Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies

Hey ya' all!
My Visiting Teachers made this cookies for my on St. Patrick's Day. I forgot to take a picture of them sorry... they were just too good to wait. I think they added green food coloring too to make it more green. Great for Christmas too!



Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant pistachio pudding mix
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
2 cups finely chopped pecans
Method:
Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add egg and extracts and mix well. Combine flour and pudding mix and add to creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in nuts. Place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool. Fill center with filling.
Filling:
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
4 oz. cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 Tablespoons milk (if needed)
Method:
Mix together all ingredients until creamy. Spoon filling into the center of the cooled cookies. Drizzle with glaze if desired.
Glaze:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening
Method:
Melt chocolate chips and shortening together. Drizzle over cookies and let stand until chocolate is set.
Original recipe from Taste of Home Magazine.