Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
A buttery shortbread cookie with a puddle of fruity jam? Yes, please! Thumbprint Cookies are a classic for good reason—they are festive, easy, and oh so tasty.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 157kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream together 1 cup unsalted butter and ¾ cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 egg, and mix until combined.
- Add in 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt to the creamed butter mixture in two additions, mixing well until combined.
- Fill a small saucer with granulated sugar. Form the dough into 1 tablespoon balls using a cookie scoop or your hands. Roll in the sugar, and then place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies about an inch apart.
- Using your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Place the cookies in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to chill.
- When the dough is chilled, fill the indentation with about ½ teaspoon of your preferred flavor of jam. Don’t overfill the indentation, or your jam might run out in the oven.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies just begin to turn slightly sandy brown. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire baking rack to finish cooling.
Video
Notes
- Thumbprint cookies are really not the time to make large cookies–smaller is better to get the right ratio of crumbly cookie to soft jam. Stick to one tablespoon of dough per cookie.
- Any jam will do the trick here! Some of our favorites are Mixed Berry Jam, Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, Peach Jam, Apricot Jam, and Raspberry Jam.
- Jam isn’t the only thing you can put in thumbprint cookies! Lemon curd and chocolate-hazelnut spread are both delicious.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 103mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 246IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
