Thumbprint Cookies
Delicious buttery shortbread cookies filled with strawberry and apricot jam. These Thumbprint Cookies are perfect for the holidays or any occasion!
When it comes to cookies, you can’t beat a classic recipe. From my no-bake cookies to my homemade peanut butter cookies and these snickerdoodles cookies, I think it’s pretty obvious how much I adore them. And judging by how popular each of those recipes are on my site, I think it’s safe to say that you love them too!
So today I’m sharing another classic favorite with you – these easy jam thumbprint cookies. The cookie dough for this recipe is made with just 6 ingredients (that’s including the vanilla extract and salt!) and comes together in just a few minutes. There’s also no dough chilling required so you can just prep the cookies and pop them into the oven.
I filled these cookies with strawberry and apricot jam, but you can fill them with just about any flavor. I actually made a batch of these when my niece and nephew came over a few weeks ago and they went crazy for them. I guarantee you’ll love them too!
How To Make Thumbprint Cookies
To make these cookies, you’ll start out by mixing up the cookie dough which is just a simple mixture of butter, sugar, egg yolks, salt, vanilla, and flour. Let’s break down each ingredient:
- Butter: There are two sticks of butter in these thumbprint cookies to give them that rich buttery taste. I suggest sticking with unsalted butter in these cookies too since the amount of salt in salted butter can vary quite a bit between different brands.
- Sugar: I decided to go with granulated sugar for these cookies to help them spread just a little bit. I also like to roll the cookies in a little extra sugar before adding the jam and baking them, but this step is optional.
- Egg Yolks: There are two egg yolks in the cookie dough to help keep the cookies soft and not too crunchy!
- Vanilla Extract & Salt: Once you cream together the butter and sugar, you’ll mix in some vanilla for flavor and a little salt along with the egg yolks.
- All-purpose flour: The flour is mixed in at the very end and the dough will seem a little crumbly at first, but it will come together as you continue mixing it. Just be sure to spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife, so you don’t end up with too much and crumbly cookies.
Once the cookie dough is mixed up, you’ll use a one tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring spoon to measure out the cookie dough. I find that anything larger than one tablespoon is just too big for a thumbprint cookie.
Next, roll the cookie dough into balls and toss each one in a little granulated sugar. The sugar is optional for this part, but I love the extra crunch and sweetness it adds to the cookies. Then, make an indentation in each cookie using your thumb or something similar. I actually like to use the handle of a large wooden spoon for this step.
Then, fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite jam. I really love Bonne Maman jam, so I used their strawberry and apricot jams here.
The final step for this thumbprint cookie recipe is to bake them. When it comes to shortbread cookies, you want to avoid overbaking them because they can end up crunchy and dry. I suggest baking these cookies for about 12-14 minutes, you’ll know they’re done when the tops are set and the bottoms are very lightly browned.
Baking Tips
- When measuring the flour for these cookies, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- After you add the flour the cookie dough will be a little crumbly at first, this is normal! As you continue mixing, the dough will come together.
- Feel free to use your favorite flavor of jam in these cookies. I think they would be delicious filled with some homemade lemon curd too!
- Make sure not to overbake the cookies, I find that 12-14 minutes at 350°F (177°C) is the perfect amount of time.
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated sugar plus 3 tablespoons (40 grams) for rolling the cookies
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 and 1/3 cups (290 grams) all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
- 1/2 cup strawberry or apricot jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes or until well combined. Mix in the eggs yolks, vanilla extract, and salt until fully combined, then mix in the flour. The mixture will be a little crumbly at first but it will come together as you continue mixing it.
- Using a one-tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring tablespoon, measure out the cookie dough, roll into balls, roll each one in granulated sugar (optional), then place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Use your thumb (or the handle of a large wooden spoon) to press an indentation into each ball of cookie dough. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of jam into the indentation in each one.
- Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are set and the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
I make these at Christmas, however I was wondering if you could substitute glacé cherries instead of jam?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be fine!
My raspberry jam always “bleeds”
slightly into the cookie. I use suckers brand. How can I prevent this?
Have you tried a different brand of jam? I use Bonne Maman and it works really well.
Delicious! Dough came out perfect! I used a plum jelly that didn’t seem set right when I took it out of the oven but after about 30mins it set and I was able to transfer them to a plate.
These remind me of my grandmother. They are the only cookies I actually remember and omg are they good. She rolled them in crushed corn flakes. Been looking for a recipe…and some seedless jams. RIP grandma.
Make thumbprint cookies every year for the last 40 years, however lost my original recipe with kitchen makeover. Click on this recipe and they didn’t turn out 🙁
Sorry you had trouble with the recipe, Lindsay. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and never had any issues and quite a few other readers have had success with it as well. I’d be happy to try to troubleshoot and help you figure out what went wrong, but just saying it didn’t turn out isn’t helpful.
What didn’t turn out? That’s not very specific.
Can I use Hershey’s kisses instead of jam?
Yes, that would be fine! I would recommend scooping them a little larger (about 1.5 tablespoons) and increasing the baking time slightly, if needed. You can press the Hershey’s kiss into the top once they come out of the oven.
Hi, I made your recipe, in half quantity. I think I they need a little bit more salt or sugar, due to my halfing the recipe but they still very tasty! I made a Dulce de Leche filling for my cookies and they are sooo good! Ty! Barbara
Can you freeze these?
Yes, they will freeze well for up to 3 months.
These cookies came out perfect and I used 4 fruit and apricot jam, they were soft and buttery. Will make again!
I made a test batch of these yesterday. My first try at thumbprint cookies. Overall success. I did read through some of the comments, and I also had some cracking at the edges after the thumbprint. I didn’t mind, gives them character. I was wondering if you have any tips on how deep the imprint should go though? I didn’t have any issues w the jam overflowing, but I also felt like mine didn’t “fill” the imprint. I assumed the jam would melt/settle in. Did you press the jam down into the imprint? Thanks in advance.
I just kind of eyeball it, but it’s deep enough to fill each one to the top with 1/2 teaspoon of jam. You could use the bottom of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to press into each one, then fill them. Another option is to add a little extra jam to the center of each one after they come out of the oven, then swirl it around with a toothpick to mix it with the jam that’s already in them.
I just made this recipe and I found it to be too dry. The dough crack as I was pressing the indentation for the jam. I had to keep reshaping them. Even cooled they just are too dry. I followed the recipe verbatim.