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Snack

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Tender butter cookies with a thumb-pressed well of bright jam. Use raspberry and apricot for a red-and-gold tray.

⏱ 1 hr 9 min (25 min prep, 14 min cooking, 30 min waiting) 🍽 Serves 24 · 1 cookie kid friendlymake aheadfreezer friendly vegetarian

In our collection Christmas baking and holiday dinner: menu and shopping list β†’

πŸ“… Add to my plan

ContainsMilk, Eggs, Wheat. Check the labels on what you buy; brands differ.

Ingredients

Make 24 servings
  • 1 cup Butter, unsalted, softened (2 sticks)
  • β…” cup Granulated sugar
  • 2 Egg yolks
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 2ΒΌ cup All-purpose flour
  • Β½ tsp Table salt
  • Β½ cup Strawberry jam, raspberry, strawberry or apricot

Make it yourself

Make the butter yourself β†’

In the planner, Make it on the shopping list swaps the store item for these ingredients and puts the work on your prep day.

Nutrition

Nutrition coming: the USDA numbers for these ingredients are being added.

Steps

You’ll need: mixer, 2 baking sheets, parchment paper, small spoon.

  1. Heat the oven to 350Β°F and line the sheets with parchment.
  2. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the yolks and vanilla, then the flour and salt on low until a soft dough forms. Don’t taste the raw dough: raw flour and raw eggs can carry germs (FDA and CDC). Bake first, then taste.
  3. Roll into 1-inch balls and set them 2 inches apart. Press a deep well in each with your thumb or the back of a Β½-teaspoon measure. Chill the trays 15 minutes.
  4. Fill each well with about Β½ teaspoon jam; don’t overfill.
  5. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms are light golden. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then on a rack. The jam stays sticky for a while, so let them sit before stacking.
Make aheadFreeze the shaped, unfilled balls; thaw 10 minutes, fill and bake.
❄️ FreezerFreeze baked cookies in a single layer, then pack with parchment, up to 2 months.
β†Ί LeftoversKeep in a tin with parchment between layers for up to 5 days.
πŸ§’ With kidsThis is the perfect kid job: pressing thumbprints and spooning in jam.
Egg free swapLeave out the yolks and add 2 tablespoons milk.
Nutty swapRoll the balls in finely chopped walnuts or pecans before pressing (this adds tree nuts).

Goes well with

🧈 Scottish-Style Butter Shortbread

Good to know

Cooking Fats Compared Salted vs. unsalted butter All-purpose vs. bread flour (and friends) Table salt vs. kosher salt vs. sea salt

An original Teddy Rook Book recipe, written for our Christmas baking and holiday dinner collection; safety steps follow USDA. Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central and changes with brands and portions.