Cherry Almond Thumbprints pair the delicious flavors of cherry preserves and almond to make a buttery shortbread cookie that is perfect for the holidays.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, cream together butter and white sugar until smooth. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Add flour and mix on low speed just until dough comes together, then flash at a medium high speed for 5 seconds to form the dough into a ball. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Make a small hole in the center of each ball (I use the ball end of a small wooden honey dipper) and fill the hole with about a 1/2 teaspoon of preserves. To minimize spreading of the cookie, you can freeze the entire sheet for 15 minutes prior to baking.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven. Depending on your baking sheet, dough may not brown at all. Immediately after removing from oven, use a spatula or plastic scraper to gently reform cookies as they may have flattened out a bit during the baking process. Let cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar, 3/4 teaspoon almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over warm cookies.