My husband has a thing for cookies. He considers them breakfast food, you see, so he gets a bit depressed when there aren’t any cookies in the house. Am I trying to starve him? Don’t I know he needs to eat breakfast to stay strong? What do I mean, we have oatmeal and cereal and bacon and eggs and muffins and waffles? WHERE ARE THE COOKIES, WOMAN?
Alright, so actually all he does when he wants cookies is say, in front of me, to himself “Wonder when the last time I had a cookie was?” I get the hint and I bake him some dang cookies.
He’s too cute to refuse.
These cookies, oh these cookies…how do I begin? They are buttery and slightly crunchy while still being chewy and they are filled with delicious black raspberry jam. The dough is so simple, only requiring four ingredients. They are quick to mix up and totally worth the effort of smooshing a finger (or thumb, if you are a dainty little girl with thumbs the size of a push pin) in to the dough and filling it with jam.
Be patient with the dough, though. It takes a bit for the flour to incorporate into the butter and sugar, and if you’re like me you’ll be wanting to add a few spoonfuls of milk to help things along. Don’t do it. Just be patient and the dough will come together.
You’ll want to make these small. The balls of dough should be just a tiny bit bigger than those annoying bouncy balls my kids insist on getting out of the little quarter machines and then bouncing around my house and off of my head. Yes. That size.
I found it easiest to use a wee little spoon to put the jam in the indention. I tried piping it in, but that was not as easy as I had hoped.
These bake up quickly and it’s a bit tough to tell when they are done. You don’t want them to brown, so just watch the edges and as soon as you see a hint of brown, pull them out of the oven.
Drizzle with a bit of powdered sugar glaze, or if you’re feeling particularly naughty, a bit of melted chocolate. I practiced restraint and only used the powdered sugar glaze.
Raspberry Thumbprints
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold butter
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract, see note
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add cold butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Mix in flour and continue mixing until the dough comes together.
- Roll dough into small balls and press your pinky finger into each ball to make the well for the dough. Fill the wells with the jam.
- Place cookies in the refrigerator for one hour to chill.
- Bake for 12 minutes or just until the bottoms are browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Mix together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and as much milk as you need to get the consistency of glaze you prefer. Drizzle over the cooled cookies.
Feenix says
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve mad them several times for different occasions and they always come out perfectly delicious and beautiful! Family and friends go crazy for them!
Karly says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Feenix!
Sam2 says
Trying these cookies right now… literally found this blog a half hour ago because I was set on something baked and sweet tonight. Chilling cookies as I type. I can’t wait to try them! Great blog 🙂
Karly says
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the cookies! 🙂
Shirley says
I want to make these so badly!
Chelsea says
I just made these and they were so great! I might even be using them for a cookie competition 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
http://ducksoven.blogspot.com/2010/10/cookie-exchange-thumbprint-cookies.html
Megan says
Loved these cookies! Mine didn’t look quite as pretty my first time, but playing with the size and shape worked it out. My jam seemed to solidify a little in that it held its shape but still soft, and it added such good flavor. I used my pinch, dash and smidge spoons and if they weren’t the same, they still worked great. I seriously struggled not to eat the whole batch myself and I’ve been craving more since I first made them! (Tasty icing…) I love your recipes, and your photos are always so beautiful!