This recipe for soft and chewy thumbprint cookies is so easy to make. It only takes 5 ingredients, and the cookies are super delicious.
If you are looking for a soft thumbprint cookie recipe, you are in the right place. These cookies have a dollop of raspberry preserves in the center, but you could also use apricot or whatever preserves you love best.
If your family is anything like ours, there are certain cookies you have to make every Christmas. When I married into a Polish family, cream cheese kolacky cookies were added to the list.
My mother-in-law still bakes them every year. Now my family expects them too.
I didn’t make a batch last year, and my sister was quite disappointed. I’ll be honest with you for a second, I usually bake at least a dozen kinds of cookies for the holidays, and there are all kinds of homemade candy and fudge on top of that.
Sometimes, kolacky take more time than I have. They aren’t super complicated, but it does take a little bit of time to cut, fill, and seal of those cookies.
So, in order to keep her from being disappointed again, I turned to these thumbprints. Much like the kolacky, the dough is made from a mix of cream cheese and butter.
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Unlike the kolacky, this dough has a little sugar in it because the cookie to jam ratio is a bit higher. Otherwise, it is very similar.
You just scoop the chilled dough and make a divot in the center with your thumb, hence the name thumbprints. Fill that with some preserves and bake them until set but not browned.
The resulting cookies have a lovely chewy texture with a pop of fruity flavor in the center. I love raspberry preserves, but the friend who gave me the recipe makes hers with apricot jam.
Storing Thumbprint Cookies
You can store your thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Put a wax paper between layers if you are going to stack them.
You can freeze them for up to three months, but the preserves may get a little bit sticky if they are defrosted in humid air.
For a different take on thumbprint cookies, try making my peanut butter thumbprint cookies. Or check out my whole collection of tasty cookie recipes for more tasty inspiration.
Soft and Chewy Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup raspberry preserves
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter until it is smooth and creamy.1 cup salted butter
- Add the cream cheese and beat until combined and lump free.8 ounces cream cheese
- Mix in the sugar until light and fluffy.1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- Stir in the flour until just incorporated. It is okay if the dough is a bit sticky.2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- Chill for at least 45 minutes, but up to 2 hours. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375℉.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop 1 Tablespoon of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Roll the ball between your hands to form smooth balls. Place at least an inch apart on the pan.
- Use your thumb to put an indent in the center of each of the dough balls. Fill each indentation with about ½ teaspoon of jam.½ cup raspberry preserves
- Bake 11-12 minutes. The cookies should be slightly puffed and look mostly set. There may be a light golden brown around the edges, but they shouldn't have much color.
- Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
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these cookies were very easy to make and the perfect taste and texture!!!
Yay! Thank you!
Can use mini-muffin tray to portion the dough out. Will cooking time need to be adjusted. Thanks!
I would think you would have a hard time fitting the paw print on top, but it might work! I have a recipe for peanut butter cup cookies that uses a mini muffin tin. You could follow that recipe up until you put the peanut butter cup inside and do the paw print instead.