Description
Thumbprint cookies are a melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookie with a fruity, jam-y center. They are perfect for holiday baking.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temp
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks, room temp
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
dry ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons coconut flour
Sugar coating
- 2.5 tablespoons granulated sugar
jam filling
- 1/3 cup jam, or fruit preserves, of choice (see notes)
Instructions
- Prepare: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Depending on how large your baking sheet is you may need 2 baking sheets.
- Cream together the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl add the room temp, softened butter and the salt – using an electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, and salt until the butter has broken down. Add the sugars and cream until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and cream together until well combined, then add the vanilla.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium sized mixing bowl add all of the dry ingredients, mix until combine.
- Combine: Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix together with the mixer. Once all the dry ingredients has been added, use a spatula to scrape down the sides and give it a few more mixes.
- Roll into balls: Measure out 1 tablespoon of dough (I like to use a cookie scoop), and roll it between your hands. Then, roll it in the granulated sugar and place it onto the lined baking sheet. Note: if the dough is too sticky, pop the dough in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before rolling the balls. Repeat, forming the balls until all the dough has been used. Use the back of 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to gently press indents into each dough ball. You can use your thumb, hence the name thumbprint cookies, but for a more even look, I like to use a teaspoon.
- Freeze: Transfer the cookie dough to the freezer for 1 hour. I know this is kind of annoying, but it’s essential to get a cookie that holds the jam nicely and doesn’t spread too much.
- Preheat the oven: About 15 minutes before the hour freeze time is over, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare your jam: (See notes for flavor options, and more tips). At this time, you can prepare your jam. To do this, you want to warm the jam slightly in the microwave so that it’s more pourable. If there are any large fruit chunks you will want to strain them through so you are left with a nice smooth jam. I just stir the chunks of fruit back into whatever is remaining in the jar. Make sure the jam isn’t steaming hot, it can be slightly warm, but not hot. The goal is to make it just runny enough to pour into the cavities of the cookies.
- Fill the cookies: Once the oven is pre-heated, and the jam is ready to go you can fill the cookies. Use a small spoon to carefully place about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam into each cavity of the cookie – you don’t want it to be filled higher than the cavity. You want to leave about an inch of space between each cookie, they will expand – so use two cookie sheets, if needed.
- Bake: Bake the cookies immediately after they are filled. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn golden brown.
- Cool: Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy: Enjoy the cookies once they are cooled.
- To store: I found the cookies too sticky to stack them, so I sorted them in an extra large Tupperware container, in a single layer, that’s lined with a paper towel to collect any moisture. Or you can line baking sheet with paper towel and cover the cookies with foil. Store them at room temp. They will last for up to 5 days.
Notes
Jam/fruit preserves flavor options: The original thumbprint cookie is made using raspberry jam. However, you can use any flavor you like. I also used apricot in these photos. And, we also tried blueberry. You could use strawberry, peach, cherry…literally any flavor of jam, or fruit preserves, you like.
Jam/fruit preserves tips: You can strain out any seeds, or large chunks of fruit. I found that the raspberry jam worked better when I left the seeds in, which we didn’t mind. So, if you’re using raspberry, or another jam that’s really seedy, then I recommend leaving the seeds in. I think it worked better with the seeds in, because the jam was too thin without them.
Some of the methods for the recipe are adapted from Sugar Spun Run’s recipe for thumbprint cookies.
