Description
These Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies are buttery, tender, and filled with sweet, fruity raspberry jam. Made with a delicate vanilla-almond shortbread dough, they have soft, melt-in-your-mouth centers and lightly golden edges. Finished with a beautiful drizzle of sweet icing, these classic homemade thumbprint cookies are perfect for holiday baking, cookie exchanges, and special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cookie Dough Base:
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (160 g) raspberry jam
- For the Drizzle Icing:
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1–2 tbsp whole milk
Instructions
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar, pure vanilla extract, and pure almond extract, beating on medium speed until pale and thoroughly combined.
- Incorporate Salt and Flour: Add the salt and all-purpose flour to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed just until the crumbly dough gathers together into a cohesive, workable shortbread ball.
- Shape Balls and Press Indentations: Roll tablespoon-sized portions (~20 g each) of dough into smooth balls. Press a small hollow or well into the center of each ball using your thumb or the back of a round 1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon. Smooth out any small edge cracks with your fingertips.
- Refrigerate Shaped Cookies for 4 Hours: Arrange the shaped dough balls on parchment-lined trays, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until thoroughly cold and firm.
- Preheat Oven and Space Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Space the chilled dough portions 2 to 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
- Fill Indentations with Raspberry Jam: Spoon a scant 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry jam into the center well of each chilled cookie ball. Keep any unbaked cookies cold in the refrigerator between baking batches.
- Bake Until Barely Golden: Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 13–15 minutes, or until the bottom edges are barely light golden brown while the cookie bodies remain pale and soft.
- Cool and Finish with Glaze: Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Stir the sifted powdered sugar and 1–2 tablespoons of whole milk together until a smooth drizzle forms, then spoon over the cooled cookies and let set before serving.
Notes
- Do Not Skip the 4-Hour Chill: Shortbread dough contains high proportions of butter. Chilling the pre-shaped thumbprint cookies for 4 full hours prevents them from spreading flat and losing their jam wells in the oven.
- Smooth Out Edge Cracks: When you press your thumb or spoon into the dough balls, gently smooth out any cracks along the perimeter using your fingers before chilling so the wells hold jam neatly without leaking.
- Keep Unbaked Batches Cold: Never leave unbaked cookies sitting at room temperature while waiting for the first tray to bake. Keep unbaked pans in the refrigerator until the moment they go into the oven.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 20mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg