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 made this recipe today and followed it precisely. Wondeful! I ran out of time to make a 2nd batch, being Dec 24……..So I made the dough and froze it in a log shape and cut in 2. That way I can easily make just a few cookies if needed.
A lot of people remarked that their dough was crumbly and so not able to work with it. Im wondering if they didnt continue beating it long enough. I found mine was crumbly at first but then I just kept on working it. Suddenly it formed the perfect dough.
I just made these … dough was perfect .. it just needs to blend until proper consistency. I used for the middle , some chocolate chips and others with jam.
These are the best. I made them last week and they are still soft and delish..
Hello!
I made these cookies yesterday and they were a hit! I have a question though, how do I prevent them from cracking? When making the indent some cracked a bit but it was not an issue I molded them back more smoothly but coming out of the oven a good amount were cracked around the edges (which caused some slight bleeding of the jam). Do you have any advice as how to prevent that?
Thanks!
I like to roll each one into a smooth ball, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to very gently press down in the center. Also, if your dough has too much flour or not enough moisture it can be prone to cracking. I highly recommend either weighing your flour or using the spoon and level method so you don’t add too much.
how much flour it says 290g but it also says 2 1/3 cups which is way more so which one
1 cup of flour that’s spooned and leveled weighs about 125 grams, so 2 and 1/3 cups weighs 290 grams. I have a post that explains how to measure flour here.
I tried a recipe that varies from this one last year and this one is elite. They came out perfect 🤩
These cookies look so so delicious
Thank you so much you are a sweetheart for sharing ❤️
can i 1/2 this recipe w/the same results & consistency? 42 cookies is too much.
thanks!
Yes, that would be fine!
I used fig jam for the half the batch and strawberry jam for the other half. These cookies were incredible. The fig was my favorite, not too sweet. The strawberry jam cookies were sweeter and those were my fiancé’s favorite. The cookies are soft and buttery and taste divine. I froze half the batch for a month in a ziploc and they came out of the freezer like they were still fresh. I’m making them with lemon curd tonight, for more of a bright spring time boost for a friend’s dinner party. This recipe is going in my yearly holiday cookie routine.
Made this recipe a few times now and never had a problem. I use a variety of home made jams — grape and apple-chili are my favourites, but the rhubarb worked well too. Thanks for the recipe.
Forgot to mention that I use almond extract instead of vanilla.
These are very good cookies, I used blackberry jam and they were great! Thank you!
A real crowd pleaser everyone will enjoy, my families favorite. I follow the recipe exactly as written each time and it’s always turned out amazing……. Although sometimes it’s my fault and don’t use room temp egg yoke or butter it will take longer to cream but still manageable.
This recipe is absolutely delicious. My husband asks me to make these cookies frequently. A winner.
Had so much fun with this one! My only note is that a whole tbsp of dough seems too much for these since they do spread (unless you want them big of course!) The cookie recipe itself gives the perfect texture and flavor – I’m excited to try different flavors with it!
My grandkids go crazy for these cookies. I make so many different. This is the star for them. I use raspberry jam. And I put colorful sprinkles. I don’t roll in sugar. Pleases me to please them 😊
This was my first time making these cookies. Very easy to make and tastes great. I will definitely make them again.
Never really baked anything before, this recipe turned out perfect. I used chocolate instead of jam and they are amazing
I made mine with orange marmalade and strawberry jam. Both were delicious 😋.👍
I am a senior from Nova Scotia Canada living in Toronto and my mom used to make these when I was a kid and I made them myself for many years and the only difference was I used to cook the cookie dough a few minutes before adding the jam otherwise I found the jam was to dry