Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies are buttery cookies filled with raspberry preserves and topped with powdered sugar. Melt in your mouth and perfect for any holiday!
This cookie was orginally featured in my Baking Basics cookbook with a lemon curd filling. I love it so much I knew I wanted to share this raspberry version here.
This recipe was originally published in March 2021. I updated the recipe to create a better cookie dough and republished with new photos and recipe notes in February 2025.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a sweet, fruity jam center.
Ease of Making: A bit more effort than drop cookies, but the delicious results are worth it!
Cooking Method: Baked in the oven until lightly golden, then dusted with powdered sugar.
Top Tip: Chill the dough for about 30 minutes before rolling to make it easier to handle and to help the cookies maintain their shape during baking.
Biting into a good cookie is pure bliss. A buttery crumb gives way to a fruity center! Based off my shortbread cookies, but with a little more structure and a touch of jam.
- This recipe includes plenty of butter, of course, but I also add just enough sugar to complement the sweetness of the jam center.
- Sprinkling the finished cookies with powdered sugar adds a gorgeous finishing touch!
Jam Thumbprint Cookies make a perfect treat for a tea party–but they’re so easy you’ll want to make them all the time. No special occasion required!
These thumbprint cookies take just a teensy bit more effort than a standard drop cookie. The fruity, colorful results are to die for! Or give my festive linzer cookies recipe a try this year!
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter. I prefer unsalted butter to avoid overwhelming the cookies with saltiness. Let it come to room temperature before using in the recipe.
- Preserves. I use raspberry jam, but you can totally swap it out for other flavors, like strawberry jam, aprictot, or blackberry, if you like.
- Powdered Sugar– the fine texture of confectioners sugar blends easily with the butter, creating a tender, melt in your mouth crumb.
- Pure Vanilla Extract- I choose this over imitation because it offers a richer, more balanced flavor. Imitation vanilla leaves a slightly bitter taste.
How to Make Raspberry Jam Cookies
Make the cookie dough. The dough will appear very dry at first. Keep mixing with the paddle attachment and it will come together into a ball. Stop mixing. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for about half and hour.
Roll Dough. Using 1 Tablespoon scoop, roll balls into a 1-inch sized ball.
Add thumbprint. Use your clean thumb to make an indentation in the center of each cookie. I actually LOVE using a wine cork for this, it creates the perfect well. Press about half the way into the cookie.
Fill and Bake. Add about 1/2-1teaspoon of jam. Bake and cool.
Glaze. You can top these cookies with powdered sugar (like a kolache cookie) or add and easy icing for a delicious finishing touch!
Tips and Tricks
- Use the back of a spoon or your knuckle for pressing the cookies, if preferred. I love using a wine cork.
- Don’t overfill the cookies. A half teaspoon may not seem like a lot, but less is more for thumbprints. Using too much jam will result in overflowing centers and burned preserves stuck to your cookie sheet.
- Use a combination of different preserves in your batch of cookies to add an eye-catching contrast when serving. Apricot preserves taste amazing on this cookie dough.
- Store thumbprint cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze thumbprints either before or after baking.
Freeze baked cookies before adding the powdered sugar.
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Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup raspberry preserves
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, combine butter and powdered sugar until fully blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the vanilla extract. Add in flour and salt. Mix until the dough forms a ball (it will appear crumbly but will come together after a minute or so). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough with a 1 Tablespoon cookie scoop and roll into a 1-inch ball. Place on cookie sheet, repeat with remaining dough. Using your thumb, or a wine cork, press an indent into the cookie.
- Fill cookie with about 1/2-1 teaspoon raspberry preserves. Use your fingers to pinch any edges that may have cracked to seal them smooth.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the edges begin to lightly brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Notes
- STORAGE- Store baked cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Freeze cookies for up to 3 months.
- MAKE AHEAD- Cookie dough can be made 24 hours ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator. It may be hard to roll initially, so allow to sit at room temperature about 15 minutes before scooping.
- FLAVORS- These cookies are great with apricot preserves, strawberry preserves and blackberry preserves. I don’t suggest using jelly as it is too sugary and will bubble over the tops of the cookies.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks and photo tutorial.
Nutrition
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Jam Thumbprint Cookies are simplicity at its most impressive! These perfect little cookies are easy to make with a fruity jam center. You won’t be able to resist popping one in your mouth every time you see them!
These were so easy and delicious! They were a great way to use up some of my jam that needed to be used.
One of my favorite types of cookies. Can’t wait to try these!
The hint of almond with the jam is a delicious combination! The drizzle of icing is the cherry on top!