So my cookie challenge continued this week with a cookie that sounded terrible from Arizona. Sorry AZ. I do not like orange flavored things so right away I thought it was going to be bad. I tried using a handheld mixer like the recipe said but ended up having to put everything in my food processor to get the dough combined. The dough was hard to work with so I made some in my mini muffin pan and spent the time hand-forming the rest while the first batch was baking. I glazed about 2/3 of them & left the others glaze-free. I ended up bringing the glazed cookies to work & kept the glaze-free cookies at home. Those I liked well enough. They taste like a traditional thumbprint cookie. So unless you like orange flavored things skip this cookie or skip the glaze.

Prickly Pear Orange Pecan Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies (from Adell, baked in Arizona) found on Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

FOR THE COOKIES:
1 cup cold Butter diced
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 cups + 2 Tbsp Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour 10.6 ounces
1/2 cup Pecans blended in food processor (measure then blend till fine)
5 oz Prickly Pear Jelly
FOR THE GLAZE:
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Orange Extract
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Water
Instructions
FOR THE COOKIES
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
With a hand held mixer, combine your butter & sugars together in a medium sized bowl. Add the vanilla then add the flour & pecans. The mixture will be dry. Take a spoon or spatula and mix till it comes together.
Using a small cookie scoop, make round balls and place on prepared sheet. With your thumb or finger, press into the center of the dough to make a “thumbprint”. If they crack, smooth edges a little. Very lightly, press down on the edges so they are slightly flatter. Fill the centers with the prickly pear cactus jelly.
Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the cookie is just set. While cookies are baking, make the glaze.
FOR THE GLAZE:
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Let the cookies cool a little then drizzle the glaze over the top. You can use a fork for a more rustic look or a plastic bag for a clean looking glaze. Fill the bag with the glaze then snip the corner with scissors and drizzle over the top of the cookies.
Store in an airtight container.