Thumbprint Cookies (Raspberry Almond Flavored)

Amazing raspberry-filled and almond-flavored shortbread Thumbprint Cookies are irresistibly good and perfect for a holiday cookie platter! Plus, I’m sharing all my secrets to making these cookies the best — from what jam to use, to when to chill them, and rolling the cookies in sugar before baking.

If you’re assembling a cookie platter, you’ll want to make sure these thumbprint cookies are accompanied by these Snickerdoodle Cookies, these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and these Peanut Butter Cookies.

Thumbprint Cookies

A few months ago, I showcased a few recipes at a local department store’s grand opening. After brainstorming for a bit, I decided on these Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies, along with this Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Ball. I worked on these cookies incessantly in the weeks leading up to the event to make sure they were perfect!

While we made plenty of the cheese ball – and it was quite a hit – we did not account for how crazy people would go over these cookies. Within 10 minutes, all 300 hundred of these cookies were devoured. People kept coming back after hearing about them from others and were devastated to hear they’d missed them.

Needless to say, these really are the BEST Thumbprint Cookies. The raspberry and almond combo are unparalleled and are sure to be a huge hit at your next get-together.

These jelly Thumbprint Cookies are super easy to make! Read on for a quick process breakdown.

How do you make jelly cookies?

• Start by beating room-temperature butter and sugar together. It’s very important the butter is at room temperature and not melted. Here’s why.
• Next add in the baking extracts (SO much flavor!), cornstarch, and salt. The cornstarch is going to keep these cookies super soft.
• Finally, add in the flour. You want to make sure you don’t overmix once you add in the flour– that will result in dense cookies.
• Most shortbread recipes call for chilling next, but I’ve found it’s best to shape the cookies while the dough is easy to work with! Measure your cookie balls, roll in sugar (optional), form the indent in the center, and THEN they’re ready to chill!
• After the cookies are chilled, you can add in that jelly center and bake!

Read on for tips to make these cookies the very best.

Top TIPS for Thumbprint Cookies:

• Use the right kind of jam: The jam is the burst of flavor that sets these cookies apart. You can use any flavor of jam you’d like (strawberry, mixed berry, blueberry, peach, etc.). I like raspberry because it complements the almond flavor of the cookies. Once you have your jam, make sure it’s  SEEDLESS jam to keep the focus on the delicious cookies and not those pesky seeds.
• Two kinds of extracts: Vanilla extract is usually a given for cookies, but these cookies also have almond extract. These two extracts combine to amplify the cookie’s flavor.
• Roll the dough in granulated sugar: Before chilling, I like to roll the cookies in sugar. Not only does it make these even prettier, but it also adds another element of flavor, sweetness, and improves the texture.
• Chilled dough: Chill the dough for a bit before baking; this allows all of the ingredients and flavors to meld. Just like marinating meat before you cook it makes it more flavorful, it’s the same with these cookies. It allows the flavors to combine and get more flavorful. For these cookies, I actually found shaping the cookies first and THEN chilling the shaped cookies worked best. While they’re soft and un-chilled, they shape a lot easier and crack a lot less than when the dough is cold. So shape, cover, and chill! Since we’re chilling them without the jam in them, I then also like to chill for another 10 minutes or so after filling these cookies with jam. You want the cookies very cold and firm before going into the oven.
• Thoroughly beat the butter and sugar: Butter gives these cookies body, texture, and flavor. By beating it with the sugars at the start, you’re fluffing the butter with air, and that gives these cookies that perfect foundation for a great texture. (Margarine won’t cut it for these!)

More Cookie Recipes:

• The BEST Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Toffee Pecan Chocolate-Chip Cookies
• Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
• Edible Cookie Dough

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Thumbprint Cookies

5 from 3 votes

- Review this recipe

Amazing raspberry-filled and almond-flavored shortbread Thumbprint Cookies are irresistibly good and perfect for a holiday cookie platter! Plus, I'm sharing all my secrets to making these cookies the best -- from what jam to use, to when to chill them, and rolling the cookies in sugar before baking.

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

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Thumbprint Cookies

5 from 3 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Amazing raspberry-filled and almond-flavored shortbread Thumbprint Cookies are irresistibly good and perfect for a holiday cookie platter! Plus, I'm sharing all my secrets to making these cookies the best -- from what jam to use, to when to chill them, and rolling the cookies in sugar before baking.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword thumbprint cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Chilling Dough 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 28 minutes minutes

Servings 35 -37 cookies

Calories 152kcal

Author Chelsea, adapted from Land O Lakes

Ingredients

Cookies

• ▢ 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract, optional -- Note 1
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour (Note 2)
• ▢ 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (or your favorite variety of jam)
• ▢ 1/3 cup white granulated sugar, for rolling cookies in

Glaze

• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (or 2 tablespoons whole milk)
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract, optional
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

• COOKIES: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the room-temperature (NOT melted or softened at all) butter and white sugar. Beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides as needed. Add the almond extract if using, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and salt and mix until combined. Add flour to the bowl. Beat together at low speed, scraping bowl as needed, until all ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix the dough.
• SHAPE & CHILL COOKIES: Shape the cookies into small balls -- the size of 1 tablespoon (use a tablespoon measuring spoon to form and measure balls) and then roll the cookie dough balls in the 1/3 cup granulated sugar until generously coated. Next, gently indent the center of each cookie dough ball with your finger. Place these cookies 2 inches apart on a Silpat or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (or freeze for 30 minutes). Remove from the fridge and add seedless jam to fill (but not overfill) the centers of all the cookies. Return the cookies to the fridge for 10 more minutes.
• BAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly browned under-neath and the tops are no longer glossy. Slightly underbake for soft and delicious shortbread cookies.
• GLAZE: Remove cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. (Add heavy whipping cream or milk until you've reached your desired consistency; I like the glaze on the thicker side).
• DRIZZLE ON GLAZE: Drizzle the glaze over the cookies (either drizzle with a spoon or transfer the glaze to a plastic bag and cut off the tip to pipe). Allow the glaze to set. Cookies are best enjoyed within 3-4 days; store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Almond Extract: You can leave out the almond extract entirely, if desired. Almond extracts do differ greatly based on brand, so if you have a strong almond extract you may want to add only a drop or 2.

Note 2: Flour: This is the measurement that differs most person to person--if you have a food scale I highly recommend using it for this measurement. 315 grams of flour is perfect in these cookies!

Nutrition information is calculated using seedless raspberry jam. Other varieties of jam may change the statistics.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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