Jam Thumbprint Cookies
My thumbprint cookies are tender and buttery with a nice vanilla flavor, which will complement any jam. That’s the wonderful thing about these thumbprint cookies: you can put in any jam, jelly, or filling you want! Let your baking creativity run wild! Since these need only about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of filling, I recommend you use a high-quality one.
For these, I used seedless strawberry and raspberry jams.
As with all my recipes, I use the scientific method to carefully craft them to ensure you get deliciously perfect results every time.
These are easy and fun cookies to bake, and they can be customized to please any crowd! You’ll also see below my secret to getting the perfect “thumbprint” in the cookie.
Happy Baking!
Ingredients
2 sticks (226 grams or 1 cup) of unsalted butter
1 large egg
133 grams (2/3 cup) of white granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of salt
307 grams (2 1/4 cups and 1 level tablespoon) of all-purpose flour
38 grams (3 tablespoons) of white granulated sugar for rolling
1/2 cup of jam
Yields 24 cookies
Instructions
Let all ingredients come to room temperature. Cut the butter into small pieces to help it come to room temperature.
Geeky Tip: Ingredients that are all the same temperature incorporate more easily and fully.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Geeky Tip: Oven temperatures vary wildly, so get an oven thermometer. When my oven “beeps” to indicate pre-heating is done, it is usually 50-75 degrees below the target temperature. An oven thermometer is the best $5 baking investment you can make!
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Geeky Tip: I highly recommend using a light-colored aluminum baking sheet. Baking sheets that are dark will conduct more heat and may burn whatever is on them. Just think of wearing a black shirt versus a white shirt on a hot sunny day. Old baking sheets that have dark spots may heat unevenly.
Put the sugar for rolling into a bowl.
Beat the butter until it has a smooth appearance. About 1 minute on medium-high speed.
Geeky Tip: This helps to work some air into the butter that will aid the rise later, and it makes it easier for the sugar to cut into the butter.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sugar into the butter, and cream together until lighter in color and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Beat in the egg until it is incorporated. Mix in the pure vanilla extract and salt.
Occasionally, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by halves, and mix until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
Geeky Tip: Overmixing will build up the gluten and protein structure in the dough and lead to a tougher and denser cookie.
Using a #40 cookie scoop (medium or 1 1/2 tablespoons), make scoops of dough, and form them into smooth balls with your hands.
Geeky Tip: Rolling them into balls helps them have a more uniformly circular shape during baking.
Roll the balls in the sugar, and evenly place them 1 to 2 inches apart on the sheet.
Why roll them in sugar? Not only does it add an appealing sparkle to the cookies, but it also prevents the dough from sticking when you make the “thumbprint”.
Now, for the secret to getting the perfect “thumbprint”…
Press into the center of the balls with the bottom of a round 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.
Put the jam into a microwave-safe bowl, stir it to thin it, and microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds. The jam should be more fluid and easy to spoon into the cookies.
Spoon the jam into the cookies, so the jam is just below the top of the indentation. Don’t overfill the cookies, or the jam will spill over during baking.
Bake on the oven’s center rack for 16-19 minutes.
After baking, place the sheet on a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!
Storage
To store the cookies, put them in an airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (226 grams or 1 cup) of unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 133 grams (⅔ cup) of white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 307 grams (2 ¼ cups and 1 level tablespoon) of all-purpose flour
- 38 grams (3 tablespoons) of white granulated sugar for rolling
- ½ cup of jam
Instructions
- Let all ingredients come to room temperature. Cut the butter into small pieces to help it come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Put the sugar for rolling into a bowl.
- Beat the butter until it has a smooth appearance. About 1 minute on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the sugar into the butter, and cream together until lighter in color and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat in the egg until it is incorporated. Mix in the pure vanilla extract and salt. Occasionally, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by halves, and mix until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
- Using a #40 cookie scoop (medium or 1 1/2 tablespoons), make scoops of dough, and form them into smooth balls with your hands.
- Roll the balls in the sugar, and evenly place them 1 to 2 inches apart on the sheet.
- Press into the center of the balls with the bottom of a round 1 tablespoon measuring spoon.
- Cover the sheet in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.
- Put the jam into a microwave-safe bowl, stir it to thin it, and microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds. The jam should be more fluid and easy to spoon into the cookies.
- Spoon the jam into the cookies, so the jam is just below the top of the indentation. Don’t overfill the cookies, or the jam will spill over during baking.
- Bake on the oven’s center rack for 16-19 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies turn light golden brown. After baking, place the sheet on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
To store the cookies, put them in an airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.