Contributor: Gloria Doxtader, community cookbook author

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Doxtader, who recently published "Dunwoody Housewives Do . . . Cook, " a collection of favorite recipes, says these cookies are a must-have at Christmas for her sons, ages 36 and 39, and for her three grandchildren. Any kind of jelly will work for filling the centers, but she prefers strawberry preserves for the touch of red they bring.

"Those thumbprint cookies have always been [my sons'] favorites, " Doxtader says. "It's not like they're something brand-new, but for the holidays, people prefer the old standards. Every Christmas I had to bake them. They just got a big kick out of either putting their thumb in, or a spoon in.

"When our youngest son was in Japan for seven months, I sent him a box of those cookies. That's what a tradition they are in this family."

Makes 24 cookies

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 13 minutes per sheet

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, separated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 finely chopped nuts

1/2 cup fruit preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix shortening, brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and salt until just combined. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Dip balls in egg white and roll in nuts. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and press thumb in center of each cookie. Return to oven and bake for 8 minutes. Fill center with a dollop of preserves.

Per cookie: 109 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 2 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 7 grams fat, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 28 milligrams sodium.