Jam Thumbprint Cookies

5 from 72 votes

These jam thumbprint cookies are made with an easy butter cookie dough & filled with jam! Use a cookie press to easily shape and fill your spritz cookies with jam, or simply roll into a ball and press down with your thumb!

Prep Time15

Cook Time9

Chilling Time10

Total Time34

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 271kcal

Equipment

Cookie Press

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 ¼ cup all purpose flour - (270g)
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

½ cup jam - strawberry, raspberry, apricot, blackberry
1 cup unsalted butter - (230g or 2 sticks); softened at room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Optional Flavorings:

1 teaspoon lemon zest or orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the softened butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat on high until the mixture becomes soft and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Add the flour and salt to the mixture and slowly mix together until you have smooth batter. Add the lemon or orange zest at this time, if using. If the batter becomes too thick for a hand mixer, you can mix it with a spatula.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper or silicone paper. Insert the sunflower disc shape in your cookie press and then add in the cookie dough. Stamp out designs according to its instructions. This shape will naturally have an indentation for the jam.
If not using a cookie press:
Roll out the dough into 1 inch diameter spheres (about 1 or 2 Tablespoons of dough) and place them on the parchment paper. Using your thumb or the back of a small spoon, gently press down until there's an indentation. If the dough is too sticky, chill it in the fridge for about 10 minutes so it's easier to work with.
Fill each cookie with your jam of choice, being careful not to spill over the edge of the indentation. I used a seedless strawberry jam but raspberry or apricot are great too.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 7 to 9 minutes or until the edges start to turn a light golden brown. Note: if you've rolled the cookies by hand, the baking time will vary based on how large the cookies are. Take them out when the edges turn lightly golden brown and the jam in the center has thickened slightly. See Notes for cookie yield.

Notes

If using a cookie press, this recipe yields about 70 cookies. If forming by hand, the yield will vary by size but you should expect at least 2 dozen cookies.

Make Ahead:

The dough can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Storage:

Keep baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. If gifting these as edible gifts, wait until they're completely cooled before packaging them.

Freeze:

Wait for the cookies to completely cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container and if necessary, layer them individually with parchment paper so that the jam doesn't stick the cookies. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let them come to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition