Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies - Olga in the Kitchen (2024)

These Jam-Filled Thumbprint Cookies combine soft butter cookies and a sweet jam filling. Use your favorite jelly flavor like blackberry, strawberry, raspberry or other favorites. Add a light dust of powdered sugar for extra flair and these cookies bound to disappear off cookie platters fast. Cooling the cookie dough is crucial, so make sure you follow the recipe precisely.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Thumbprint Cookies Recipe:

This is our favorite jam thumbprint cookie recipe. These adorable 2 bite cookies are everything! They are simple to make yet incredibly stunning. The straightforward cookie dough is soft and little crumbly. You don’t need an electric mixer to make these, just couple bowls. Fill them with your favorite jam and dust with confectioners’ sugar for a little something extra.

Every time I make these cookies, I keep thinking of our staple Cranberry Scones. The process of thumbprints reminds me of scone making when we mix the dry ingredients, grate the butter and add the liquid.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter – 1 cup of butter adds structure, flavor and buttery goodness in each bite. Unlike most cookie recipes, we use cold butter in this recipe.
• Granulated sugar – we use all granulated sugar in this cookie recipe. For sweeter tooth, add more sugar as these are lightly sweetened.
• Egg yolks – there are 4 egg yolks in this cookie dough to bind everything together and add structure, stability and softness to cookies.
• Fine salt and vanilla extract – both add flavor. A little bit of salt goes a long way!
• All-purpose flour – serves as the base of these thumbprint cookies. We use 2 1/4 cups to provide structure and shape. Just be sure to spoon your flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife, so you don’t end up with too much flour.
• Jam – no rules here! Use your favorite flavor jam, preserves or jelly. We like to use our favorite homemade blackberry jam because we always have it on hand and it’s very thick and sweet. Anything goes – strawberry jam, raspberry, peach, blueberry – you name it!
• Powdered sugar – this is totally optional, but we always dust baked cookies with a bit of powdered sugar for a little something extra and make them look elegant.

Chill the Cookie Dough:

In order to prevent the cookies from spreading too much, it’s important to chill them before baking. I found that chilling the dough before indenting made it a little too firm and slightly difficult to work with. Chilling the dough after indenting turned out to be much easier.

Place the whole cookie sheet in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Chilled cookies will hold their shape much better when baked.

How to Make Thumbprint Cookies:

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

2. Combine wet ingredients and salt. In a small bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp fine salt. Set aside.

3. Whisk the dry ingredients and add butter. In a medium bowl, combine and whisk 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Into the bowl with dry ingredients, grate 16 tablespoons cold butter on the large holes of grater. Work in the butter with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Stir all ingredients with a fork until the dough starts to come together. Using your hand, continue pressing the dough against the bowl into a ball. It would seem as there’s not enough liquid in dough, but as you press – the dough will come together.

5. Roll cookie dough into balls. Use 1 scant tablespoon of dough for each. Arrange dough balls on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.

6. Indent each cookie and fill. Use 1/4 round measuring teaspoon, end of a wooden spoon or spatula to make indentation in the center of each dough ball. Spoon heaping 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indent.

7. Chill the indented dough. Loosely cover indented dough and chill for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days). You can spoon jam before or after the dough has chilled.

8. Preheat the oven to a 350 degrees F. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The jam won’t look completely set, but will set as the cookies cool.

9. Remove from the oven. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

How to Store Thumbprint Cookies?

Cookies stay fresh covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you would like to store longer than 1 week or bake them in advance, follow our freezing instructions.

Can I Freeze Thumbprint Cookies?

These cookies are perfect for freezing! You can freeze cookie dough, indented cookie dough or baked cookies for up to 3 months.

• To freeze cookie dough balls. Make the cookie dough and chill in the freezer. Transfer frozen cookie balls to a zip top bag. Allow cookie balls to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, make an indent into each, fill with jam and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Freeze indented cookies. Make the cookie dough, indent each dough ball and freeze. Transfer frozen indented unbaked cookies to a zip top bag. When ready to use, fill them with jam and bake right away.
• To freeze baked cookies. Bake cookies and allow to cool completely. Place in a freezer-friendly container or zip top bag for up to 3 months. Avoid dusting powdered sugar at this point. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter to bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Tips for Perfect Thumbprint Cookies:

• Measure flour accurately by spooning flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife, so you don’t end up with too much flour.
• Chill cookie dough. This will prevent too much spreading and you’ll have thicker, sturdier and more solid cookies.
• If cookies are cracking around edges too much when pressed, try re-rolling the balls once more and then press again. When indenting, indent slowly while holding the cookie around the edges with second hand. This will help to avoid cracks (most or all).
• Roll your cookie dough into tall balls instead of perfectly round spheres. Taller balls of cookie dough ensure thicker cookies.
• Add jam or preserves before baking the cookies so it gets warm and bakes into the dough.
• Use parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Coating your baking sheet with extra butter or nonstick spray creates an overly greasy foundation, causing cookies to spread. It is proven that silicone mats grip onto the bottom of your cookie dough, preventing them from spreading too much and ensure even browning.
• Cool baking sheet before placing next batch of cookies. Never place cookie dough balls onto a hot baking sheet or they will start melting before they even start baking. Run baking sheet under cold water for faster cooling.

More Cookie Favorites to Explore:

• – chewy and soft on the inside, freezer-friendly
• Iced Pumpkin Cookies – these are trending all-year-long
• Rugelach Cookies – these powdered sugar coated goodies are irresistible
• Raspberry Scones – so flaky 2-bite, just like cookies

We first published this recipe in March 2017 and updated it in May 2020 with new photos and more tips.