Strawberry Thumbprint Cookie Recipe (2024)

This completely irresistible Strawberry Thumbprint Cookie Recipe makes the most delicious, buttery, classic Christmas cookie with a beautiful, sweet strawberry jam center. They’ll add the perfect festive touch to all your cookie trays this holiday season.

Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies

These sweet little jam adorned cookies are one of the most favored sweet treats to make at Christmas time. But they’re not just for the holidays! These cookies are wonderful any time of the year, especially in the summer if you have fresh homemade strawberry jam on hand.

But if you’re looking for one of the most iconic Christmas cookies, thumbprints cookies are always a crowd pleaser, not only because they are melt-in-your mouth delicious but because they are so pretty too!

The recipe for these delicious cookies, with a sweet jam center, starts with the same base as this Christmas Cookie Dough recipe, which can be used to make these precious Hidden Kiss Cookies, Frosted Sugar Cookies and these Sprinkle Cookies. Because the dough recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies, you could divide it up and make some of each kind of cookie for an impressive variety to add to your holiday dessert table.

💗 Why We Love This Recipe

• Perfect cookie for your next holiday Christmas cookie exchange, school parties or even gift giving to family and friends.
• The cookie starts with a basic soft and tender cookie dough that can be used to make many different type cookies.
• A delicious strawberry thumbprint cookie recipe that makes cookies that look like they take a lot of work, but they are super easy!
• The kids love helping to make these fun little cookies! Especially when it comes to making the thumbprint indentions!

🥄 Recommended Tools

• Hand Mixer (or stand mixer)
• Large Cookie Sheet
• Large Bowl
• Cookie Scoop
• Whisk
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons

🛒 What’s Needed to Make Strawberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies

• Unsalted Butter- softened
• Shortening
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• All Purpose Flour
• Strawberry Jam
• Instant Vanilla Pudding
• Baking Powder
• Salt

📄 How to Make Thumbprint Strawberry Jam Cookies

Pre heat oven to 350 °F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step One: Combine Wet Ingredients

• Cream together room temperature butter, shortening, and sugar with an electric mixer on low speed.

• Add in eggs, vanilla, and instant pudding mix. Continue mixing until thoroughly incorporated.

Step Two: Whisk Together Dry Ingredients

• In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

Step Three: Form the Dough

• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time mixing between additions until all the flour is incorporated.

• Scoop out the sugar cookie dough by the tablespoonful or a small cookie scoop and shape dough into small balls. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Step Four: Add the Jam Center and Bake

• Using your finger or the handle of a wooden spoon press into the center of each ball to create an indentation. Spoon jam into the center of the cookie.

• Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until set and lightly golden brown around the edges.

• Remove the filled cookies from the oven. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

🍓 Strawberry Thumbprint Cookie Variations

There are so many great ways to change up the way these cookies taste and look. Here are some great options you can try:

• Jam: Raspberry thumbprint cookies are another popular Christmas cookie. All you have to do it swap out the strawberry jam in the center of each cookie with raspberry jam. You can also use apricot, peach or even fig jam if you prefer.

• Chocolate: You can fill the indention with small pieces of chocolate bar. If you do use chocolate, I would recommend sticking the chocolate bar pieces in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you bake the cookies. This will keep it from melted quite as quickly while the cookies are baking.

• Lemon: Lemon curd works great with these cookies. You can make your own or you can usually find it in the grocery store on the jelly and jam aisle.

• Caramel: You make chewy caramel thumbprint cookies but adding a small chunk of your favorite caramel candy in the indention. Again, I would stick the candy in the freezer for a little while first.

• Glaze: Add an extra special touch to these baked and cooled cookies by drizzling each cookie with little bit of a simple vanilla glaze.

• Extracts: Even though this dough uses vanilla extract, you can swap it out for orange, lemon or almond extract.

• Sugar crystals: Give these cookies a little sparkle by rolling each ball of dough in some coarse ground or decorating sugar before pressing with your thumb.

• Chocolate cookies: Strawberries and chocolate are a great combo. You can add a little unsweetened cocoa to the cookie dough. You’ll have to be careful though and not add more than about a tablespoon because you don’t want it to change the texture of the cookies.

How to Store Thumbprint Cookies?

You can store these cookies on the counter or in the fridge. Just make sure you keep them in a seal airtight container or a cookie jar with a tight lid to help them stay fresh longer.

You can also freeze the baked cookies. This is a great make-ahead time saver when you have a lot of holiday baking to do. Just make sure you allow the cookies to cool completely before you put them in a freezer safe food container.

It’s not recommended that you try to store them in freezer bags because they may break apart if they are bumped while in the freezer.

Tips for Making the Best Classic Thumbprint Cookies

• To get really smooth edges on these baked cookies, you want to make sure the dough balls are nice and smooth when you’re rolling them. Remember that any cracks you see in the raw dough balls will only get bigger when the cookies bake.

• It’s always best to add the jam filling to the cookies before baking to help it set up. The jam will heat up and as it cools with the cookies, it will get chewy and delicious.

• Speaking of jam, don’t confuse jam with strawberry preserves. As you know, preserves typically have chunks of fruit running throughout which would not work well with the small thumbprint sized indentions in these cookies.

• When baking cookies, you want to always start off with a cooled baking sheet. You can simple just run it under cold water to cool and dry it off, if needed. When you add dough to a warm cookie sheet, it will cause the dough to spread before it begins to bake.

More Christmas Cookie Recipes

• Christmas Wreath Cornflake Cookies
• Ooey Gooey Christmas Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
• Pinwheel Sugar Cookies
• Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies
• Peanut Butter Balls
• Fruitcake Cookies
• Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
• Frosted Christmas Cookies