Jam Thumbprint Cookies make a quick and easy cookie recipe that is filled with your favorite flavors of jam. Always a crowd-favorite cookie!
Looking for more easy cookie recipes? I think you’ll love my bakery-style chewy sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter cookies!
One of my favorite jobs growing up was helping my Grandmother Verdie make her Jam Thumbprint Cookies. They always turned out perfectly and were always a favorite. Sometimes, Grandmother would make these cookies for family or church showers and sometimes they were just special treats to go along with our afternoon grape Kool-Aide party she served in her fine crystal glasses.
How to Make Jam Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
For these cookies, you’ll need butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and your favorite jam, preserves, or fruit curd. Make sure that all of your ingredients, especially the butter and the eggs are at room temperature so that they incorporate well into the cookie dough.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make the cookie dough and refrigerate. Mix together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add in the vanilla extract and eggs until well incorporated and then slowly add flour, baking powder, and salt. Shape the dough into a large ball. Cut the dough ball into four evenly sized pieces. Wrap each section tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.
- Form the cookies. Remove one section of the dough from the refrigerator. Scoop 1 teaspoon of the dough and roll in between the palms of your hands until a ball, about the size of a walnut, has formed. Drop onto a cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of the dough ball to form a slight well. Repeat until all the dough from that section has been used. Then, if baking all of the cookies at once, repeat with the remaining dough sections, one section at a time.
- Freeze the unbaked cookies. Place sheet pans in the freezer for about 12 minutes to firm to prevent spreading during baking.
- Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes until brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
- Fill the cookies. Scoop 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite jam, preserves, or fruit curd to fill the center of the cookie.
Storage Tips
Cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Here’s Grandmother’s recipe for her Jam Thumbprint Cookies.
Grandmother’s Jam Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine butter and sugar until creamy. Add in vanilla and egg until well-incorporated and then slowly add flour, baking powder, and salt. Shape dough into a ball. Cut into fourths and wrap each section tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
- Scoop 1 teaspoon of dough and then roll in between the palms of your hands until a ball, about the size of a walnut, has formed. Drop onto a cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of the dough ball to form a slight well. Repeat until all dough has been used.
- Place sheet pans in the freezer for about 12 minutes to firm to prevent spreading during baking.
- Bake for about 12-15 minutes until brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slighty.
- Scoop 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite jam, preserves, or fruit curd to fill the center of the cookie.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Yum! Just what I need to show off my fresh batch of jam! Thank you!
Awww I really enjoyed reading your story. I wish I grew up with my grandmother and helped her bake but she’s always lived in Korea and I grew up in the States.
Anyway, these cookies look great. I plan on making lemon curd this week so this cookie recipe will come in very handy 🙂
Thanks so much, Chung-Ah. I bet you have wonderful memories of yours as well.
What a sweet memory! It’s stories like this that drive me to do what I do and I think it’s probably the same for many food bloggers. I have so many of my own memories that associate cooking with good feelings and people from my childhood. Food is the ultimate connecter. It connect our pasts, today to our family and friends and to each other though we’ve never met! I love what I do!! Happy Monday to you, Robyn!
Thanks so much, Kelley. I completely agree!
Love your stories – I can see you now with your fancy wine glass full of Kool-Aide!!LOL!! The cookies look so good and easy to make. Will “borrow” this recipe and make memories with my granddaughter! Not forgetting the wine glass of Kool-Aide. Thanks so much!!!!
Your family memories always make me smile. AND so do these delightful cookies!
They are much like the Nutella cookies I make, and the kids are standing in line to get.
the directions are much the same, you can either use your dough recipe or this one
225g butter
110g sugar
275g all-purpose flour
200g Nutella (give or take a bit) 😉
Make the same thumbprint cookies, fill them up with the Nutella and bake them for about 15 min at 180°C
And even though I can’t be a grandmother I will love if my grandkids wants to bake with me when I get them.(my son is only 11 years old, so it’s gonna take some time) 😀
are the cookie sheets greased or ungreased?
Hi Cher,
The cookie sheets are ungreased.