Description
These Cinnamon Toast Crunch Thumbprint Cookies with Vanilla Glaze are irresistibly buttery, tender, and bursting with warm cinnamon sugar flavor! Made with a delicate homemade shortbread dough, rich egg yolks, creamy butter, and pure vanilla extract, these delightful cookies feature lightly golden edges and wonderfully melt-in-your-mouth centers. Each cookie is rolled in fragrant cinnamon sugar, baked until perfectly tender, and filled with a luscious spoonful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cinnamon spread. A beautiful drizzle of sweet vanilla glaze adds the perfect finishing touch, creating an irresistible combination of buttery shortbread, creamy cinnamon filling, and smooth icing. Perfect for Christmas cookie trays, holiday baking, homemade gifts, afternoon tea, dessert parties, or enjoying with a warm cup of coffee, these cinnamon thumbprint cookies are a delicious bakery-style treat!
Ingrédients
Scale
- For the Shortbread Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (approximately 65°F–68°F / 18°C–20°C)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- For the Cinnamon Center and Vanilla Glaze:
- 3/4 cup (200 g) Cinnamon Toast Crunch cinnamon spread or rich cinnamon butter spread
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Granulated Sugar: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 cup (226 g) of softened unsalted butter and 1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, pale, and creamy. The butter should be softened to approximately 65°F–68°F (18°C–20°C), but not melted or greasy.
- Incorporate Egg Yolks and Vanilla Extract: Add the 2 large room-temperature egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed until the egg yolks are fully incorporated and the mixture becomes smooth, rich, and evenly emulsified. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Incorporate All-Purpose Flour and Salt: Gradually add 2 cups (240 g) of all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt to the butter mixture. Mix gently on low speed just until the dry ingredients are incorporated and a soft, cohesive shortbread dough forms. Avoid overmixing to preserve the delicate, tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the finished cookies.
- Chill the Shortbread Cookie Dough: Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the prepared cookie dough for 20 minutes. This essential chilling period firms up the butter and helps prevent the cookies from spreading excessively or losing their thumbprint shape during baking.
- Prepare the Cinnamon Sugar Coating: In a shallow bowl, combine 1/4 cup (50 g) of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Whisk or stir thoroughly until the cinnamon is evenly distributed throughout the sugar, creating a fragrant coating for the shortbread cookie dough balls.
- Preheat Oven, Portion, and Coat the Dough: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the chilled shortbread dough from the refrigerator. Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon, divide the dough into approximately 20 g portions and roll each portion between clean palms to form a smooth ball about 1 inch in diameter. Roll each ball generously in the prepared cinnamon sugar mixture until completely coated. Arrange the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Create the Thumbprint Indentations: Using your thumb or the rounded back of a 1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon, gently press an indentation into the center of each cinnamon sugar-coated dough ball. Make each well deep enough to hold the cinnamon filling while leaving the bottom of the cookie intact. Take care not to press all the way through the dough or flatten the cookies excessively.
- Bake Until Lightly Golden and Set: Place the prepared thumbprint cookies in the preheated oven and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges become lightly golden and the centers are set. The cookies should remain pale and tender rather than deeply browned. If the thumbprint wells puff up or lose some depth during baking, gently press the centers back down with the rounded back of a spoon immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, while they are still warm and soft.
- Fill with Cinnamon Spread, Glaze, and Serve: Allow the baked cookies to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before adding the filling. Once cooled, spoon approximately 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cinnamon spread or rich cinnamon butter spread into the center of each thumbprint well. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup (120 g) of sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of whole milk, and 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually add the remaining tablespoon of milk if necessary to achieve a thick but pourable drizzling consistency. Drizzle the vanilla glaze decoratively over the filled cookies and allow it to set for approximately 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy their delicate buttery shortbread texture, fragrant cinnamon sugar coating, creamy cinnamon centers, and beautifully sweet vanilla glaze!
Notes
- Re-Press Warm Thumbprint Indentations: If the cookie centers puff up or the thumbprint wells become shallow during baking, gently press the indentations back down using the rounded back of a teaspoon immediately after removing the cookies from the oven. The warm shortbread is still soft enough to reshape without cracking excessively, creating perfectly defined wells for the cinnamon filling.
- Cool Cookies Completely Before Filling: Allow the baked shortbread thumbprint cookies to reach room temperature before spooning the cinnamon spread into the centers. Adding the spread while the cookies are still warm can cause its fats to melt, making the filling runny and allowing it to spill over the edges instead of staying neatly inside the thumbprint wells.
- Use Softened but Not Greasy Butter: The unsalted butter should be softened enough to yield gently to finger pressure while remaining slightly cool, approximately 65°F (18°C). Avoid using melted, greasy, or overly warm butter, as it can cause the thumbprint cookies to spread excessively and lose their beautifully rounded shape during baking.
- Temps de préparation: 25 minutes
- Temps de cuisson: 12 minutes
- Catégorie: Dessert
- Méthode: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Portion: 1 cookie
- Calories: 175
- Sucre: 15g
- Sodium: 30mg
- Graisse: 9g
- Graisse saturée: 5g
- Graisses insaturées: 3g
- Gras trans: 0g
- Glucides: 23g
- Fibres: 0g
- Protéine: 2g
- Cholestérol: 30mg