Thumbprint Cookies are perfect bites of deliciousness. Easy to make with a melt in your mouth dough, these cookies are tiny drops of heaven.
After many rounds of testing, I’m so happy to share this delicious cookie recipe with you. These tiny cookies come together in a snap and are perfect on a holiday plate or to enjoy all year long.
How to Make Thumbprint Cookies
Here is a brief overview of how this thumbprint cookie recipe comes together. For the full recipe including all measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar. This is an important step. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three to six minutes. Then beat in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Add in the flour mixture. Beat on low until it just begins to combine and then turn the power up to high until just combined.
- Roll the dough into balls. Scoop the cookies with a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop or roll into one-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Add the jam. Using a clean finger or thumb, very gently make a small well in the center of each cookie. Fill with desired flavor of jam.
- Bake the cookies. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies begin to turn golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Creaming Butter and Sugar
Thoroughly beating the butter and sugar together is a crucial step in baking, often referred to as “creaming.” This process isn’t just about combining the ingredients, it plays a key role in the texture and structure of your cookies.
When you cream butter and sugar, you’re incorporating air into the butter, which helps create a light and tender texture in the final product. This step ensures your cookies rise properly and have a soft, fluffy texture and will actually result in getting more cookies out of your dough.
This process takes about three to six minutes with a hand or stand mixer. Skipping or rushing this step can lead to dense, heavy cookies, so take your time and let your mixer do the work!
Jam For Thumbprint Cookies
When it comes to choosing jam for thumbprint cookies, the options are endless, and it’s all about personal preference. Fruit jams or preserves work best because their sweet and slightly tart flavors complement the buttery cookie base. Popular choices include raspberry, strawberry, apricot, or even blackberry. The cookies you see pictured here in this post feature raspberry jam and apricot jam.
In addition to raspberry thumbprint cookies, you can experiment with flavors like fig or peach. You might find it easier to microwave the jam for a few seconds before adding to the cookies so it goes into the cookies’ indent smoothly.
Tips and Tricks
- Measure your flour correctly. Getting too much flour can result in cookies that are dry and crumbly. See more on how to measure flour correctly without a scale below.
- Use room temperature butter. It will still feel cold to the touch, yet be soft enough to dent with your finger, but not press all the way through. Read more on why this is so important above.
- Add the flour mixture all at once. Beat on low until it just begins to combine and then turn the power up to high until just combined. This will ensure everything is combined and that your dough isn’t overworked.
- Your dough will seem crumbly. Don’t worry, it will come together when you roll it into balls. If they fall apart when you press your thumb, just push it back together.
- Use a cookie scoop.
- Heat up the jam. As mentioned above, warming up the jam for a few seconds in the microwave will make it easier to put into the cookies.
- Gently tap the baking sheet before baking. This will remove any air bubbles and allow the jam to settle into the thumbprint.
Cookie Scoop
How to Measure Flour
The amount of flour you add to a cookie recipe will make or break how it turns out. Because it is ground so fine, flour packs easily which makes it easy to get too much when measuring. Follow these simple steps to get the correct amount of flour every time.
- Whisk the flour in its container.
- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into a dry measuring cup. Make sure it is heaping on top to ensure you have enough.
- Level off the excess with the flat edge of a spatula or knife.
- Repeat as needed.
How to Measure Flour
Storing and Freezing Thumbprint Cookies
These thumbprint jam cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to one week. They also freeze great! Once they are baked and have cooled, put the cookies in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put in the freezer to flash freeze. Once frozen, after a few hours, transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and store in the freezer for up to three months.
Freezing Cookie Dough
If you want to freeze the dough to bake the jelly thumbprint cookies later, follow the recipe up to the point of rolling the dough into balls and rolling them in sugar. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze for an hour before transferring the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container, which will prevent them from sticking together. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
When ready to bake them, allow the dough to thaw and put them on a baking sheet. Press your thumb into each dough ball, add jam, and bake.
Other Great Cookie Recipes
If you make this jam thumbprint cookies recipe or any of my other recipes, I’d be so grateful if you came back and left a comment. I love hearing from you and how you enjoy my recipes!
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (113 grams)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling (148.5 grams)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 cup jam (80 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 to 6 minutes.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Beat in the egg yolk. Once fully combined, beat in the vanilla extract and almond extract.1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Add in the flour mixture. Beat on low until it just begins to combine and then turn the power up to high until just combined. This will keep beating down to a minimum and ensure that your dough isn't overworked. The dough will appear very crumbly but will come together as you scoop it.
- Scoop the cookies with a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop or roll into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheet. Using a clean finger or thumb, very gently make a small well in the center of each cookie. Fill with desired flavor of jam. If the dough cracks, you can push it back together.1/4 cup jam
- Gently tap the baking sheet on the counter to help the jam settle in the cookies. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies begin to turn golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to allow to completely cool.
Clarisse Ishimine says
Hi Lisa
With this Thumbprint cookie recipe
Can I use Kisses or Reese’s candies? Instead of jam
I would actually recommend my Hershey’s Kiss Cookies for that.