These thumbprint cookies are the ultimate holiday treat! Filled with vibrant pools of apricot and raspberry jam, they're melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
It’s holiday baking season! I can’t think of a better way to kick it off than with these jam thumbprint cookies. Of course I’m biased, but I think this could be the best thumbprint cookie recipe out there. The cookies have a delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture and warm, buttery flavor. They’re rich and delicate, with a pop of brightness from the melty jam. As an added bonus, they’re super easy to make! This thumbprint cookie recipe calls for just 8 ingredients, and there’s a good chance you have all of them on hand already.
Thumbprint Cookie Recipe Ingredients
Ready to bake? Check to make sure you have these ingredients in your pantry first:
- All-purpose flour and almond flour – This combination makes the cookies extra-rich and tender.
- Butter – It adds rich, buttery flavor and gives the cookies a yummy crumbly texture.
- Sugar – For sweetness.
- Vanilla and almond extract – They fill the cookies with warm flavor.
- And sea salt – Don’t skip it! Even though these cookies are sweet, the salt is essential for sharpening their delicious buttery flavor.
- Jam – Choose your favorite flavor of jam, or use a mix. I love to make my thumbprint cookies with apricot and raspberry jam.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Start by whisking together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the vanilla, almond extract, butter, and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add the flour and mix until combined.
Next, shape the cookies. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough, and roll them into balls. Place the balls on two large bakings sheets lined with parchment paper. Use the back of a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indentation in the middle of each cookie. Finally, spoon a little jam into the indentations.
Bake one sheet at a time in a 350° oven until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned. They’ll be fragile when they come out of the oven, so let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Best Thumbprint Cookies Tips
- Plan ahead. This recipe calls for room temperature butter, so when you make it, you’ll need to plan ahead. Remove the butter from the fridge or freezer a few hours before you start baking. Yes, a few hours. Don’t try to speed up the process in the microwave. If you do, there’s a good chance that the butter will start to melt, and your cookies will spread. Trust me, I speak from experience!
- Don’t use your thumb. Maybe it’s just me, but whenever I press these cookies down with my thumb, I end up with funky-looking indentations. In order to get even indentations that can hold a good amount of jam, I like to press them down with the back of a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon instead. It creates a round, wide cavity for the jam, making for prettier and more evenly filled cookies.
- Think about the jam:cookie ratio. There’s nothing sadder than thumbprint cookies with a tiny smidgen of jam inside! When you’re considering the jam:cookie ratio, two things matter: the size of the cookies and the amount of jam. I keep these cookies on the small side, using a rounded tablespoon of dough for each one. Then, I fill them with 1/2 teaspoon jam. That way, there’s plenty of jam for the amount of dough. Yum!
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these thumbprint cookies, try one of these yummy cookie recipes next:
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
- Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Or any of these 21 Best Christmas Cookie Recipes!
Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour,
- 1 cup almond flour,
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup raspberry and/or apricot jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract until fluffy. Gradually add the flour and mix until combined.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough, roll into balls, and place on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press down to form disks and use your thumb, or the back of a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon, to make an indentation in the middle of the cookies. Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam onto each cookie.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Maybe I’m just still tired. lol but I cannot find the ratio of the almond flour and regular flour… haha Can you help me please? Thank you!
Hi Ira, if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the post, there’s a recipe card with all of the measurements. Hope that helps!
Can I use Lemon Curd instead of jam for this recipe?
Hi Hannah, I think that would work fine.
Has anyone used olive oil versus butter?
Hi Claudia, we haven’t tested olive oil here. I’m not sure how it would work!
Made these tonight and loved them! I used cashew flour instead of almond flour and maple extract instead of almond extract because it’s what I had and they were delicious. Definitely making again
Sounds delicious! So glad you loved the cookies.
Have you ever tried this cookie recipe with a chocolate kiss added at the end of baking instead of jam. My son wants the “kiss cookies” but doesn’t want peanut butter so I’m looking for a good alternative.
Hi Laura, we haven’t tried this, but it might work fine! If you do that, I’d skip making the indentations in the cookies and just roll the dough into balls. Gently press the kisses into the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven, like we do in this peanut butter blossoms recipe. Let us know how this goes!
Worked perfectly!
Can vegan butter be used in the thumbprint cookie recipe?
Hi Sheila, We haven’t tried this, so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would be fine! Because vegan butter is usually salted, I’d reduce the salt in the cookies to 1/4 teaspoon.
Thoughts on making this dough a day or two ahead of time before cooking? Think that would work? Thanks–looks like a great recipe!
Hi Trish, we haven’t tried this, so I can’t guarantee the results, but I think it would work fine! Keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use this recipe using thumbprints stamp cookie
I really like the look of these cookies and the recipe, but I’m a bit surprised by the absence of at least one egg?
Hi Joe, yes, there’s no egg, it’s not necessary here.
hi there
I like to know if there is any substitute for almond flour?
because I couldn’t get any from the store
thanks❤
Just made this recipie and I loved the cookies. Thank you. Simple and delicious
These came out great. I’m gluten intolerant so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour and was not disappointed. To me, they have a shortbread taste and texture, which I love. They also freeze well. Will be using this recipe from now on for my thumbprint cookies!
I’m so glad you loved them and I’m happy to hear they worked so well with Bob’s flour!
OMG these are amazing. I just baked them now. I have celiac so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour along with the almond flour. Super easy and super delicious!
Hi Linda, I’m glad you loved them and I’m so happy to hear that they worked with the 1:1 flour!
These were great! Very shortbread-like and they go great with a cup of tea. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
I’m so glad you loved them!
They are DELICIOUS and so easy to make. I also don’t use my thumb, but use my index finger’s knucles. The jelly space comes out perfect 🙂
I’m so glad you loved them!
These were absolutely delicious and beautiful. Though, mind got extremely hard over night…any recommendations?
I think they might have baked too long if they got hard overnight. I’d try baking them a minute or two less.
Made these today to give to our neighbors for Christmas. Delicious, not too sweet, great texture, pretty enough to gift. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Great way to use some of my almond flour, which I store in the freezer for when the need arises. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Do we have to use almond flour ? Especially if we don’t have any on hand ? Thanks
Yep, the texture of the dough won’t be the same without it.
Do these freeze well? I would like to make them for Christmas:)
Super easy recipe and delightful, tasty cookies. I used 2 fruit jams (blackberry and strawberry), orange marmalade, and apple butter to make a variety. Taking them to a breakfast gathering in the morning. Doubt there will be any left by tomorrow afternoon.
I’m so glad you loved them!