PISTACHIO THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on high speed until smooth, about 4 minutes.
• Add egg and extracts; mix well.
• In another bowl, combine flour and pudding and add to the butter mixture.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in nuts.
• Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
• Make a thumbprint in center of each cookie and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
• Position a wire rack inside a large baking pan or over sheets of wax paper.
• Remove cookies from oven, place on wire rack to cool.
• To prepare filling, in a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter and confectioners' sugar on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in vanilla and milk; mix until combined and smooth.
• Spoon into center of cooled cookies.
• Leave cookies on rack to glaze.
• To prepare glaze, in microwave oven or over very low heat, melt chocolate and shortening.
• Stir until smooth, taking care not to scorch the chocolate.
• Bunch cooled cookies together on cooling rack and drizzle chocolate over them in a very thin stream, crossing back and forth over cookies to form chocolate lace.
• For simple drizzling, hold a small spoonful of chocolate about 6 inches above the rack; release a thin stream of chocolate as you move the spoon back and forth quickly over the cookies.