Easy Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies filled with homemade blackberry jam and sprinkled with vanilla sugar, so soft and buttery, almost melting in your mouth. They are the perfect bite-size treat for every occasion, and a big hit with kids and grown-ups alike.Grab some now, before the cookie monster eats them up!
I'm not trying to brag, but these thumbprint cookies are out of this world! You know me, l do have quite a sweet tooth, unfortunately. And when one craves cookies, one needs to indulge!
And these yummy cookies are using the best jam you can possibly ask for: blackberry jam! Made with hand-picked wild blackberries, this jam is absolutely amazing with these cookies, its slight tartness works brilliantly with the richness of the shortbread cookies.
But, of course, any jam can be used, it's up to you which one you like and have, no need to make/buy one especially for these cookies. Just make sure you don't overfill the cookies with jam, and the rest is dead easy.
I also have these fantastic jam recipes that would go down well with these cookies: blueberry jam, strawberry rhubarb jam or damson jam.
I would't add too much sugar, since the jam is sweet anyway, but now it's up to one's taste too. I prefer them with less sugar, and they are perfect just the way they are.
Jump to:
Ingredients neded
- butter - either salted or unsalted
- icing sugar - confectioners' sugar, well sifted
- egg yolk - it helps bind the ingredients together
- vanilla extract - or any other extract of your choice
- vanilla sugar - optional
- plain flour
- jam - I used blackberry jam, but any would do
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Making these shortbread thumbprint cookies takes less time than it would take you to go to the corner shop and buy some nibbles. Some planning in advance would help actually, as having the ingredients at room temperature is what makes these cookies the softest, best cookies ever.
- beat the soft butter (but not melted) with the icing sugar until you get a smooth paste
- add the egg yolk and beat again until fully incorporated
- in go the flour, vanilla sugar, vanilla extract
- mix everything well and knead gently to get a dough that does not stick to your hands
Note! Depending on the size of the egg, you might need less flour, so add about â…” of the amount of flour first, and add more as needed.
- cover the bowl with clingfilm, and chill the dough in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes
- use about half of a tablespoon of dough to shape balls, then gently press down with your thumb in the centre of the balls
- fill with jam, then bake for about 12-15 minutes
- leave to cool down, then sprinkle with more vanilla sugar
What else can be used to fill the cookies?
If you don't have blackberry jam, feel free to use any other jam you like: strawberry, apricot, or cherry are great favourite of mine. Marmalade is another great option here.
Turkish delight would also work like a treat, plus it's less messy to fill the cookies with. Right, no more wasting time, let's roll up the sleeves and bake some cookies! They make a fantastic choice for parties, since one batch gives you lots of cookies.
Other shortbread cookies
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Lemon Shortbread Cookies Dipped in White Chocolate
If you’ve liked my EASY SHORTBREAD THUMBPRINT COOKIES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Shortbread Thumprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 100 g butter
- 100 g icing sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon vanilla sugar
- 150 g plain flour
- 3 tablespoon jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. (350 Fahrenheit)
- Add the soft butter and icing sugar to a bowl and beat them with an electric hand mixer until you get a smooth paste.
- Add the egg yolk, and beat for a further 30 seconds until the egg yolk is fully incorporated.
- Add one tablespoon of vanilla sugar, vanilla extract and flour and, using your hands, mix all ingredients together until you get an easy-to-work-with-dough.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm, and chill the dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
- Grease and flour a rectangle baking tray.
- Use about a tablespoon of dough to shape balls , then gently press with your thumb in the middle of the ball. Repeat until all the dough is finished.
- Fill with jam, then bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Sprinkle some vanilla sugar over the cookies.
Notes
- Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces.
- The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.
Nutrition
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Millie Thom
I can just imagine little hands reaching out for these - big hands, too, come to think of it. They look incredibly pretty, and the dough sounds a little like the type used for the Melting Moments recipe. I haven't made them for years, so I can't quote the exact recipe, but it was a very soft, melt-in-the-mouth result, like these. Lovely shape, too, Daniela.
Daniela Apostol
Thank you, they are incredibly soft and they keep ok for a few good days.
Priya
wow! they are so cute! i love jam thumbprint cookies <3
Daniela Apostol
Thank you!
Mark, Compass & Fork
I love fig jam and it is underrated in my view. So anything with fig jam in the recipe immediately grabs my attention. These little cookies look great and I don't think you are bragging, they do look awesome.
Daniela Apostol
Thank you, Mark!
Azlin Bloor
I love how pretty your cookies look. Using the star nozzle is so much better than blobs, great idea!
Daniela Apostol
Thank you, Azlin! ?
Jane
Ahh, they were a childhood favourite of mine!
Although these are way fancier as ours were never piped 🙂
Janie x
Daniela Apostol
Thank you, Jane! They are indeed favourite among little ones, fun to make and also tasty.