These quick-baked thumbprint cookies can be made in about 30 minutes. They have a soft and buttery dough, are rolled in a sparkly sugar, and then filled with your choice of jam. Thumbprint cookies can be made fresh, or the dough can be prepared and frozen ahead of time.
Hi hi! I am just popping in to share this Thumbprint Cookie recipe! These little guys are soft and buttery, and are super easy to make - with no chill time, you can have them in the oven in about 15 minutes.
Thumbprints are a classic holiday cookie, but I truly think that they are perfect year round. I made mine as raspberry thumbprint cookies, but you can absolutely mix it up and use whatever jam you like in the middles.
The great thing about this dough recipe is that not only is it super easy, but you can use the exact same dough to make my snowball cookie recipe if you're after a double duty recipe!
These raspberry thumbprints are great baked fresh, but the dough can also be frozen ahead of time if you like.
Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
These Raspberry Jam Thumbprint cookies (in some countries they are also called Jam Drops) fall in the category of 'super easy but look really fancy', which is one of my favourites. They have a delicious buttery dough, are rolled in granulated sugar after scooping for a nice crunchy finish, and then are filled with raspberry jam.
When they are baked, they sink down in the oven to give a super delicate but delicious shortbread based cookie, and the jam gets deliciously gooey. I made them a ton of times when I was recipe testing and they went down a treat every time.
This thumbprint cookie recipe makes 24 cookies, which all fit on one baking sheet (which is to me, super handy), and is the perfect amount to keep some for yourself or share with friends. The recipe also doubles or scales super well as needed.
Ingredients in Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
The dough I used for these Raspberry Thumbprint cookies is quite similar to my super easy shortbread cookie dough, but just with a few tweaks made to make it softer and easier to shape into balls that will sink down in the oven.
It is really important to make sure that your butter is properly room temperature. This thumbprint cookie recipe does not have any leavening (baking powder or soda), so relies on the aeration from creaming together the butter and sugar for lift.
- Butter. This is the main flavour in the cookie, so if you can, this is the time to use a good quality butter.
- Powdered Sugar. Also called icing sugar or 10x depending on where you live. You can sift it if you like but you're beating the butter and sugar together for so long, if you hate sifting it like me, you can just add it in straight from the container.
- Vanilla. Either vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract works. I like to add it in with the butter and sugar to really help get the flavour well incorporated into the shortbread dough.
- Flour. All-purpose is good, also called plain flour some places. You want to avoid using high grade / bread flour as the protein content is too high.
- Custard Powder. As with most shortbread recipes, I use a starch in these raspberry thumbprint cookies to help give a super soft, tender dough. I use Custard powder in mine, but you can also use corn starch.
- Salt. If you use salted butter, you can omit the salt. The reason I call for unsalted butter in my recipes is because I have an international audience and the saltiness of butter varies a lot!
- Granulated Sugar. This is for rolling the cookies in. You can use whatever you like here - sprinkles, sanding sugar, coarse sugar, have a play around.
- Jam. I used raspberry jam to make these raspberry thumbprint cookies.
This is an egg free recipe too if that is something that is important to you, so great if you are making egg free holiday cookie recipes.
What is the best Jam to use for Jam thumbprint cookies?
I used a raspberry jam, but you can use whatever jam you like! They would be delicious as a jam thumbprint with apricot jam, strawberry, rhubarb (would be super good to balance out the sweetness), anything works! They are a great way to use up any bits and pieces of jam you may have that needs using up.
What is Custard Powder and what can I use instead?
Custard Powder is to me, a super nostalgic ingredient. It is corn starch (cornflour if you're from outside the US) based, and also has some flavours and colours in it. It is what we use to make 'instant' custard, although now I choose to use it in the place of corn starch for some recipes as it gives just a hint of nostalgic flavour.
If you can't find custard powder in your supermarket I also tested this recipe with cornstarch / cornflour and it works just great, it is just an option if you do have it! Please do not use instant pudding powder - they are not the same thing.
For more recipes using custard powder, check out my Custard Square, Chelsea Buns and Squiggle Slice. Nanaimo Bars are also a classic dessert that uses custard powder to flavour!
How to do you store Thumbprint Cookies?
Thumbprint cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. I have not tried freezing the baked cookie but I would worry that it would go weird and soggy from the jam. There are notes further down the post on how to freeze thumbprint cookies!
How to shape Thumbprint Cookies
These thumbprint cookies are super easy to make - there are a few steps in shaping them but once you get going with them they don't take too long to make. They are a great cookie for kids to help make!
- Scoop dough. I use a 1 Tbsp / #60 cookie scoop, or you can weigh out 18g balls of dough. Scoop out and place on the prepared tray.
- Roll. I like to roll each ball of the cookie dough between my hands to just give a smooth outside of the cookie. At this stage, you could bake half the dough balls into snowball cookies if you want - just follow the instructions on the snowballs post.
- Roll in sugar. I like to roll my cookies in granulated sugar and usually use a slightly bigger bowl than the one pictured so that I can roll a few at a time in the sugar. You can use whatever kind of sugar you like here - I prefer a slightly coarser granulated sugar.
- Flatten. Place each ball of dough onto the baking sheet and flatten gently with your fingers - you are looking to make a fat hockey puck shape. If you want, at this point you can use a cookie cutter slightly larger than the piece of dough to 'scoot' it into a perfectly round shape but this is very much optional.
- Add the indentation. I use a teaspoon sized measuring spoon that has a rounded bottom on it to form the indentation in my thumbprint cookies. You can use your finger if you like, but I found that using something rounded helped to stop the jam from leaking out if it was nice and even. A melon baller or something else round like the end of a handle of a rolling pin or something similar would work well too. Press gently to make the indentation. If it is sticking, dip it in the sugar.
- Add the jam. I find that the easiest way to do this is to just use a teaspoon, however if you are making loads of these then a piping bag may be easier, especially if your jam is nice and smooth and the seeds won't get stuck in the piping bag. Fill up to the edges of the indentation. Some people add the jam after baking - I haven't tried it that way.
How to tell when Thumbprint Cookies are baked.
A great thing about this thumbprint cookie recipe is that it can be ready super quickly - the dough is soft but not so soft that it needs to be chilled before baking.
When you bake the cookies they will spread slightly and the jam will become a thin puddle and thicken up. You don't want to bake them until they are super golden (Unless you like them like that), you want to bake them until they are just starting to get some colour on them.
For me, this takes 13-14 minutes in a 325°f / 165°c oven - conventional, not fan.
The thumbprint cookies are done when they are set around the edges and the jam looks as if it has spread out and thickened. They will just be starting to turn golden. They will continue to finish baking once you remove them from the oven too - they can be a little delicate until they are set so I like to leave them to cool fully on the pan.
Butter leaking from cookies partway through cooking!?
If you have a little peek in the oven halfway through cooking it may look as if the butter is all leaking out of the cookies. This catches me out almost every time and don't worry - just leave them to continue baking and the cookies absorb the butter again.
Recipe testing for Thumbprint Cookies
The dough for these raspberry thumbprint cookies is based off of my shortbread cookies, however I played around with it to get a softer, more buttery dough that can easily be shaped into balls - it works great for these and also makes amazing snowball cookies.
When I was testing this recipe, I thought I had it fully nailed, then made it just one more time to quadruple check. I noticed that the dough was cracking slightly when I pressed the cookie down to make the indentation for the jam.
Some people don't mind this, but I prefer them to be nice and smooth, so I played around a little with butter ratios etc until I got it right - the difference between the top and bottom cookie in the image below is only 10 grams of butter. It is just enough to make the dough ever so slightly more soft, which means that it doesn't crack when pressed down.
Butter temperature makes a difference here too - if you have made the recipe by weight and you find that it is cracking a little, your butter may have been a little cold when starting the recipe. They will still taste amazing!
Can Thumbprint Cookies be made ahead of time?
Thumbprint cookies store super well - I keep mine in an airtight container for up to a week, however they are definitely a little better the first few days that you make them.
I have not tried making the dough a few hours ahead and chilling it but seeing as I tested making it and freezing it and baking from frozen, chilling it shouldn't be an issue. If you wanted to make these ahead of time, shape the cookies up to the step where you add the indentation, then store in the fridge for a few hours or until you are ready to bake. When you are ready to bake, add the jam and bake as directed.
Can Thumbprint Cookies be frozen?
Yes, they can! I tested this and while they don't freeze quite as well as the snowball cookies (where you can't really tell that they have been frozen), it does work. I would recommend making these fresh if you can, however I did not test freezing the dough in balls then defrosting and shaping and baking, so that might also be an option (I will update if / when I test this). Please do know though that if you choose to do this, they may not come out looking like they have been baked fresh.
The best way to freeze thumbprint cookies is to freeze them unfilled. Shape the dough into cookies, then place onto a parchment lined sheet pan and either chill or freeze until solid. Once they are solid you can transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge until you are ready to bake.
I tested both rolling in sugar before freezing and afterward, and both work. I did find that with both these versions the sugar gets a little more crackly in the oven and the jam does tend to spread a little more.
To bake thumbprint cookies from frozen, arrange the frozen cookies on a sheet pan. If you have not yet rolled them in sugar, do so now - it should stick fine.
Add the jam and bake as directed. I did find that I needed to add 1-2 minutes extra onto the baking time for the cookies.
For more tips and tricks on how to prepare cookie dough and which cookies are best for freezing and making ahead check out my post: how to freeze cookie dough and bake from frozen
Can I scale this recipe?
One of the great things about a shortbread based recipe is that you can scale it however you like, because you aren't working around scaling an egg in the recipe.
You can scale this recipe however you like - the recipe makes 24 cookies, so feel free to scale by 1.5 etc to yield as many as you like.
Grams make this extra easy. As always, grams for the win.
One Dough, two cookie recipes
The main thing I was super excited about when developing this raspberry thumbprint recipe is that you can use the same dough, scooped out to the same sized balls, to make my super easy snowball cookies.
The dough is super buttery, so when rolled into balls and bakes it sinks down slightly into perfect mounds, which you then roll in powdered sugar for super delicious snowball cookies.
The cookies both bake at the same temperature, so you can easily double the recipe to make one dough that makes two cookies that are both super special in their own way, but quite different.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page
Can I add an icing to my Thumbprint Cookies?
Yes - my 2 ingredient sugar cookie icing would work perfectly here! Just mix it up and drizzle it over the cookies.
Can these be made gluten free / dairy free?
I haven't tested it sorry so I don't know. They are naturally egg free though!
What cookie scoop did you use?
I used a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop to scoop out these cookies. However if you don't have one, you can make them by weighing out 18g balls of dough.
For more Holiday Cookie recipes, check out:
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Soft and Buttery Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Author: Erin Clarkson
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Prep Time: 15 Minutes -
Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Total Time: 30 minutes
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Yield: 24 servings -
Category: Cookies -
Method: Baking -
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These quick-baked thumbprint cookies can be made in about 30 minutes. They have a soft and buttery dough, are rolled in a sparkly sugar, and then filled with your choice of jam. Thumbprint cookies can be made fresh, or the dough can be prepared and frozen ahead of time.
Ingredients
- 180g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 70g powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 190g all-purpose flour
- 20g custard powder or corn starch
- ¼ tsp salt (use a little less if you are using table salt rather than kosher salt)
- Granulated sugar for rolling
- Raspberry Jam or jam of your choice - I used about 130g for 24 cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°f / 165°c. Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper (I can fit 24 cookies all on one half sheet pan which is 18"x13" /45cm x33cm ).
- In a medium bowl, whip together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the edges of the bowl to ensure it is all well mixed. This step can also be done in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the flour, custard powder, and salt, and mix until combined with the mixer. The dough will be quite soft.
- Using a 1 Tbsp scoop, scoop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. The dough balls will weigh about 18g each.
- Place the granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then roll in the granulated sugar until evenly coated. Place onto the sheet pan, and press down lightly to make it into a hockey puck shape. They do spread a little in the oven so make sure that you leave room for this.
- Using a round teaspoon sized measuring spoon or something with a rounded bottom of a similar size, make indentations in the cookies. If the spoon is sticking, dip it into the sugar first. You can also use your finger if you like but I prefer the uniform shape of something round.
- Fill each cavity you have just created with jam - I do this using a teaspoon and fill almost to the top. You do not want to add too much or your thumbprint cookies can leak in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 13-14 minutes, until they are set around the edges and the jam is almost bubbling (it may not depending on the kind of jam that you use).
- Remove the cookies from the oven and leave to cool completely on the pan - place the pan on a wire rack to ensure that it has enough airflow underneath.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
If you use salted butter you can omit the salt, or just add a pinch.
Powdered sugar is the same thing as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar - they just use different names in different places.
Corn Starch if you are from NZ etc is what we call cornflour.
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