Description
Classic and festive Christmas Thumbprint Cookies with a crisp buttery exterior and a soft, tender interior. These cookies are easy to customize with a variety of fillings and toppings, perfect for holiday baking and gift boxes.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar (packed)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour (300g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder
Toppings and Fillings
- ½ cup granulated sugar for coating (or your preferred topping such as coarse sugar, powdered sugar, finely chopped roasted nuts, or desiccated coconut)
- ½ cup seedless jam (such as raspberry) or preferred fillings including lemon curd, fruit curd, hard candies, Nutella, chocolates, or Hershey kisses
Instructions
- Mix Butter and Sugars: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add sea salt, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat again until light and fluffy.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Sift the all-purpose flour and baking powder directly into the bowl. Fold the ingredients gently until a cookie dough forms.
- Prepare Chocolate Dough: Remove half of the dough into a separate bowl. Add dutch processed cocoa powder to the remaining dough and mix gently until fully incorporated.
- Shape Cookies: Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls from both the vanilla and chocolate dough. Roll each into smooth, even balls between your hands.
- Coat Dough Balls: Roll each cookie dough ball in your chosen topping, such as granulated sugar or chopped nuts, to coat evenly.
- Create Thumbprint Indents: Press the center of each cookie ball with your thumb or a teaspoon to create a well. Optionally, press twice with your index finger at a slight angle to form a heart shape.
- Add Fillings: Fill the indentations with your preferred jam or filling like seedless raspberry jam, lemon curd, or fruit curd. For fillings like Nutella or chocolates, add these after baking while the cookies are still warm.
- Bake Cookies: Place cookies on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet with about 2 inches spacing. Bake at 355°F (180°C) for 10 minutes, avoiding overbaking to keep them soft inside.
- Add Final Toppings and Cool: Immediately after baking, top cookies with additional toppings such as Nutella, Hershey kisses, or chocolates if desired. Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before serving or packaging.
Notes
- These cookies have crisp, buttery outsides and a soft center, perfect for Christmas cookie boxes.
- The dough requires no chilling and stays soft for days, making it convenient for prep ahead of holiday baking.
- Customize these cookies with a huge variety of fillings and toppings like different jams, curds, nuts, or chocolates.
- For fillers like Nutella or chocolates, add them right after baking while cookies are warm to prevent melting and create a neat appearance.
- If you want to create festive heart shapes, use your index finger to press the indent twice at a slight angle.
- Allow about 2 inches of space between cookies when baking to accommodate spreading without merging.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 124 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
