Question 1

Can I make these without nuts?

Accepted Answer

Of course! You can use sprinkles, sugar, or skip the coating entirely. If you decide to roll these in sugar instead of nuts, you should skip the egg white coating. The same goes for if you decide not to coat these in anything.

Question 2

Can I make these without eggs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can skip the eggs, which is more like traditional shortbread. If you want to make sure the cookies are soft enough to press your thumb or teaspoon measurer into without cracking, you can add up to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the dough. This will soften them slightly, as an egg yolk does.

Question 3

What is the best jam for thumbprint cookies?

Accepted Answer

We recommend using thick fruit preserves, like raspberry, apricot, strawberry, blackberry, or cherry jam. Jams Stay away from thinner jellies, like grape, which don’t have fruit and are made from fruit juice instead.

Question 4

Why did my thumbprints spread a lot?

Accepted Answer

If your butter is too warm, the cookies may spread too much in the oven. This recipe doesn’t require you to chill the dough if you’re baking a batch right away, but depending on how hot your kitchen is or how warm it is where you’re baking, chilling might help. We also usually chill our dough in between batches so that it doesn’t sit out too long at room temperature.

Question 5

Why did my jam bubble or overflow?

Accepted Answer

If you use too much jam, it can overflow in the oven. Try not to use more than a teaspoon in each cookie. If your indentations are smaller than a teaspoon, use less jam.

Question 6

Can I bake these without jam and add it later?

Accepted Answer

You can, but we find that the cookies are a little less flavorful that way. When you fill them with jam first and then bake them with it, the jam caramelizes a little and seeps slightly into the dough, giving it more flavor and depth.

Question 7

Can you make thumbprint cookies ahead of time?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can make the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days. Once you’re ready to bake the cookies, let the dough rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften enough that you can shape it into balls. Then whisk up 2 egg whites and finely chop the nuts, and coat each cookie dough ball into the egg whites, nuts, then make your indentations and fill with jam.

holiday

Classic Thumbprint Cookies with Jam and Pecans

Sweet and Spicy Nuts and Pretzels

Easy Cranberry Orange Loaf Cake with Orange Glaze

Almond Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate and Cherries

Gingerbread Muddy Buddies with Molasses and Ginger (Puppy Chow)

The Best Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Shallot Dressing and Bacon

The Best Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Loaded Mashed Potato Cakes with Leftover Turkey and Sides

Turkey Hand Pies with Potatoes and Vegetables

The Best Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars

follow along

ON INSTAGRAM

cookingwithconks

Cook with us!

Sign up to get the Cooking with Conks inside scoop and recipes straight to your inbox.