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These light, buttery Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies have been the most requested cookie I make for almost as long as I can remember. My friend Augusta showed me how to make them years ago, and they became a forever favorite at first bite.
There’s something so endearing and adorable about jam thumbprint cookies. The easy glaze on top of these cookies provides just the right finishing touch to balance out the cookies’ flaky texture. Pecan thumbprint cookies have become another recent favorite and I love that I can make them allergy friendly for friends and guests. Thumbprint cookies are great as a snack or served as a dessert. And I especially enjoy them with coffee or tea on a chilly afternoon.
Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
These simple, not-too-sweet cookies don’t get as much love as they deserve, in my opinion. When topped with jam, then lightly drizzled with icing, they’re always a hit when I make them. Don’t be fooled by their unassuming appearance. They’ll surprise you by just melting in your mouth.
I typically use whichever flavors of jam I happen to have on hand at the time. For this last batch, I used apricot jam and a mixed berry jam. You really can’t go wrong with the jam choice. If you enjoy eating the jam, you’ll likely love it in the cookies.
Love these cookies! You can’t eat just one. Definitely do not overtake. After 10 minutes you think they are not done but they are. Elegant cookie great for displaying. Love this recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Flour – All-purpose flour provides a light, crumbly texture.
Sugar – For the perfect amount of sweetness, you’ll want to use plain white sugar.
Butter – Unless otherwise stated, I always use salted butter in my baking.
Jam – I often reach for a jar of my family’s favorite homemade peach jam to use in these cookies. However, I’ve made these with several varieties of jam and the cookies turn out delicious every time.
Almond Extract – Almond extract is what gives these cookies just a hint of almond flavor. It adds a nice layer of nuttiness that complements the buttery flavor of the shortbread cookie and the fruitiness of the jam.
The Icing – Milk and powdered sugar create the simple, light, and delicious icing.
Notes on Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cookie scoop
- Baking sheets
- Cooling rack – I had no idea how much this handy set of stacking wire racks would change my baking game, until I used them. I’ve had mine for years now and I can’t imagine baking without them. They stack straight up, which means I can bake multiple batches without having cookies cooling on every free inch of my countertops.
- Cookie lifter
How to Make Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
Creaming the Butter & Sugar: To start, add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy.
Adding Flour & Almond: Once the butter and sugar have been mixed, you’ll want to add the flour and almond extract to the bowl. Beat again until combined.
Chilling the Dough: You’ll want to let the dough chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
Preheating the Oven: While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Preparing the Cookies: To prepare the cookies, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You’ll want to roll the dough into 1″ balls, or use a 1″ scoop, placing each ball on the baking sheet as you work.
Indenting the Cookies: I use my thumb to press down gently on the top of each cookie.
Adding Jam: After all the indents have been made, I fill each one with about half a teaspoon of jam.
Baking: Let them bake for about 10 minutes. You’ll want to make sure the cookies are firm, but not at all browned.
Cooling: I let the cookies cool on the tray for 1-2 minutes. Then, I transfer them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Making the Icing: While the cookies cool, place the powdered sugar in a small mixing bowl and add the almond extract. Then begin slowly adding the milk, while whisking or stirring constantly. You’ll want to stop adding milk when you reach just the right consistency. I stop when it drizzles thick and smoothly off the whisk.
Icing the Cookies: Once the cookies have completely cooled, drizzle the icing over the tops. Allow the icing to harden completely before storing in an airtight container.
Expert Tip
Chilling the dough for a solid hour in the refrigerator is one of the most important steps in this recipe. It helps keep the butter in this recipe solid. And the cold butter helps the cookies maintain their structure in the oven. So even if you’re in a hurry to bake these cookies, don’t skip that step.
Avoiding a Jam – When it comes to filling thumbprints with jam, less is more. A half teaspoon or so should do it. Too much and you risk disrupting the structure of the cookie and the jam to cookie ratios. (Yes, jam to cookie ratios are a thing!)
Let Cool Before Icing – Make sure the cookies have fully cooled before icing. If you don’t wait long enough, the icing will begin to melt into the cookies instead of setting up over them and forming that lovely glaze.
Overbaking – The last thing to remember here is to be extra careful not to overbake these cookies! You want to take these cookies out of the oven before they are even slightly brown. Overbaking will result in a much harder cookie without that crumby delicate shortbread texture.
Serving Suggestions
You can make a great dessert table with an assortment of Walnut Cookies, Vanilla Cookies and Lemon Cookies too. And if you choose to add some hearty Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies to the mix, you’ll likely have a whole bunch of people smiling at you.
And if you choose to serve those cookies with cafe con leche, homemade chai, or a London Fog on a chilly afternoon and you’re sure to have some very happy friends.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead: Yes! These cookies can be made in advance. They’ll keep on the counter for several days, or in the freezer for at least a month. They would probably keep much longer than that, but I wouldn’t actually know. Mine have never lasted that long.
How to Store: These cookies freeze beautifully. When the icing has hardened, layer them into containers with wax paper between the layers. I usually store these cookies in an airtight container or Ziploc bag, either in a single layer or with a sheet of parchment paper in between each layer.
More Almond Flavored Cookie Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Your dough may not have been chilled for long enough. I suggest at least an hour, but it can take longer depending on the temperature of the dough entering the fridge, your refrigerator, etc. Alternatively, the butter may have softened too much.
Yes! Vanilla extract can be substituted for almond extract without any issues. The cookies will be delicious either way.
If your GF flour blend can usually be substituted 1:1 in baked goods, you might be able to use it without an issue. However, I suggest using caution here as this is a fairly delicate cookie and I’ve found it to be a bit temperamental when it comes to GF substitutions. Unfortunately, almond flour will definitely not work in this recipe.
Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- approximately ½ cup any flavor jam I used our favorite peach jam
GLAZE INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the flour and almond extract. Beat again to combine. Chill the dough for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- When ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough into 1" balls or use a 1" scoop to place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Press down on the top of each cookie and use your thumb to create a small indent. After all the indents are made, fill the indents with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven before the cookies are browned. Let cool on the trays for 1-2 minutes and then remove to a wire cooling rack.
- To make the glaze, add the almond extract to the powdered sugar and then slowly add the milk. Stir constantly and stop adding milk when you reach the consistency of icing. It should drizzle off the tip of a spoon in a thin white stream.
- When the cookies are completely cooled, drizzle the icing over the tops. Allow them to sit until hardened and then store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 8/12/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 9/10/26}
SO pretty! I love the addition of the almond extract – delicious
Mary
I love almondy desserts and these are so cute that I'm sure I'd be reaching for handful after handful!
These so remind me of being a kid! My grandma would make these all the time, but specifically during the holidays!!
Oh my goodness! These look fantastic! I am so glad they're not sitting here in front of me right now. lol I'm definitely saving this recipe. Thanks for posting it!
At long last, you finally posted this one. These cookies were delicious! Even if I only had a few. I can still remember the soft delicate cookie melting into cookie magic once I took a bite. Yumma! (My new word from the munchkin).
Will these be present this weekend??? Shopping or BBQ?
I want you to know that I am drooling. Yes it's almost lunch time – but that's beside the point. Those cookies look delicious! I bet they do melt in your mouth. Can I give you my address and you just send some to me now????
I want to make these!
These look delicious. I love that the cookie has almond extract – love that in a buttery cookie. I bet the ones with the homemade peach jam were incredible..
These look melt in your mouth delicious! Beautiful little cookies!
I just saw these posted on TSRI Dash post. I just made these for the cookie swap and had forgotten I saw them here too! They must have stuck in my brain for months and months – and years – almost. Anyway – I used the recipe by Land-O-Lakes butter. You will see it posted Wednesday – that is if you come visit me 🙂
i am thinking that they could be good with melted white chocolate drizzled over if you wanted them less sweet.They look great though!Earmarking to try out on my next visitors 😀
These look so good! I think I'm going to make these today! I'm going to have my sisters over for the night this would make a great snack! Thanks for sharing!
I made these this weekend, but had to improvise! I went to open a new bottle of almond extract and it had evaporated!! I was shocked and not in the mood to run out to the store. So, I used lemon extract instead and added a little fresh lemon rind to the dough too. For the glazed I used fresh lemon juice and water instead of the milk. The combination was very good and everyone loved them. I will make the almond version next time and will check my extract (even the new bottles) before I start.
They are beautiful! I will be making these for Christmas this year. Sounds so easy yet looks so gourmet. I think they'll be a hit at our Christmas Eve family gathering.
I made these. They are so yummy!!!! Didn't last very long in the house
what is A P flour ?????
Regular all purpose flour.
Thanks for the reply, I was also wondering what AP flour was 🙂
In the oven now – can hardly wait!!! I used orange marmalade, a chunky apple compote, and strawberry jam. However – I didn't preheat the oven according to your timeline – otherwise it would have been on the whole hour while the dough was in the fridge 🙂 — Preheat while rolling the balls and adding the jam.
My came out flat. The form didnt hold..:( suggestion for fixing the problem?
I'm guessing that you might have been a little short on flour, try adding an additional 1/4 cup or so next time. If your butter was too soft (too close to melted) that will cause them to go flat as well.
OMG! I just made these in peach and raspberry jam and didn't realize I was out of milk so I used eggnog for the icing and I'm not sure they'll make it to the morning! These are my new Christmas favourites! Thank you so much for posting this!
I just have to say that I made these for the very first time last night and they are amazing. Best, easiest, most impressive Xmas cookie I have ever made or eaten. THANK YOU!!!!!!