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.
2 1/2 cups of flour is not 290g weighed out.. I’m wondering if anyone else who made these cookies used metric instead of actual cups and thats why they turned into puddles:(
This recipe calls for 2 and 1/3 cups of flour, not 2 and 1/2 cups. 1 cup of flour that’s been spooned & leveled (not scooped from the container) weighs 125 grams, so 2 and 1/3 cups will weigh 290 grams. I’ve made these cookies multiple times using the metric measurements and never had any issues with them not turning out right. Did you double check the amount of butter and flour that you used? That could be why they didn’t turn out right.
I’m not an experienced baker and didn’t spoon the flour. I scoped, tapped and leveled. They tasted great and baked nicely, but were very crumbly. Was it because I didn’t have enough flour?
If you scoop the flour from the container you can pack it into the measuring cup and end up with too much, which is why likely they turned out crumbly. Next time you make them, try spooning & leveling the flour and that should help.
Recipe is 2 1/3 cups flour. Which equals = 291.666667 grams.
Beautiful. They came out perfect. I used lavender sugar in the cookies and to roll them in, with apricot jam. Un peu français! Miam, miam!
I love the idea of the lavender sugar!! This is a wonderful recipe.
I just made this recipe and It turn out fabulous !! the cookies are soft and delicious , Thank you so much
I started out with the metrics measurements as well and had the same issue. The dough seemed too soft so I measured the flour with a measuring glass (converting cups into mL) and that amount of flour seemed right. 300g of flour definitely wasn’t enough, but once I corrected that, the cookies were really good! (I tried to make a few with the dough that had less flour and the cookies melted a lot more). I used homemade quince jam and it worked really well
Yes I had to use more flour. The dough felt to wet. I put more in til it felt like cookie dough.
They turned out as one of the best cookies Ive ever made.
These are beautiful cookies and taste AMAZING!! I made my own raspberry jam for them and one batch was not enough!! They are now on my frequent cookie list.
These cookies are divine! Buttery and moist, but crumble easily in your mouth – even without the jam, they’d be amazing as plain shortbread cookies. I made them with both strawberry jam and crabapple jelly, and both were delicious. I opted not to roll them in sugar and I think I prefer them that way, as they had a very mild sweetness. My only issue was that my house is quite warm most of the time, so the first batch spread much more than I would like, but I chilled the rest of the cookies for half an hour in the fridge before baking and they turned out beautifully.
Delicious and scrumptious cookies! Having the eggs sit in warm water if they were cool was such an affective technique! Definitely enjoyed baking these thumbprints
Is the recipe better when making in grams or cups?
Measuring in grams will always give you the most accurate measurements, but either way is fine!
Great cookies but there is no way this recipe makes 46 cookies. I measured out one tablespoon for each cookie and barely made it to 36 cookies. Definitely worth doubling the batch.
Easy and delicious! I used Smuckers blackberry jam and the liquid bled into tops of cookies making them look messy. What is the best jam, jelly or preserves to use that won’t bleed?
I really love Bonne Maman jam! I’ve used it in these cookies dozens of times and it doesn’t bleed or cause that to happen.
I made these without rolling them in sugar. I baked them with no jam. When i took them out, i put one rolo candy in the hole and baked 1-2 minutes more until candy started to melt. I smashed rolo with the back of a spoon. Let chocolate set before serving. only make about 36 nickel ball size . Delicious. Taste like a twix bar
These are delicious!! Amazing BUT my cookies took about 40 to 1 hour to cook, could be my oven too so that’s why I’m not taking a star off. I used strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry preserves to make these and it turned out so good. Thank you ☺️
These cookies are delicious! I tried the varieties of preserves I had on-hand – so I made strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and blueberry. All were quite delicious! You don’t need to wait until Christmastime to make these yummy treats!
I made these last year, and they were delicious and doing this year again.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it always works out perfectly! They are sooooo divine everyone raves about them when I make them. Definitely my go to recipe!
I adore this recipe so much that, when I couldn’t lost it and Google failed me, I waited and searched for over a year before making thumbprints again. I finally found where I had handwritten it (thankfully I had also noted “Live Well, Bake Often” on the paper), and was able to make my absolute favorite thumbprint cookies once more just last night. I always make them with Bonne Maman raspberry preserves. The cookie is buttery and melts in your mouth, and the cooked-and-set jam is the perfect tart complement.
For metric users out there, I portion my cookies at 20g each, and that has yielded 32 cookies every single time. And honestly, I could eat them all in a day.
PERFECT! :D.
I live in a very dry area at app. 5000 ft. so I did need to add a tsp. of water otherwise the measurements were terrific!
Thank you!
How far in advance can you make before Xmas. Best way to store them. Thank you
You can make them 2 to 3 days in advance.
These cookies turned out fabulous using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour and Allulose zero calorie sweetener. I used Bonne Maman four fruits preserve and had to summon my iron will not to eat them all!
We’ve tried making these. But 290 grams of flour (we weighed it) is definitely not enough. Tried making one batch exactly as it says in the recipe without letting it chill and tried one with letting it chill in the fridge for an hour. Both batches still melted and now we just have a baking sheet full of dough.
Please adjust the measurements. It’s really disappointing to have both batches come out this bad.
Sorry you had trouble with the recipe, Sandra, but the measurements in the recipe are correct. I’ve made these dozens of times and never had any issues with them spreading. Did you make sure to use 2 sticks (1 cup) of butter and did you clear your scale to zero before adding the flour?
Followed the recipe to a T and the cookies turned out perfect. I’ve tried a few iterations of thumbprint cookies through the years and these have been the best! Thank you!
I made these as a surprise for one of my friends. I wasn’t too sure of how they would taste with so much flour and so little Sugar because I haven’t ever made this type of cookie before, but they turned out so nice and delicious! Before I baked/squashed them, I rolled the dough in some granulated sugar which, in my opinion, made them even better! I also used some homemade strawberry jam from another friend! Yum!
I had to use a GF flour to make these. They were still delicious even though the texture is a bit grainy with rice flour. I also subbed a little oatmeal flour in order to improve the texture. I love cookies that are so butter rich and not overly sweet. I’ve been using the higher fat European butters for cookies lately, also. At the right temperature cookies made with these butters seem to not go flatsies, even without chilling.
These cookies are so great because they are simple cookies with good ingredients. You can taste every ingredient! Today I will make them with Akaka Falls Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Jam. The sweet tart of the passion fruit is such a fine contrast to the buttery sweetness of the cookie. Their spicy pineapple jam should make a terrific “adult” cookie, too. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes. These will go in the Christmas/Solstice boxes I send to family!
My family and I loved these cookies. I am no skilled baker. I just simply followed the instructions and they came out just like the picture! They are now a Christmas tradition to do as a family. My children love putting in the jam. Bonne Maman is our favorite. So we were hooked from the start! 🙂 Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Strangely crumbly when you eat them, but otherwise very delicious cookies.
These are the best cookies ever! I like to switch a cup of flour with 1 cup of whole wheat flour and they are amazing! I make them all the time!
As someone stated above, I misplaced this recipe from last year as well and was so relieved when I found it! The instructions are super helpful and these are a huge hit. I make a chocolate ganache for the center. Great recipe and tips!
What’s the nutritional information for this recipe? My daughter is a type 1 diabetic and it would be very helpful!
I’m not sure about the nutritional information, but you can plug everything into an online calculator to get an estimate.
I made these cookies for the first time this year. This recipe is the best! The butter cookies are amazing and the jam is an added pleasure. These cookies are quickly becoming a family favorite! Thanks!
This was the 2nd year I made these They were so popular last year I made a double batch this year. I used blackberry jam from the farmers market and Smuckers Simply Fruit apricot preserves. Both turned out amazing!
This is the only thumbprint cookie recipe I’ve ever tried, and the result is so delicious that I won’t even bother to look for another recipe! The cookies made from this recipe are not too sweet, and even my picky husband likes them! The only thing I need to figure out is how not to make the cookies crack when I make the dip/well in the middle. Maybe I need to be patient next time and spend more time rolling the dough into balls before creating the well in the middle of each cookie.
So glad you loved the cookies! It does help to roll the balls of cookie dough first, then make the well in the center.
I made these following the recipe but used gluten free flour. They turned out amazing!! Definitely a recipe I’ll be using over and over again!! ?
These truly are the best cookies I have ever had I have used this recipe so many times They truly add a holiday look and taste at Christmas I add one teaspoon of Almond extract My family goes crazy for them along with the vanilla . I have never had any fail yet and I do not wait for butter to get room temp I cut my butter into slices in my mixing bowl Everything comes together perfect ! I add my flour with the paddle Perfect every time I put flour in measuring cup just tap it on the counter I just made some delivering to my friend and My grand kids .