Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Name: Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature); 2/3 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup raspberry jam

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Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies are perfect buttery shortbread cookies filled with raspberry jam. They are one of the most popular Christmas treat recipes during the holiday season!

Close up photo of Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies.

What are the most popular Christmas cookies in your house? In ours, it’s Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies! They are popular for their buttery shortbread cookie filled with raspberry jam, and you can also drizzle them with vanilla glaze.

I love to make them for my cookie exchange party, along with:

Ingredients for Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies.

How to make it

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat 1 cup butter and ⅔ cup granulated sugar on a medium/high speed for a couple of minutes, until it is smooth and creamy. Add ½ tsp almond extract and mix again.

Process photos of mixing ingredients for cookie dough.

Add 2 ⅛ cups flour and ¼ tsp salt. Mix on low speed just until all ingredients are incorporated.

Process photos of addng dry ingredients to cookie dough.

Using your hands, lightly knead the dough so it all comes together in a ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Cookie dough, in a mixing bowl and wrapped in plastic wrap.

When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

NOTE: When you take the cookie dough out of the fridge, it will be quite hard. To warm it up and make it more flexible, I like to slice it with a knife into smaller pieces and lightly knead in hands. This way it will get “clay” texture and will be easy to shape.

Shape the dough into 1 ½-inch balls and slightly press the top. Using a finger, press the dough in the center creating a depression. Fill the center of the cookies with raspberry jam. Put in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before baking.

Shaped thumbprint cookies, filled with raspberry jam on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bake at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then remove then to a wire rack.

Tips for best results

Cookie dough. After you refrigerate the cookie dough, it will be quite hard. To warm it up, I like to slice it into smaller pieces and lightly knead in my hands. This way it will get “clay” texture and will be easy to shape the cookies.
Cracking. When you shape the cookies and make the thumb divot, the dough might have some cracks on the edges. You can easily fix it by smoothing the edges with a finger, like you would do with clay.
Refrigeration. It is very important to refrigerate these cookies for about 15-20 minutes before baking, so they will keep the shape. If you skip this step, they will spread too much and lose the shape.

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies stacked on top of each other.

Frequently Asked Questions;

How to store?

You can store these Thumbprint Cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 6 days.

Can I make cookie dough ahead of time?

You can make the cookies dough a night before and refrigerate it overnight.

Why did my cookies spread out too much?

The main reason why cookies spread too much is the dough was not refrigerated enough. For this reason, I like to refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours before shaping and for additional 15-20 minutes before baking.

Why are my cookies crumbly?

Most likely you put too much flour in the batter. When measuring the flour, make sure you level the measuring cups with a flat knife or a butter knife.

More Holiday Dessert Ideas:

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4.85 from 13 votes

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies are perfect buttery shortbread cookies that are filled with raspberry jam. They are one of the most popular Christmas treat recipes during the holiday season!

Prep Time40

Cook Time15

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 195kcal

Author: Veronika Grove

Ingredients

Instructions

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat 1 cup butter and ⅔ cup granulated sugar on a medium/high speed for a couple of minutes, until it is smooth and creamy. Add ½ tsp almond extract and mix again.
Add 2 ⅛ cups flour and ¼ tsp salt. Mix on low speed just until all ingredients are incorporated.
Using your hands, lightly knead the dough so it all comes together in a ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
NOTE: When you take the cookie dough out of the fridge, it will be quite hard. To warm it up and make more flexible, I like to slice it with a knife into smaller pieces and lightly knead in hands. This way it will get “clay” texture and will be easy to shape the cookies.
Shape the dough into 1 ½-inch balls and slightly press the top. Using a finger, press the dough in the center creating a depression. Fill the center of the cookies with raspberry jam. Put in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before baking.
Bake at 350°F for about 12-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then remove then to a wire rack.

Notes

Cookie dough. After you refrigerate the cookie dough, it will be quite hard. To warm it up, I like to slice it into smaller pieces and lightly knead in my hands. This way it will get “clay” texture and will be easy to shape.
Cracking. When you shape the cookies and make the thumb divots, the dough might have some cracks on the edges. You can easily fix it by smoothing the edges with a finger, like you would do it with clay.
Refrigeration. It is very important to refrigerate these cookies for about 15-20 minutes before baking, so they will keep the shape. If you skip this step, they will spread too much and lose the shape.
How to store? You can store these Thumbprint Cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 6 days.

Nutrition

Did you make this recipe?I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @veronikaskitchen.

SaveUpdate Notes: This post was originally published in 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in December of 2021.