For the best buttery soft Christmas cookies, bake up a batch of Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies with Raspberry Jam. They're simple to make, and so delicious!
Buttery thumbprint cookies filled with sweet red jam are the perfect Christmas or Valentines Day treat!
These cute little raspberry cookies have been a family favorite for many years. They're a staple on our holiday dessert tray, and once you try them - I think they'll be a staple at your table too!
Why My Shortbread Thumbprint Cookie Recipe is the Best
- Just 5 basic ingredients. It can be frustrating to find a Christmas cookie recipe that looks perfect, only to realize that it calls for ingredients you're unlikely to use more than once or twice.
- Festive color. These are a favorite at Christmas, but also super cute treats for Valentine's Day!
- An easy and affordable homemade gift to share. Make a few batches, then wrap them up in nice food storage containers or cellophane bags. Everyone loves shortbread thumbprint cookies, so give them to your neighbors, family, and/or coworkers.
If you love fruit-filled cookies, you should also make a batch of raspberry Linzer cookies!
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
- salted butter
- white granulated sugar
- egg yolk
- all-purpose flour
- raspberry jam - this is my favorite brand, but any type or brand of seedless jam will work.
Substitutions and Thumbprint Cookie Variations
- butter: I prefer to bake with salted butter, but unsalted works too. Just be sure to add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the dough. Plant-based butter sticks should also work, but keep in mind that I have not tested any butter substitutes with this recipe.
- eggs - This is an important ingredient in making the shortbread dough, so it isn't a great idea to use an egg substitute. If you want to do your own recipe testing, feel free! For tips and suggestions, read my article on Egg Substitutions for Baking.
- white sugar: To cut down on the calories of your cookies, feel free to use a cup-for-cup granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option.
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make gluten free cookies, substitute with any cup-for-cup brand of gluten-free all purpose flour.
To enhance and/or change up the flavor of your Christmas shortbread, you can include one teaspoon of any flavor extract to the dough. Extract flavors that taste great with raspberry cookies include almond, vanilla, butter, and lemon.
For shortbread without the fruity flavor, make a batch of chocolate chip shortbread bars!
Another option is to use a different flavor of jam. Cherry and strawberry are good options that will add a festive red touch to Christmas or Valentine's Day thumbprints.
To add a little bit of crunch, sprinkle coarse sanding sugar over the top of the unbaked cookies.
How to Make Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Make the dough. To prevent spreading, chill the dough before baking.
- Portion and shape the thumbprints. Use your thumb or the back of a small spoon.
- Fill each thumbprint with raspberry jam.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
Liz's Tips for the Best Thumbprints
- Properly measuring the flour prevents dry, crumbly shortbread. Do not scoop the flour directly into the measuring cup. Instead, spoon it in, then use the flat edge of a butter knife to level off the excess.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough. You want the dough balls to all be the same size. This ensures that they bake evenly.
- Chill the dough: To prevent cracking, I recommend chilling the dough for an hour.
- Cookie spacing is important. Allow for a little bit of spreading by spacing the cookie dough balls 1 to 2 inches apart.
- Make ahead of time: Prepare the cookie dough up to 24hrs ahead of time. Makes holiday baking a lot easier when you can plan ahead.
Storage
Storing: Keep your Christmas shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature, or store in the refrigerator. They're best when eaten within a week, but can last for a few days longer.
Do they need to be refrigerated? It isn't necessary to refrigerate the raspberry cookies, as there is only a tiny bit of jam them. If you expect to keep the treats longer than 2 weeks, then I recommend refrigerating them.
Freezing: After baking and cooling, you can freeze thumbprint cookies in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Freezing the unbaked cookie dough is not recommended. I froze a batch of dough and found that the cookies cracked as they baked in the oven.
Shortbread Thumbprint Cookie FAQs
Flat thumbprint cookies are often the result of butter that was too warm. The simplest way to prevent the dough from spreading too much is to chill it before baking.
To prevent cracked cookies press very gently when creating the indent with your thumb or a like tool. For perfect circle indents use the back of a teaspoon or the handle of a wooden spoon.
Depending on the type of dough and the filling, the flavor of thumbprints will vary. This recipe is for raspberry shortbread cookies, so the flavor is buttery and sweet. Think, lightly buttered toast with raspberry jam.
Other Easy Cookie Recipes
- Best Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
- Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
- Delicious Hot Cocoa Cookies
Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup raspberry jam preferably seedless
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use an electric hand mixer and large bowl), cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, then mix again for 1 minute.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape down the insides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed gradually incorporate the flour.
- Optional, but recommended: Chill the dough for an hour to prevent the cookies from spreading.
- Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, portion and arrange ½ tablespoon-sized dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Make an indent in the center of the dough with your thumb OR grease the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon with cooking spray and use that to make your indents.
- Fill each indent with jam. *I recommend sealing the jam inside of a zip top plastic bag, cutting a very tiny hole in the corner and piping the jam into the ident of the cookies. You can use a spoon, but the bag method is easier and less messy.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, or until the shortbread is light golden brown.
- Remove raspberry cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan for 2 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Video
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Chill the dough: To prevent the cookies from spreading too much, I recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Make ahead of time: Prepare the cookie dough up to 24 hours ahead of time. Holiday baking is a lot easier when you can plan ahead.
- Freezing the unbaked dough is not recommended. I froze a batch of dough and the cookies cracked when baked.
Chrissy
If I make these again, I will add a touch of salt and more sugar. The cookies were a little bland and didn't have a rich buttery flavor.
Nisha
I made these for Christmas this year and they were an absolute hit! My 11 year old son loved them and is already asking for another batch! So easy and def worth it. Followed the recipe as is and they came out perfect. Thank you for an easy holiday cookie
Liz Marino
Thank you so much, Nisha! I really appreciate you giving them a try!
Debra pelkey
Definitely 5 stars
Debra pelkey
I just made them. They came awesome and tasty. I used both raspberry and blueberry filling.
Sheila
These cookies were the perfect addition to my cookie trays this year! So delish!
Susannah Brinkley Henry
These cookies are my JAM! Truly some of my favorite cookies year-round.
Kathleen
Thumbprint cookies remind me of the holidays, I've got a batch in the oven now and the house smells amazing!
Debi
These were delicious. I made them for a work potluck & everyone asked for the recipe!