Pecan Thumbprint Cookies With Jam (2024)

Pecan Thumbprint Cookies are bite-sized treats with a rich buttery flavor and a hint of brown sugar sweetness. Roll them with finely chopped pecans, bake to a golden brown, and fill with jam for a sweet, nutty, jammy cookie.

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These jam-filled cookies are always a hit! Use your favorite jam flavor in the middle. I used apricot jam because it's my favorite, and it goes great with pecans.

You Are Going To Love These Cookies

These cookies are a piece of cake to make - seriously, you probably have the ingredients in your pantry! Just grab a bowl and a wooden spoon, and you're good to go - no fancy mixer required. Whip them up in a jiffy

They make a great Christmas Cookie, and look pretty with a red jam, like seedless raspberry jam or my homemade strawberry jam.

You will love these jam thumbprint cookies with their zesty filling and crispy pecans. But you can also change them up with sprinkles and icing, like these Iced Thumbprint Cookies rolled with colorful sprinkles.

Pecan Thumbprints Ingredients

• Butter - I use room temperatureunsalted butter.
• Brown Sugar - Use dark brown sugar if you have it, but light brown sugar works just as well.
• Egg - always bake with large eggs
• Vanilla extract - Use good quality vanilla or learn how to make vanilla with your favorite vanilla beans.
• Flour - I use all-purpose flour, but you can substitute this gluten-free 1 for 1 flour.
• Salt
• Pecans—I use pecan halves for this recipe and chop them.
• Jam - Use your favorite jam; I like the Bonne Maman brand.

Chopping pecans

When you chop the pecans, make sure they are finely chopped. Finer pieces of pecans will adhere better to the cookie balls.

How To Make Thumbprint Cookies

This dough is nice and soft but sturdy enough to roll into balls.

• Mix the cookie batter: Cream the butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. You can do this by hand or use an electric mixer. Then mix in the flour and salt.
• Roll the dough: I use a teaspoon and scoop the dough into 1-inch balls.
• Dip dough in egg white: Put the egg white in a small bowl and lightly mix it, then dip the dough balls in it. This helps the pecans stick to the balls.
• Roll in pecans: Roll the balls in finely chopped pecans, and then place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Make the thumbprint: You can use your thumb to make the indent, but I like to use a ¼ teaspoon and press that into the dough ball.
• Bake: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. After the cookies have been baked, you may have to make another indent, so just press the teaspoon in to deepen the indent.
• Fill with jam: Spoon the jam into the center ofthe cookies.
• Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to four days.
  

You Can Bake The Cookies With The Jam

You can also bake the thumbprints with the jam instead of adding the jam after baking. This sets the jam in the thumbprint and makes it firmer.

​There are my raspberry thumbprint cookies I made for Christmas. This time I added the jam before I baked the thumbprints.

Equipment

I still like to use a quick and easy appliance for small jobs, and this food manual chopper works great for the small amount of pecans you need to chop. Or use a small electric food processor it is just as handy and will chop pecans in seconds.

More tasty recipes

• For all the pecan lovers, try these Pecan Tassies for your next dessert.
• This Sweet Nut Braid bread has a soft center filling with toasted pecans.
• For pecan pie lovers, change things up and bake this Bourbon Pecan Pie, and don't wait for the holiday season to make it.
• Bake these Raspberry Lemon Cookies for a citrusy thumbprint cookie.

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Recipe

First published: Jan. 5, 2019; last updated: March 15, 2024, for better readability.

Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog. Please leave a comment to say hello or tell me what you are baking; I always love hearing from fellow bakers. Have any questions or want to chat about the recipe? Please visit my About page for information, and I’ll be happy to help!

About Jere'

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California,my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.

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