These thumbprint cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookies. With a sweet jam filling, they’re soft, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Thumbprint Cookies are too good to save just for the holidays
These thumbprint cookies are perfect for the holidays, but honestly I love them so much I make this recipe year-round, along with my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. The cookie base for these thumbprint cookies is made with just 7 simple ingredients, which combine into the most delicious rich, buttery cookies.
These cookies get their name because you can use your thumb to press a well, or “print,” into the center of each cookie dough ball before baking, then fill with your favorite flavor of jam. Although, I find it’s easier (and more uniform) to press the back of a teaspoon into the cookies to make the well. My kids love to help with this part!
The jam centers of these thumbprint cookies bring sweet fruit flavor and make the cookies so pretty. I love to fill half with raspberry jam and the other half with apricot for variety. With no dough chilling needed, these cookies are so quick and easy to make. They’re perfect for adding to your holiday cookie plates and gifting!
Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
- Butter: Let it soften to room temperature before making the cookie dough.
- Granulated Sugar: You’ll cream the sugar and butter together. We also roll the cookie dough balls in sugar before baking, which adds an extra bit of sweetness.
- Egg Yolk: Using one egg yolk makes these cookies rich and tender. To separate the egg yolk from the egg white, crack the egg in half, keeping it in the shell. Then, over the sink or a bowl, carefully transfer the yolk back and forth between the two egg shell halves, allowing the whites to fall out of the shell, until only the yolk remains.
- Vanilla Extract: For warm sweetness.
- Almond Extract: Just like my Homemade Sugar Cookies and Cherry Cream Cheese Cookies recipes, adding a bit of almond extract brings another subtle layer of flavor to these thumbprint cookies. I love the way the flavor pairs with the jam. If you don’t have any almond extract on hand, you can omit it from the recipe.
- Salt: Brings out all of the flavors.
- Flour: All-purpose flour creates the base of the cookie dough.
- Jam: I used a combination of raspberry and apricot jam. You can use your favorite flavor. I think strawberry, blackberry or cherry would be delicious, too! Just be sure to use a jam that’s fairly smooth; you don’t want any large pieces of fruit in it.
How to Make Thumbprint Cookies
Make cookie dough. First, beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Then mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, almond extract and salt. Finally, mix in the flour. The dough will be fairly firm.
Roll and fill with jam. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Use the back of a round teaspoon measuring spoon to press a well into each cookie (the dough balls will also flatten some as you make the wells). Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam into each cookie well.
Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe Tips
- This is a firm dough, so I find that a stand mixer works best for mixing. If you use a hand mixer, you may need to switch to a wooden spoon or spatula to finish incorporating the flour.
- I don’t recommend chilling this dough before rolling the dough balls. The dough is already firm, and this would make it too hard to roll into smooth, uniform balls. (If you must chill the dough, let it come to room temperature before shaping the cookies.)
- When you make the imprint for the jam, you’ll also want to flatten the cookies a bit. They won’t flatten much on their own as they bake.
- Don’t worry if you get a few cracks in the cookies as you press the well. I think they add to the charm of these beautiful cookies!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Thumbprint cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. These cookies also freeze well. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
For Rolling/Finishing Cookies:
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, for rolling
- ½ cup raspberry and/or apricot jam, or your favorite flavor*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- Use an electric mixer* to beat together the butter and granulated sugar until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, salt and almond extract. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the flour on low speed. The dough will be firm.
- To roll cookie dough balls: Place the 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Roll the balls in the sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets, about 2½ inches apart.
- Use the back of a round teaspoon measuring spoon to press a well into each cookie (the dough balls will also flatten some as you make the wells). Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam into each cookie well.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are just barely starting to lightly brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Egg Yolk: To separate the egg yolk from the egg white, crack the egg in half, keeping it in the shell. Then, over the sink or a bowl, carefully transfer the yolk back and forth between the two egg shell halves, allowing the whites to fall out of the shell, until only the yolk remains.
- Jam: You can use your favorite flavor of jam. I think strawberry, blackberry or cherry would be delicious, too! Just be sure to use a jam that’s fairly smooth, you don’t want any large pieces of fruit in it.
- Mixing the Dough: It’s best to use a stand mixer to mix the dough because the dough will be very firm after adding the flour. If using a hand mixer, you may need to finish mixing the flour in by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- I don’t recommend chilling this dough before rolling the dough balls. The dough is already firm, and chilling would make it too hard to roll into smooth, uniform balls. (If you must chill the dough, let it come to room temperature before shaping the cookies.)
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. These cookies also freeze well. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
All members of my family are asking me to make these again after the first bite! These are soft, crumbly, shortbread. We had left over cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and I used it to fill teh cookies. Tart sweet deliciousness!
These cookies look much harder to make than they are which makes them the perfect gifting cookie. We weighed the balls which helps make them look extra special. My family of 6 at 20 cookies the first night!
Turned out really well!
I filled with cherry jam – delicious!
I accidentally made some of the thumbprints too deep so it leaked out when I moved to the cooling racks.
I also filled some with a runnier jelly and it broke through the sides and ran everywhere, so I’d recommend using a thicker jam for sure.
All in all I think it turned out pretty well for never having made thumbprint cookies before.
These were delicious and a huge hit in our house!
I was excited to make these and include them in my holiday cookie boxes this year! I did a combination of apricot jam and a lovely fig ginger jam. They are such a classy cookie and are just delicious!
So easy to make and so tasty!
These took a LOT longer than 11 minutes to bake, more like 19. But they are absolutely delicious and just melt in your mouth.
I’m glad the cookies turned out delicious! It sounds like your oven might not be baking at proper temperature, or you made the cookies much larger than I did. You might want to buy an oven thermometer to check if it is heating to the correct temp.
A great addition to a cookie box! A little hard to work with at first, but once I got the hang of it, everything worked out well!
These are just so yummy!
These are perfect! I did add 1/4 tsp of baking powder to my mix but the taste and the consistency of the dough are perfection! Thanks for sharing this recipe, it will be my new go to!
Honestly, these were sooo good!! Do not skip the almond extract, it adds such a nice flavor. We couldn’t stop eating them! I used strawberry raspberry plum jam. 🙂👍