If you are looking to round out your Christmas cookie plates, be sure not to miss my Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Soft & Chewy Molasses Cookies, and Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms. I adore shortbread cookies and look forward to making cranberry shortbread bars and toffee pecan shortbread cookies every year. It’s the perfect canvas for showcasing other flavors in a crumbly, buttery cookie that practically melts in your mouth. And it’s not as sweet as most cookies, which is why it goes so well with the fruity jam baked in the center of each little one- or maybe two-bite cookie. These thumbprint cookies are no exception and one of my favorite traditional Christmas cookies. The easy shortbread dough comes together quickly and little helpers love rolling the dough into balls, then making the thumbprint to hold a dollop of jam. And speaking of jam, you can use any jam flavor you like! I grabbed raspberry, blueberry, and apricot jam from my fridge for these thumbprint cookies and all were absolutely delicious. But I just bought a jar of cloudberry jam from Ikea and will try that when I make these again closer to Christmas! And strawberry, boysenberry, and peach jam are also yummy choices. The glaze is optional and thumbprint cookies are good with and without the glaze, but I love the way it dresses up these cookies and makes them just a bit more special.
How to Make Thumbprint Cookies
Do I need to chill the dough?
I have found that this dough is easy to work with right after mixing without chilling it in the fridge first. You should be able to roll the balls of dough between the palms of your hands without any difficulty, even with unchilled dough. Because the cookies are small and have little liquid in them, they don’t spread much while baking, so chilling is unnecessary.
How to Store Thumbprint Cookies
Jam thumbprint cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer storage, you can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Just let them thaw on the counter for 30-60 minutes before eating.
More Christmas Cookies You’ll Love
Mexican Wedding Cookies [aka Russian Tea Cakes] Homemade Iced Oatmeal Cookies The Best Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe Oatmeal Rolled Sugar Cookies Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies Peppermint Macarons Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti Greek Baklava Recipe Double Chocolate Nutella Sandwich Cookies Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookies
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