Buckwheat Chestnut and Fig Thumbprint Cookies

It's been way too long since I've made any cookies... the insanity had to stop.  I've been imagining putting chestnut puree in cookies for a few weeks now, but my recent weekend time has been being used up by things not involving my kitchen.  Sometimes it's a good thing, other times I daydream about what I could be doing with my time had the decision been up to me, and the answer has always been MAKING COOKIES WITH CHESTNUT PUREE!!!
So now I've been able to do it.. and I had to do it on a weeknight to be sure to fit it into the schedule.  

These are actually quite similar to my other buckwheat thumbprint cookies but with a bit of chili powder to add some kick.
Yield 3 dozen

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

200g (7 oz) buckwheat flour

80g (2.8 oz) whole wheat flour

50g (1.75 oz) ground almonds

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk (optional)

Wet ingredients:

80g (2.8 oz) room temperature butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla sugar

180g (6.3 oz) cane sugar

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Toppings:

chestnut purée

fig preserves

blackberry jam

whatever your sweet little heart desires

Directions

1.  Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.

2.  Cream the butter and sugar together.  Beat in the egg and the rest of the wet ingredients until smooth.

3.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until it forms a ball of dough.  It shouldn't be too crumbly.  If it is, add a bit of milk and knead it into a ball. 

4.  On a cookie sheet or parchment paper, make tablespoon sized balls with the dough and roll them between the palms of your hands.  Press your thumb into the middle of each one and fill it with the topping of your choice.  I really loved the chestnut puree idea..

5.  Bake at 350°F 175°C for 18-20 minutes until very very lightly golden.

Now that it's done it's such a relief on the psychological side (that little lingering idea I had last month has finally materialized.. so relief is the correct word), and so gratifying on the tastebuds.
Any cookie with buckwheat will just have this nutty deep flavor that I love, but the addition of chestnut puree makes it creamy goodness with a nice contrast of textures.  Crunchy on the outside, creamy and chewy on the inside.
I also did some with fig preserves that were gifted to me.  The fig works well here too, as do the blackberries, but the real star is the chestnut.
Thank you for existing...