cookies topped with red and green sprinkles and bursting with warm ginger, or stop by a bustling Atwater Village bakery for spelt thumbprint ... of pine nuts forms a just-toasted ...

One of those traditions led her to winning second place: Following a shorthand recipe for thumbprint cookies that her mother ... it to meld well with the nuts encrusted on the side.

Nuts and a variety of spices are the cornerstones ... but their holiday menus include staples like cutout sugar cookies, jam thumbprint cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies and pies.

Known as “ume,” Japanese plums are becoming well-known around the world these days in large part due to the popularity of umeshu (plum liqueur). Just as in fashion within Japan are umeboshi ...