These rich, buttery little shortbread cookies pack big flavor in every bite. They were one of the first cookies I learned how to make myself as a curious kid who loved to cook! This is a long-standing favorite recipe that’s been around for a while, chanced are- many of you already love them too! If you’ve never tried them, now’s the time. Growing up, they quickly became a regular on our holiday cookie plates, but are just as delicious any day of the year! I absolutely love the hint of almond extract in this recipe, but if you don’t love almond, feel free to leave it out.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Cookies
- Granulated sugar
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can!
- Almond extract– pure or artificial extract works great
- All-purpose flour
- Seedless raspberry jam
Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Almond extract
How to Make Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- These little gems are so easy. You’ll start off by creaming butter, sugar, and almond extract until light and fluffy. Then you’ll add flour a little at a time until fully incorporated and that’s it for the dough.
- Roll the dough into small balls- 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Use your thumb or another finger to make a small indent in each dough ball and fill with a small dollop of raspberry jam then bake.
- Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
- When the cookies are cool, whisk up an easy glaze of powdered sugar and almond extract and drizzle over the cookies.
Tip: resist the urge to overfill the centers. These cookies are bite sized and you’ll put what feels like the tiniest bit of jam in the center, but as they cook it spreads and works out perfect. If you overfill, you’ll have little volcano spills like below left. Try to not crack the edges of the dough when you indent the centers, and fill just to the top of the indentations for perfect cookies like below right.
Storing and Other Tips
- Allow the cookies to cool completely and for the glaze to harden before storing or gifting.
- Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- Keep them small! These cookies are rich and make the perfect little sweet bite when kept nice and small.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. These cookies stay tender and delicious for several days. Feel free to prep ahead! I’ve also frozen the dough after rolling in balls and indenting with my finger. You’ll just leave the cookies in the fridge to thaw naturally and then fill with jam and bake as usual.
Sure! Any flavor of jam will do, but I do think they’re best if you use seedless varieties. If you’d like to try another flavor of extract, that should be just fine too.
The almond is the star of the show here so I definitely recommend giving it a try. That said, the recipe will still work great almond-free. Just mix a tiny bit of water into your powdered sugar to make the glaze.
While I haven’t tried it personally, cookie recipes generally translate pretty well when using a good quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, so my gut says yes!
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups flour (260g) weighing recommended
- ½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter, sugar, and almond extract at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the flour a little at a time until fully incorporated.
- Roll dough into small balls (1 inch in diameter) and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Use your finger to make a small indent in the center of each dough ball and fill with about 1/4 teaspoon raspberry jam. Tip: If your indentation causes a crack down the side of your dough ball, gently squeeze it back together to avoid the jam spilling out of the center during baking.
- Bake for about 9-11 minutes. Tip: My family prefers these cookies extra soft so I remove them from the oven when they are set and puffed, but not golden brown on the bottoms at all. Usually 9-10 minutes depending on size. I've also cooked them longer so the bottoms get golden brown and lightly crispy. They're delicious that way too! Feel free to bake to your preference.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
- When cooled, whisk the powdered sugar and almond extract and add water, just the tiniest bit at a time until you have a drizzly consistency. You can either drizzle the glaze with a spoon, or spoon it into a zip top bag and snip off the edge to pipe it on.
Notes
- Allow the cookies to cool completely and for the glaze to harden before storing or gifting.
- Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results. If you do need to stack them, I recommend stacking between layers of parchment paper.
- Keep them small! These cookies are rich and make the perfect little sweet bite when kept nice and small.
Questions & Reviews
As someone on the receiving end of you baking these little cookies, I can confidently say they live up to the hype! The little touch of almond is perfect and really sets them apart from other shortbread-type cookies. LOVE them!