Buttery, tender almond-vanilla shortbread meets raspberry jam—these raspberry almond thumbprint cookies are a traditional for a motive. With their melt-in-your-mouth texture, completely paired candy flavors, and fairly presentation, it’s laborious to consider you solely want 7 components for the dough and 1 bowl to make them!
I initially printed this recipe in 2013, and it now options up to date photographs, added success suggestions, and a revised shaping technique for even higher outcomes.
If there’s one cookie that appears like a vacation traditional and a year-round deal with, it’s this one.
Why You’ll Love These Thumbprint Cookies
- Tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture: The dough is buttery and delicate, but sturdy sufficient to carry a jam filling.
- Brilliant fruit taste: Raspberry jam in every indentation brings a vibrant, flavorful distinction to the candy almond-kissed cookie.
- Quick ingredient checklist: These cookies make the lower for my checklist of recipes requiring 8 components or much less!
- 1-bowl cookie dough: An electrical mixer and 1 bowl is all it is advisable make the dough!
- Egg-free baking recipe: Whether or not you might have an allergy or are merely out of eggs, these cookies don’t require any.
These raspberry almond thumbprints are excellent for cookie exchanges, gifting, or just having fun with with a cup of tea. And on a vacation dessert platter, these cookies stand out like little jewels!
Elements You Want & Why
- Butter: Unsalted butter is the inspiration of shortbread’s wealthy, tender texture. As a result of butter carries the flavour right here, make certain it’s correctly softened to room temperature so it lotions easily with the sugar.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the dough and helps it maintain construction, giving the cookies a comfortable, tender chunk with out ever turning cakey.
- Vanilla: A splash of vanilla rounds out the flavour and enhances the raspberry jam.
- Almond Extract: The star of the present! I imply, the dough! 😉 Almond extract provides a heat, bakery-style aroma that pairs superbly with berry preserves.
- Salt: Balances the candy.
- Flour: All-purpose flour kinds the bottom of this egg-free cookie. It absorbs the butter and creates a dough that’s comfortable however not sticky, excellent for shaping.
- Raspberry Jam: Use a thick, high-quality raspberry jam or preserves. Seeded or seedless each work—select your choice. Different flavors similar to strawberry, apricot, or blackberry additionally work splendidly.
Non-compulsory Icing: For a reasonably end, whisk collectively confectioners’ sugar with a splash of milk (or half-and-half, or cream). Slightly almond or vanilla extract is beautiful right here, too.
Almond Shortbread Dough
Typical shortbread cookies are made up of one half sugar, two elements butter, and three elements flour. Some recipes have eggs, some don’t. Some recipes have chemical leavening brokers, some don’t.
My shortbread cookie dough is simply sugar-butter-flour with slightly salt, plus almond and vanilla extracts. I like to make use of a variation of right this moment’s dough for wedge-shaped shortbread cookies. The dough is fairly straightforward to work with and is flexible for plenty of totally different shapes of cookies.
After you combine up the dough, it is going to be fairly comfortable and buttery. Shortbread cookies are alleged to be buttery, so if the dough feels further buttery—you’re heading in the right direction.
Shaping Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Right here’s what’s new: Roll and indent the cookie dough earlier than chilling. Chilling the formed dough prevents spreading and makes it a lot simpler to deal with. Beforehand, the dough was chilled as a complete, which made shaping trickier.
Roll the dough into balls, about 1 Tablespoon of dough (20g) every. Be certain that they’re clean in order that they bake evenly.
Make the indentation. Press your thumb into every ball. The dough might crack barely, so simply use your fingers to clean the perimeters collectively.
Chill the formed dough. Place the indented dough balls on a lined baking sheet or giant plate and refrigerate for not less than 4 hours. As soon as chilled, switch them to contemporary baking sheets with area between every cookie.
Fill every with about 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry jam per cookie. Be at liberty to swap in one other jam or preserves.
Then it’s time to bake. The cookies will puff up and unfold only a bit. Keep away from overbaking; the bottoms needs to be pale with solely the faintest trace of browning.
Success Tip: Use light-colored baking sheets for these cookies. Darkish metallic conducts warmth sooner and contributes to browning. In case you bake these light-colored cookies on a darkish baking sheet (even when it’s lined!), the bottoms will over-brown. Similar rule applies for these peppermint meltaway cookies.
The Icing on the Cookie
Now… the creamy icing! Whisk collectively confectioners’ sugar and milk. Be at liberty so as to add a little bit of almond or vanilla extract to the combo as effectively. Drizzle the icing onto every cookie.
This recipe comes collectively superbly as a result of the buttery shortbread (with its hints of vanilla and almond) is mellow but wealthy, the raspberry jam provides brightness and tang, and the glaze ties all of it collectively. They’ve been a trusted go-to for greater than a decade, and when you style them, you’ll perceive why.
Extra Thumbprint Cookies
For extra cookie inspiration, listed below are all my favourite Christmas cookies.
Description
Tender, buttery almond shortbread cookies full of candy raspberry jam. These straightforward, egg-free thumbprint cookies come collectively in 1 bowl and bake into tender, melt-in-your-mouth treats excellent for the vacations or any time of yr. See Be aware beneath about retaining the dough chilly always, to assist forestall over-spreading.
- Make the cookies: Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on excessive pace till creamy, about 1 minute. Change mixer to medium pace and add the the sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Scrape down the perimeters and the underside of the bowl as wanted. Add the salt and flour. Flip the mixer on low and slowly beat till a really comfortable dough is shaped. If the dough appears too sticky for rolling, beat in one other Tablespoon of flour.
- Form the cookies: Line a baking sheet or plate with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop and roll the dough, a couple of Tablespoon (18–20g) every, into balls, and place on the ready baking sheet. Press an indentation along with your thumb in every ball. The dough might crack barely if you press your thumb into it. Merely clean it out along with your fingers when you can.
- Place the baking sheet with the thumbprint cookies within the fridge and chill till agency, not less than 4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Place the cookies on the ready baking sheets, spacing them 2–3 inches aside, about 9–12 cookies per baking sheet. Fill every cookie with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies for 13–quarter-hour, or till very frivolously browned on the perimeters. The cookies will puff up and unfold barely. Don’t overbake. Enable the cookies to chill on the baking sheet for five minutes earlier than transferring to a wire rack. Enable to chill for not less than half-hour earlier than glazing.
- Make the icing: Whisk the icing components collectively till clean. Add extra liquid to skinny out or add extra confectioners’ sugar to thicken to your required consistency. Drizzle over cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour.
- Retailer cookies in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 2 days, or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Formed shortbread dough (rolled and indented) may be frozen for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge, after which proceed with step 4. Baked cookies (with or with out icing) may be frozen for as much as 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or within the fridge.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk
- Jam: Use a thick, high-quality raspberry jam or preserves. Seeded or seedless each work—select your choice. Different flavors similar to strawberry, apricot, or blackberry additionally work splendidly.
- Chilly Dough: The formed cookie dough should keep chilly and agency earlier than baking. After rolling and including the thumbprint, chill the formed dough for not less than 4 hours (or as much as 3 days). If the dough softens as you fill with jam, merely return the formed cookies to the fridge to agency up once more. When baking in batches, maintain the remaining formed cookies within the fridge whereas the primary batch bakes. You can even form and indent a second tray, refrigerate it, and bake it proper after the primary.
