The Best Thumbprint Cookies With Irresistible Vanilla Frosting

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix butter, shortening, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla with a mixer.
3. Blend flour and salt together in a small bowl and stir into batter. Batter will be thick.
4. Beat egg white in small bowl and place chopped walnuts on a small plate.
5. Roll dough into balls (I do tablespoons, but my mom does teaspoons), dip balls into egg white, then roll in walnuts. Place on baking sheet.
6. Press your thumb or the back of a tablespoon gently into the center of each cookie to make an indentation.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly firm. Remove from oven. You may need to press your thumb or tablespoon gently into each cookie while they're still warm to redefine the indentation.
8. Mix frosting ingredients together while the cookies cool. If the frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time--if too thin, add a teaspoon of powdered sugar at a time--until you get a texture that's thick enough to stay in the center of the cookies.
9. Once cookies are cool, put a small dab of frosting in the center of each cookie. Add festive sprinkles if you have them!