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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Published: Dec 11, 2016 · Modified: Sep 21, 2023 by Tristin Rieken · 6 Comments

The perfect mix of buttery texture, crunchy nuttiness and sweet jam these Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies are sure to be a crowd pleaser!  

Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies are a holiday cookie classic! #thumbprint #cookies
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Passed down through the generations recipes like this are the reason this website was created in the first place.

Family recipes

The reason I started blogging years ago was for the sole purpose of preserving family recipes and organizing them into an easy accessible format.

This recipe for buttery jam thumbprint cookies is one of the very recipes that went up on this website. Because it’s a classic!

Made every year by my husband’s step mom these Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies are the quintessential taste of Christmas cookies for my family. That Chewy Ginger Cookies and Peanut Butter Fudge, of course!

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter (1 stick)
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg (whites and yolks seperate)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup finely chopped pecans – or any other nut of your choice
  • ¼ cup raspberry jam – or any other jam or jelly of your choice. Even citrus curd or caramel can be substituted in the filling.

Step by step instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
  2. Cream butter and packed brown sugar.
  3. Separate the egg and reserve the white for later.
  4. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and combine.
  5. Blend flour and salt and stir in.
  6. Finely chop pecans. Then prepare a station to dip the cookies with a plate for the whipped egg white and another with the chopped nuts. Placed the ungreased cookie sheet nearby.
  7. Dip teaspoon sized cookie balls in egg white then in chopped nuts.
  1. Place on cookie sheet 1″ apart. Using your finger or the end of a round kitchen utensil and make an indent in the center of each cookie.
  1. Bake 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool. If indents are not as pronounced as you like, press finger in again while still warm.  
  1. Stir raspberry jam to loosen and spoon ¼ teaspoon in the middle of each cookie.
  2. Enjoy!

Customize

The flavor combinations are limited only to your imagination! Try raspberry-pecan, raspberry-walnut, strawberry-almond, apricot-coconut, fig-coconut and coconut filled with lemon or lime curd.

📖 Recipe

Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies

The perfect mix of buttery texture, crunchy nuttiness and sweet jam these thumbprint cookies are sure to please.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 101kcal
Author: Tristin Rieken

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 large egg (separated)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup nuts finely chopped, or coconut
  • ¼ cup jam or jelly

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Mix butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla.
  • Blend flour and salt, stir in.
  • Roll dough into balls (about 1 teaspoon size).
  • Beat egg whites with fork.
  • Dip balls in egg whites, roll in nuts.
  • Place on ungreased baking sheet.
  • Press thumb in center and bake 10 – 12 minutes.
  • Cool.
  • Fill with jam.

Notes

based on recipe from my mother in law, Linda Rieken

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 41mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Made this recipe? Please share!Mention @freshflavorful or tag #FreshFlavorfulLife
Nutrition Facts
Buttery Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 101 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 18mg6%
Sodium 63mg3%
Potassium 41mg1%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 130IU3%
Vitamin C 0.3mg0%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

    4.50 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Caterina

    December 19, 2020 at 10:05 am

    3 stars
    Tasted good but the cookies completely flattened

    Reply
    • ONE armed MAMA

      December 19, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      Hi Caterina, thanks for commenting! There is very little liquid (only 1 egg yolk) in the cookie dough so I’m not sure why your cookies would have flattened. Also, if butter is too warm or melted it can cause cookies to flatten.

      Reply
  2. Brigitte Baker

    September 20, 2023 at 7:55 pm

    5 stars
    Pin for later link not working just an FYI😊

    Reply
    • Tristin Rieken

      September 21, 2023 at 6:51 am

      Thanks so much! fixed now 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Tristin Rieken, Welcome to Fresh Flavorful where I hope to inspire you with simple seasonal recipes and ideas to eat deliciously, entertain easily and adventure often.

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