Palm Sunday Fig Thumbprint Cookies

History

The custom of eating figs on Palm Sunday originated in England, where they picked up on the biblical connection between Palm Sunday and figs and reflected that inspiration in their cuisine. You’ll recall that after the Triumphal Entry, Jesus was in search of some food. He finds a fig tree, and seeing that it is bearing no fruit, he curses it. After cleansing the Temple, Jesus and his disciples see that fig tree the next day where it stands withered (Mark 11).

Interestingly, St. Mark tells us that it was not the season for figs; nevertheless, Jesus curses the tree, and it withers up, which might remind us of St. Paul’s words to St. Timothy to be ready to preach in word in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). Likewise, Jesus exhorts his disciples to faith and to prayer because he will provide whatever they ask in his name with faith (Matthew 21:18-22).

Tradition holds that even though Jesus didn’t find figs on that particular tree, he did eat a meal of figs that day, which has inspired others to do the same.

Given this custom, Palm Sunday became known in England by the alternate name of “Fig Sunday.” Families would gather figs and either eat them whole or often make them into fig pudding! In that spirit, we have a recipe here for Christmas or “figgy pudding”, which you might enjoy. For a simpler and less decadent Lenten option, you might consider making your own fig jam, which can be enjoyed on a simple biscuit or piece of toast. Yet another option is using that fig jam in the middle of thumbprint cookies!

Fig Thumbprint Cookies

This recipe is versatile by nature. The sugar cookie base provides a sweet vehicle for any kind of jam or even a sweetened cream cheese or pudding filling. Naturally, for Palm Sunday we opted for a fig jam filling, but if fig jam is hard to come by near you, a plum or raspberry filling makes a great substitute.

Ingredients

½ cup butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 jar fig jam

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using the beater attachment, beat together the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder and incorporate into the butter/sugar mixture.
3. Remove the dough, taking a little piece at a time, and form it into cookies. Place the cookies on a greased baking sheet and use your thumb to create an indentation in the middle of each one.
4. Fill each cookie with a dollop of fig jam and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.