Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
These Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies are a festive, bakery-style cookie made right at home. A great recipe for beginner bakers, every bite is filled with rich almond and raspberry flavor.
Holiday cookie season is probably my favorite time of the year. I make all different types of Christmas cookies for parties, friends, neighbors, and family. It’s not Christmas cookie season without these Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies, my family has been making these for generations, they’re one of our favorites.
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Thanks to Plugrà Premium European Style Butter that has 82% butterfat content (versus 80% that most American butters have), every cookie offers richer flavor and a perfectly moist texture that’s impossible to resist. It makes your holiday treats taste richer, bake up prettier, and come together easier. It’s the little upgrade that makes a big difference.
The dough is quick and easy to make with no chilling required. Raspberry jam is my mom’s favorite for its rich and tart fruity flavor, but I’ve made them with all sorts of jams and preserves. Topped with an almond glaze, it’s no wonder I’ve been asked for the recipe dozens and dozens of times. If you love making cookies, be sure to also make our Avalanche Cookies or Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll love the Recipe
- Bakery-style cookie that’s easy to make. These raspberry thumbprint cookies are easy and so fun for the whole family to get involved in making. Have some people roll the dough and others indent the center and fill with the jam.
- A crowdpleaser of a cookie that will be gone in no time. Everyone loves these raspberry almond thumbprints. They have the perfect sweet, tart, and berry flavor in every bite.
- They’re perfect for gifting: They hold their shape well and stay pretty on cookie trays or in boxes.
Laura Ashley’s Tip: I love using raspberry jam around the holidays for the bright red color. But feel free to change up the flavors of the thumbprints with your preferred jams, jellies, and preserves.
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Full Printable Recipe Card Below
Cookie Dough:
- Plugra unsalted butter: The base of the cookie dough, make sure it’s softened before mixing.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the dough perfectly.
- Vanilla extract: Adds both caramel and floral notes.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the dough it’s structure.
- Salt: Necessary in all baked goods to help bring out all of the flavors.
- Raspberry jam: What we’ll use to fill the center of the cookies. You can use any of your favorite flavors of jam here.
Almond Glaze:
- Powdered sugar: The base to the almond glaze to make that sweet flavor with a consistency that’s easy to drizzle.
- Water: A little goes a long way, helps to make the right texture of the glaze.
- Almond extract: Adds a hint of sweet almond flavor that pairs perfectly with the raspberry filling.
Tools You’ll Need
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatula
- 12″x17″ Sheet Pan
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Cooling Racks
- Small Scoop
How to Make Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened Plugra unsalted butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add flour, salt, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix just until a soft dough forms. It may look slightly crumbly at first, but keep mixing until it comes together.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into smooth balls. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Using your thumb or the back of a small ½-teaspoon measuring spoon, press an indentation into the center of each dough ball.
- Spoon a small amount of raspberry jam into each indentation, about ½ teaspoon per cookie. Avoid overfilling so it doesn’t spill over while baking. Refrigerate 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies 10-14 minutes, or until the edges look set and the bottoms are lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. For a perfectly round, polished look, while the cookies are warm, place a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie over it and gently swirl in a circular motion.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of the water, and almond extract. Mix well then check the drizzling consistency. Add the remaining 1-2 teaspoons of water if needed.
- Drizzle the almond glaze over the tops using a spoon or piping bag. Allow the icing to set before serving on a platter or storing in an airtight container.
Expert Tips
- Don’t over-mix the cookie dough. You want the dough to just come together in the stand or hand mixer. In fact, it may even be crumbly after it’s mixed, as long as you can pinch it together then it’s ready to roll into balls.
- Make sure you roll your cookie dough balls to the same size. This allows them to cook evenly in the oven so none of the cookies over-bake and become too hard or crispy.
- Avoid overfilling the center of the cookie with jam. You need less than you think, about 1/2 teaspoon. If you overfill the center of the cookie, you risk it spilling out when baking.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing. This is key to allow the jam to set as well as the icing to not melt all over the cookies.
- If your icing is too thick, add another teaspoon of water. If it’s too thin, add another tablespoon or two of powdered sugar until you reach the correct consistency.
Storage
Store any leftover raspberry thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can freeze the cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter until they are soft again.
If you want to make the cookie dough in advance, you definitely can. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 1 day. Just be sure to let the dough come back to room temperature before rolling and filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before baking, this will allow the jam to thicken and set inside of the cookie dough in the oven.
You want to underbake the cookies and then let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet. If you bake them for too long then they will be crunchy rather than chewy.
Yes, you can easily swap for jelly instead of jam.
More Easy Cookie Recipes
This post was created in partnership with Plugrà. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup Plugra unsalted butter softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam
Almond Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3-4 teaspoons water
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened Plugra unsalted butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add flour, salt, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Mix just until a soft dough forms. It may look slightly crumbly at first, but keep mixing until it comes together.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into smooth balls. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Using your thumb or the back of a small ½-teaspoon measuring spoon, press an indentation into the center of each dough ball.
- Spoon a small amount of raspberry jam into each indentation, about ½ teaspoon per cookie. Avoid overfilling so it doesn’t spill over while baking. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies 10-14 minutes, or until the edges look set and the bottoms are lightly golden. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. For a perfectly round, polished look, while the cookies are warm, place a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie over it and gently swirl in a circular motion.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of the water, and almond extract. Mix well then check the drizzling consistency. Add the remaining 1-2 teaspoons of water if needed.
- Drizzle the almond glaze over the tops using a spoon or piping bag. Allow the icing to set before serving on a platter or storing in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- Don’t over-mix the cookie dough. You want the dough to just come together in the stand or hand mixer. In fact, it may even be crumbly after it’s mixed, as long as you can pinch it together then it’s ready to roll into balls.
- Make sure you roll your cookie dough balls to the same size. This allows them to cook evenly in the oven so none of the cookies over-bake and become too hard or crispy.
- Avoid overfilling the center of the cookie with jam. You need less than you think, about 1/2 teaspoon. If you overfill the center of the cookie, you risk it spilling out when baking.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before icing. This is key to allow the jam to set as well as the icing to not melt all over the cookies.
- If your icing is too thick, add another teaspoon of water. If it’s too thin, add another tablespoon or two of powdered sugar until you reach the correct consistency.
Storage
Store any leftover raspberry thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can freeze the cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter until they are soft again. If you want to make the cookie dough in advance, you definitely can. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 1 day. Just be sure to let the dough come back to room temperature before rolling and filling.Nutrition
About Laura
Taught by some of the best, cooking and entertaining has always been my favorite hobby. Food is my love language! The conception of Dinner in 321 came from my family talks that sharing our dinners would help others learn new skills, tasty recipes, and make cooking fun! Read more…
No eggs? Just checking!! ❤️
No eggs 🙂
I would so appreciate it if you gave links to both your baking mats and those glass mixing/measuring bowls. Or at least direct us to where you got them. Please
The liners are silpat mats and the clear glass bowls are prep bowls from the pampered chef.
Can I make the dough ahead of timenand freeze it somehow?
Yes! That works great!
Girl!! This recipe is the best. Thank you so much. They came out perfect. Followed the recipe to a T and I will def be making these again ! Your CA girl 🎄
Oh, sweet Nancy!! Thank you SO much!!!🥰 That just made my day!! I’m so happy you made them and liked them so much! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
The dough does not come together. You’re shown in the picture adding liquid that is not in your directions. Something is not right in this recipe
It will come together. As the recipe says “it may look slightly crumbly at first, but keep mixing until it comes together.” The liquid I added was the vanilla extract. If the butter wasn’t softened or at room temp, this could make the coming together more difficult. I’ve made these so many times and can definitely confirm they’ll work as written. 🙂 I hope you like them next time.
These are amazing.
Aww!🥹You’re so sweet! Thank you SO much!!!🥰