Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies - My Gorgeous Recipes (2024)

Published: Sep 12, 2020 · Modified: May 27, 2023 by Daniela Apostol · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

Easy Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies filled with homemade blackberry jam and sprinkled with vanilla sugar, so soft and buttery, almost melting in your mouth. They are the perfect bite-size treat for every occasion, and a big hit with kids and grown-ups alike.Grab some now, before the cookie monster eats them up!

I'm not trying to brag, but these thumbprint cookies are out of this world! You know me, l do have quite a sweet tooth, unfortunately. And when one craves cookies, one needs to indulge!

And these yummy cookies are using the best jam you can possibly ask for: blackberry jam! Made with hand-picked wild blackberries, this jam is absolutely amazing with these cookies, its slight tartness works brilliantly with the richness of the shortbread cookies.

But, of course, any jam can be used, it's up to you which one you like and have, no need to make/buy one especially for these cookies. Just make sure you don't overfill the cookies with jam, and the rest is dead easy.

I also have these fantastic jam recipes that would go down well with these cookies: blueberry jam, strawberry rhubarb jam or damson jam.

I would't add too much sugar, since the jam is sweet anyway, but now it's up to one's taste too. I prefer them with less sugar, and they are perfect just the way they are.

Ingredients neded

• butter - either salted or unsalted
• icing sugar - confectioners' sugar, well sifted
• egg yolk - it helps bind the ingredients together
• vanilla extract - or any other extract of your choice
• vanilla sugar - optional
• plain flour
• jam - I used blackberry jam, but any would do

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Making these shortbread thumbprint cookies takes less time than it would take you to go to the corner shop and buy some nibbles. Some planning in advance would help actually, as having the ingredients at room temperature is what makes these cookies the softest, best cookies ever.

• beat the soft butter (but not melted) with the icing sugar until you get a smooth paste
• add the egg yolk and beat again until fully incorporated
• in go the flour, vanilla sugar, vanilla extract
• mix everything well and knead gently to get a dough that does not stick to your hands

Note! Depending on the size of the egg, you might need less flour, so add about ⅔ of the amount of flour first, and add more as needed.

• cover the bowl with clingfilm, and chill the dough in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes
• use about half of a tablespoon of dough to shape balls, then gently press down with your thumb in the centre of the balls
• fill with jam, then bake for about 12-15 minutes
• leave to cool down, then sprinkle with more vanilla sugar

What else can be used to fill the cookies?

If you don't have blackberry jam, feel free to use any other jam you like: strawberry, apricot, or cherry are great favourite of mine. Marmalade is another great option here.

Turkish delight would also work like a treat, plus it's less messy to fill the cookies with. Right, no more wasting time, let's roll up the sleeves and bake some cookies! They make a fantastic choice for parties, since one batch gives you lots of cookies.

Other shortbread cookies

Coconut Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Shortbread Cookies Dipped in White Chocolate

If you’ve liked my EASY SHORTBREAD THUMBPRINT COOKIES or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can alsoFOLLOW MEonFACEBOOK, andPINTERESTto see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.