This thumbprint cookie recipe makes cookies that quick, soft, and perfect for holiday baking. They take just 30 minutes from start to finish—no chilling, special tools, or complicated ingredients required.
Thumbprint cookies are a classic for a reason: they’re simple to make, endlessly customizable, and always look great on a Christmas cookie tray. This recipe keeps things easy with a soft, buttery dough that comes together in minutes and doesn’t require any chilling.
You can fill the centers with your favorite jam, and since the dough handles so well, these cookies bake evenly and hold their shape, making them a dependable option when you need a quick batch of Christmas cookies without any extra fuss.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Butter: If using salted butter, reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Jam: I don’t recommend using jelly as it will melt. Feel free to use your favorite flavor of fruit jam with this recipe. I like to use peach, apricot, red plum, or blackberry. Strawberry or raspberry jam also works well.
How to make thumbprint cookies
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy and combined, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Step 5: Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined and a cookie dough forms but don’t overmix.
Step 6: Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls.
Step 7: Add the remaining sugar to a small, shallow dish, and roll balls in sugar to coat the outside.
Step 8: Place the dough balls evenly spaced about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Step 9: Use your thumb to press an indentation into the center of each cookie.
Step 10: Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam into the well of each cookie dough. Don’t overfill or the jam will bubble out. Repeat with all cookies.
Step 11: Bake for about 12-18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Recipe Tips!
- Small cookie scoop: A small cookie scoop is a 1 tablespoon scoop. This is smaller than the medium cookie scoop that’s commonly used for many cookie recipes, like chocolate chip cookies.
- Mixer: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough with an electric mixer (hand mixer) through step 4. When adding the dry ingredients, stir in by hand unless you know it won’t burn out your motor.
- Coating: Some recipes call for rolling the cookies in finely chopped nuts, coarse sugar, or colored sugars. Feel free to use a different coating if you prefer.
Storage
Store the thumbprint cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature. The cookies will keep for about 2-3 days when properly stored.
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Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Mixer
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup thick jam or preserves any flavor
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.2 cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy and combined, about 2-3 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.1 large egg, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined and a cookie dough forms.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls.
- Add the remaining granulated sugar to a small, shallow dish, and roll balls in a sugar to coat the outside.¼ cup granulated sugar
- Place evenly spaced about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Use your thumb to press an indentation into the center of each cookie.
- Spoon ½ teaspoon of jam into the well of each cookie dough. Repeat with all cookies.¼ cup thick jam or preserves
- Bake for about 12-18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Notes
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Butter: If using salted butter, reduce the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Jam: I don’t recommend using jelly as it will melt. Feel free to use your favorite flavor of jam with this recipe. I like to use peach, apricot, red plum, or blackberry.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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