Thumbprint Cookies (Eggless)

Eggless Thumbprint Cookies are buttery, rich, tender, flaky, and melt-in-the-mouth. These cookies are delicious, perfectly sweet, and incredibly easy to bake at home.

If you are going to bake lots of cookies during the holiday season, you must include these jam-filled cookies on your list. Thumbprint Cookies are eggless, require only a few ingredients, and can become a perfect homemade gift to your beloved ones.

Jump to:

• About Thumbprint Cookies
• Why You Will Love These Cookies
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Directions
• Storing Suggestions
• Freezing Suggestions
• Variations
• Helpful Tips
• More Eggless Cookies
• Recipe Card

About Thumbprint Cookies

While buying store-bought cookies is easy, making them at home is pure joy! This recipe is incredibly easy, and the dough comes together quickly. Also, it requires very few ingredients.

I think homemade cookies are fresher, have better flavors, and are more tender. Also, we know what goes into making cookies, and we can stay away from artificial colors or additives. My family does not prefer too much sweetness. So the best part of making baked goods at home is that I can control the amount of sugar.

Thumbprint cookies are also known as jam thumbprint cookies or jam cookies. They are crisp outside, still very tender, and melt in the mouth with a slightly chewy jam texture. The texture of the cookie is slightly crumbly and flaky. They are flavored with warm and sweet pure vanilla and topped with raspberry jam.

These raspberry thumbprint cookies really look fancy and beautiful, but it is incredibly easy to bake them at home. They are perfect for holidays, cookie exchanges, homemade gifts, or for indulging anytime you crave.

I have filled the cookies with raspberry jam, but you can go creative with your cookies. Fill the cookies with your favorite jam or jelly, like mango, mixed berry, strawberry, or pineapple.

Ingredients

1. All-Purpose Flour: I have used unbleached all-purpose flour. It is essential to measure the flour correctly. The best way is to weigh the flour using the kitchen scale if you have one. But if you measure by volume, fluff your flour with the spoon, then spoon it into a measuring cup. Then, level it off with the knife. Too much flour will make the cookies cakey and crumbly.
2. Cornstarch: It helps in making these cookies extra tender. But if you do not have cornstarch, you can replace it with rice flour or all-purpose flour.
3. Butter: Use unsalted butter, and it should be at room temperature. If you want to use salted butter, skip adding the salt.
4. Granulated Sugar: I have added only ⅓ cup of sugar. But if you prefer the thumbprint cookies on the sweeter side, add a couple of tablespoon of more sugar.
5. Salt: It provides a pleasant contrast to sweet cookies and enhances the flavors.
6. Vanilla: For the best flavor, use pure vanilla.
7. Jam: I have used raspberry jam for this recipe. But you can use other fruit jams or jelly of your choice, for example, strawberry, pineapple, or mango.

Step-by-Step Directions

Making The Cookie Dough

• Line the baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and set it aside.
• Whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl until well combined.

• Place butter and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer. 
• Instead of a stand mixer, you can also use a hand-held electric mixer.

• Cream the butter and sugar using a paddle attachment, initially at low speed and then at medium to high speed, until light and fluffy.
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

• Add vanilla and mix for a few seconds until well combined.
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

• Turn the mixer to low, add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. 
• Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Do not overmix.
• The dough should be soft and hold its shape but not sticky or crumbly.
• If it is dry, crumbly, and not coming together, you can add 1 teaspoon of milk or as required to bring the dough together. However, I did not require to add milk.

Shaping And Refrigerating The Cookie Dough

• Scoop the cookie dough using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon and roll it into a ball.
• If using a tablespoon, take one and a half tablespoons of the dough.
• Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet keeping them about two inches apart. 

• Make an indention in the center of each cookie dough ball gently, using or thumb or the back of the rounded ¼ or ½ teaspoon.
• If the edges crack slightly, that is perfectly fine. Either you can smooth them out gently or leave them as it is.
• Place the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours.

Baking The Cookies

• When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Fill each center of the cookie with jam up to the brim, about ¼ tsp.

• Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. 
• Remove from the oven and let them cool down on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to the wire rack and let them cool completely.

Storing Suggestions

Store the cookies at room temperature for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Because these cookies are filled with jam, they become softer if kept for longer. However, bake cookies without filling the jam if you want to make them in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, and then fill them with jam right before serving.

Freezing Suggestions

Freezing Without Baking: You can freeze the unbaked cookie balls for up to a month. Follow the steps until making the indention in each cookie, but do not fill them with jam. Place the baking sheet with cookie balls in the freezer for about an hour to flash-freeze the cookie balls. Then remove them from the freezer and carefully place them in a freezer-safe container or bag, preferably in a single layer if possible. And freeze the container or bag for up to three months. When you are ready to bake the cookies, place the frozen cookie balls on the baking sheet, keeping them about 2 inches apart. You do not need to thaw the cookie dough balls. Fill the center with jam, and bake the cookies in the preheated oven until the edges are lightly golden; you will need to bake frozen balls for 2-3 minutes extra.

Freezing The Baked Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool down completely. Then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag, and freeze them for up to three months. You can freeze them with or without jam. Thaw the cookies at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Or thaw the cookies in the refrigerator overnight.

Variations

Strawberry or Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies: Fill the cookies with strawberry or blueberry jam or jelly.

Lemon Berry Thumbprint Cookies: Whisk about 2tsp of lemon zest into the dry ingredients before adding to the wet mixture, and fill the cookies with your choice of berry jam or jelly.

Nutella Thumbprint Cookies: Bake the cookies with indentions and allow them to cool completely. Then fill each cookie center with Nutella with a spoon or a piping bag.

Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Kisses: Press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s indention right after removing the cookies from the oven.

Almond Or Coconut Flavor: Add ½ teaspoon of almond or coconut extract instead of vanilla for almond or coconut flavors.

Icing On cookies: Mix ½ cup of icing sugar with 1-2 teaspoon of milk or heavy cream. Adjust the consistency by adding more sugar or milk. Then drizzle it over the completely cooled cookies.

Helpful Tips

• Measuring The Ingredients: Correctly measure the flour and other ingredients for the perfect cookies. I will suggest using a kitchen scale. If using the cup method, fluff your flour with the spoon and then spoon it into a measuring cup. Then, level it off with the knife.
• Butter: Butter should be at room temperature for a perfect creaming method.
• Dough: Do not overwork the dough; otherwise, the butter will start warming, and the dough will become sticky. Once everything is combined, stop mixing and bring the dough together with a spatula or your hands. If your dough is crumbly and not coming together, add a teaspoon of milk to get it together. However, make sure not to add too much milk. Or, if the dough is very sticky and hard to handle, place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes and then continue with the following procedures.
• Vanilla: For the best flavor, use pure vanilla, not artificial extract.
• Chilling The Dough: Chilling the dough or cookie dough balls is essential to prevent spreading. So do not skip this step.

More Eggless Cookies

Recipe Card