These classic thumbprint cookies are made with a simple sugar cookie dough, rolled in sparkling sugar, and then indented and filled with your choice of jam! These are an all-time favorite cookie recipe, and the filling options are absolutely endless!
We had our first snow here this past weekend! It was a light snow that’s pretty much all melted away by now, but Saturday (which also happened to be my birthday) was beautiful. It was so cozy in my kitchen with the glow from the Christmas tree and Christmas music playing, and to top everything off I had a batch of these thumbprint cookies baking in the oven, which I shared that evening when my family came over.
Even though the birthday cake that Zach made me was the dessert star of the show, I also had these thumbprint cookies out for a bite-sized treat option (because you can’t have too many desserts), and everyone loved them. Even Andi liked them, though she only ate the edges of the cookies and wouldn’t eat the jam filling because of seeds (I’d think that was ridiculous if I wasn’t exactly the same way at her age).
These thumbprint cookies are easy to make and the taste is incredible — they have soft, sweet interiors, sugared exteriors (though you can leave off the sugar if you’d like) and jam filled centers. Let’s get started on how to make the perfect thumbprint cookies.
Tips for perfect thumbprint cookies:
- For perfectly soft cookies that don’t spread: Whenever possible, I recommend using a scale to measure out your ingredients. It is so, so easy to over-measure or under-measure flour when using cups, causing your cookies to be too hard or to spread when they shouldn’t. If you don’t have a scale already, here is the one that I use in my own kitchen (affiliate link), it’s inexpensive and accurate and I can’t even bake without it anymore.
- For thumbprints that don’t crack: This dough is firm enough that you should be able to roll it into balls right after mixing it together (no chilling). Roll the balls between your hands until they are really, really smooth and there are no lines or cracks in the dough. Roll the cookie dough in sugar (optional) and then gently use your thumb or a teaspoon to slowly press an indent into the cookie. If you see the dough starting to crack anyway, you can usually press the dough back together successfully!
- Thumbprint Cookie Filling: I know that not all recipes do this, but I recommend adding the jam/preserves (you can use either) before baking the cookies. If the jam is too firm and isn’t easy to drop into the cookies, then place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave for just a few seconds, just until it is easy to stir (you don’t want the jam to be hot, just more fluid and cooperative).
- Another tip to prevent spreading: This is a good rule of thumb for just about every cookie recipe. Never place your cookies on a hot cookie sheet. Make sure your cookie sheet has cooled completely before placing your next batch of cookies, otherwise they’ll start melting before they can start baking, and they’re much more likely to spread.
I used raspberry preserves in this recipe and really loved the way that the slightly tart raspberry flavor melded with the sweet sugar cookie bases. You can use any variety of jam or preserves that you prefer, though, I know that apricot and strawberry are popular options. You can also definitely opt for a seedless option, I liked the texture of the raspberry seeds (something my 12 year old self would be in utter shock to hear), but know that not everyone does!
As I mentioned above, I really recommend adding the jam before baking the cookies, but if you forget you can add it afterwards (you’ll need to re-indent the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven with a rounded teaspoon if you wait). As the cookies cool the jam will settle and firm up, and while it’ll remain slightly tacky even when cooled, they’re still firm enough that I stacked these thumbprint cookies on a platter to serve them over the weekend.
Enjoy, and I’d love to know what your favorite filling is!
If you like thumbprint cookies, make sure to check out my bourbon-infused chocolate version, my peanut butter and chocolate version, and my key-lime version!
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup (70 g) sugar
- ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup (280 g) all purpose flour
- 2 teaspooons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar for rolling (optional)
- ⅓ cup (105 g) jam or preserves flavor of your choice -- I used raspberry preserves for this recipe
Instructions
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (you may instead use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer) and beat until creamy.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add sugars, and beat, gradually increasing mixer speed to medium-high until ingredients are well-combined (about 30-60 seconds).⅓ cup (70 g) sugar, ⅓ cup (70 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat well.1 large egg yolk, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt.2 ¼ cup (280 g) all purpose flour, 2 teaspooons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt
- With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients until completely combined. This dough will seem very dry and crumbly, so be sure to pause occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. If it starts to strain your mixer you can use your hands to finish working the dough together.
- Scoop cookie dough into 1 Tablespoon-sized balls and roll very well (so that the dough is round and there are no cracks/seams in the cookie dough -- this will help keep your thumbprints from cracking).
- Roll in granulated sugar (if using) and place on a wax-paper covered plate or small cookie sheet. Use your thumb or the rounded back of a teaspoon to gently press an indent in the center of the cookie dough. Repeat until all of the dough has been used.½ cup sugar
- Transfer cookie dough to freezer and chill for 30 minutes.
- Once dough is done chilling, preheat oven to 375F (190C) and place your jam in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat briefly (about 5-10 seconds) or until jam is not hot but is no longer firm and is easy to stir.⅓ cup (105 g) jam or preserves
- Spoon jam into each thumbprint, filling each indent to the brim.
- Once oven is preheated, place cookies at least 2" apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake on 375F (190C) for 11 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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nancy Johnson
delicious
Christine J
I made these several times and they always get rave reviews I don’t worry about the cracks and I used my home made strawberry jam and they are amazing ! Also I feel like the rolling in sugar is optional but the dough is dry! Also I put my trays outside to cool and I feel like this is very important!!!
Marissa
Can I leave my dough overnight in the fridge or will it ruin the cookies texture!
Sam
Hi Marissa! That will work just fine. 🙂
Christine
My dough came out very wet. I did weigh all the ingredients. And I doubled the recipe. I’m rolling the dough and it is sticking to my hands. How do I fix this? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Christine! If no substitutions were made all I can guess is that something was mis-measured when doubling. You could try adding more flour. I hope this helps. 🙂
Jo
Beautiful end wonderfully tasty cookies! I followed the recipe exactly although I did keep them in for an extra 90 seconds.
Wesley
Perfect thumbprint recipe. Dangerously delicious and a beautiful addition to my Christmas cookie tray. Thank you for bringing it to us!
K W
Great taste and texture but I added an extra egg. I simply could not get the dough to not crack using only one egg yolk. Other than that- fantastic.
Martie Saks
Hi Sam!
Your thumbprint cookies are so “sinfully” delicious they almost caused a rift in my happy home…🤣
I made my first batch two weekends ago as a gift to neighbors and made a huge mistake by not doubling the recipe. After one bite, my husband who normally avoids sweets begged me to save all those wonderful morsels for him – and they were already promised – Yikes!!! One of my cookie recipients said she ate seven cookies in less than 8 minutes!! Yes, THAT GOOD!!! 😊
So today I am making another batch and gifting a few more neighbors. I’m not taking any chances though. I’m doubling the recipe so these delectable goodies can make it out the door intact.😁
The two different fruit preserves I used last batch were such a hit, I am definitely using them again. ‘Stonewall Kitchen’s’ Apricot Cherry Jam and ‘Scandinavian Delights’ Raspberry Rhubarb can be found at TJ Maxx/ Home Goods. They added the perfect tartness to balance the sweet of the cookie. ( We liked the Apricot Cherry Jam slightly better, as it was a bit more tart, but both were amazing)!
For those who had trouble with dryness, I did not weigh my flour. I did spoon, rather than dip, the flour into (dry weight) 1 cup and 1/4 cup measuring cups. I then used a bread knife to level off the flour at the edge of each measuring container to reach 2- 1/4 cups. Hope that helps.
Sam, your cookies are just wonderful! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes – Thank you so much for sharing!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Martie! I think 8 minutes is even faster than my husband eats them and that’s pretty impressive! 🙂
Camille
The recipe says 1 cup of butter but the video uses two sticks, which is 1/2 cup
Sam
Hi Camille! The written recipe is correct. 🙂
Stacy
So good! I used more jam but I didn’t roll in sugar. Love these! Thank you❤
Lindsey
I can’t make enough of these! Once they cool my boyfriend eats them up and asks for another batch. They are so good!! Thank you for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Lindsey! 🙂
Roza R
These turned out wonderfully. Flavor and texture is just perfect. I didn’t have an issue with them being crumbly. I weighed all my items and found the dough on the stickier side. Only suggestion I have is if you’re not pre-filling these (I did with the jam ones but didn’t for the ones with ganache and caramel). Bake the dough as a ball and do the indent after baking. If you add the “thumbprint” prior to baking they spread too much.
Suzanne
These cookies are so good and so soft we loved them! Glad we found this recipe.
Ellynn
I made these tonight for the first time. I followed all of the directions exactly as written and although they taste amazing, they did not keep their shape. (They spread and look more like thin cookies with jam in the center) I have made Peanut butter cookies with the chocolate kiss in the center which have the same shape and they have come out fine. Any idea what might have happened?
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened, Ellynn! A few things might cause this. If your butter is too soft when you start or you may have needed just a touch more flour in the dough. 🙁
Patricia
I’m kinda disappointed in these. I doubled the recipe and they were crumbling as I was rolling them. Not sure what went wrong but they are all cracked. I doubled checked the recipe and I didn’t miss anything.
Sam
Hi Patricia! Did you weigh your flour? If not it can be easy to overmeasure flour and that would cause dry crumbly dough. 🙁
Autumn
Cookies taste amazing! The only problem is 11 minutes isn’t enough to cook them. Any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Autumn! Your dough balls may be slightly bigger than mine or your oven temperature may be slightly off, but as long as they still turned out that’s the important thing. 🙂
Joeann Frank
Excellent