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The Best Jelly Thumbprint Cookies Recipe Ever

These cookies are a holiday tradition in our house. Here’s our best Jelly Thumbprint Cookies recipe — sweet, buttery and laced with cinnamon.

The Best Jelly Thumbprint Cookies Ever

When I was in middle school, baking cookies became my thing. Chocolate chip cookies were a favorite. Sometimes peanut butter cookies. But sweet, cinnamon-scented cookies with jelly in the middle were really my jam. (See what I did there?) I made them all the time.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve made these cookies less and less often. But when I do, I am reminded of so many things: childhood, learning to bake, growing up and — perhaps most importantly — how much I love these cookies.

Clearly, I don’t make them often enough.

What makes a good Jelly Thumbprint Cookies recipe? It needs to be a soft but firm cookie that holds its shape well when baked. And it needs to hold that jelly well. This one is all of those things.

The dough for these cookies comes together easily in a stand mixer but you can use a hand mixer too. Once made, I use a cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough. Then I press my thumb into the center of each cookie before filling the indent with jam, jelly or preserves. In this case, I used blueberry jam. But any flavor that you like will work.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

The Best Jelly Thumbprint Cookies Recipe Ever

The Best Jelly Thumbprint Cookies Recipe Ever
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • jelly, jam or fruit preserves

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Add vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Mix on low as you slowly add the flour spoonful by spoonful.
  3. Using a cookie scoop (about 1 tbsp size), scoop out dough and place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment.
  4. Dip your thumb into flour, then press into a ball. Repeat until all the cookies have thumbprints in the center. Fill the hole with your choice of jelly, jam or preserve.
  5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown around the edges and on the bottom.
  6. Let cool on wire racks.
  7. Devour.

Notes

Serving size is 3 cookies.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 225Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 3g

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jennah

Friday 16th of December 2011

love this simple delicious recipe.i used Polaners All Fruit ..blueberry and cherry jam flavors.:) i did double the batchhowever.:^)

Sarah

Thursday 15th of December 2005

I think it's only old ones on in the early morning, which is when we watch, because he's still completely unable to control himself over those cookies (thank god).

Sarah

Thursday 15th of December 2005

LOL. It kind of made me sad when I first heard that Cookie Monster has to be more pc . . . Cookies are a sometimes food, or something like that.

Sarah

Wednesday 14th of December 2005

I don't know if you and Will watch sesame street, but Nella and I do: "Me want cookie!"

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