These festive Christmas thumbprint cookies are rolled in red and green sugar and filled with jam for a colorful holiday treat!
Holiday Thumbprint Cookies
Celebrate the holiday season with these old-fashioned Christmas thumbprint cookies! These cookies are rolled in red and green sugar and filled with jam for a colorful and festive treat.
Thumbprint cookies get their name from the way they are made. After the cookie dough is rolled into balls, the baker uses their thumb to press a small indentation in the center of each cookie which is then filled with jam, jelly, or another sweet filling.
Thumbprint cookies are thought to have originated in Sweden, where they are known as “hallongrotta.” The English translation is “raspberry cave,” because the cookies are traditionally filled with raspberry jam.
Because the fruit filling is so bright and shiny, these cookies are sometimes called Christmas Gem Cookies – they sparkle like gemstones!
We made three different colors for this post: red cookies, green cookies, and yellow cookies that are filled with lemon curd. You can make one, two, or all three colors! The recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies and then you can decorate them as you please.
For your convenience in re-creating this recipe at home, we’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products and supplies used. Read our disclosure policy here.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Red, green, and gold sanding sugar
- Jelly or lemon curd to match sugar choices
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Non-slip mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking Sheets and wire cooling rack
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat
Instructions
To Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with an electric mixer), cream the butter for about 1 minute. Add sugar and mix until well combined and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add in the flour and salt and mix until it just comes together. Scoop and roll dough into balls about a teaspoon in size.
- Roll each cookie dough ball in the colored sugar and place on your prepared cookie sheet.
- Using the back side of a cookie scoop or melon baller, press each cookie dough ball down to make an indentation, or “thumbprint” in the center.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies just start to turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely and then add a small scoop of jelly in the middle of each.
Prep Tips
- Dough – If the dough is too soft to roll into balls, place in the refrigerator to chill for 10-20 minutes.
- Flavors – You can use any flavor of jelly or preserves that you like to make these cookies, since all you need to do is match the color of the jelly to the color of the sugar coating. For the red cookies, you could use strawberry jelly, seedless raspberry jam, or cherry jam. For the green cookies, green apple jelly or mint jelly would work. For the yellow cookies, you could use lemon curd (shown in our photos) or apricot jam. But of course those are just suggestions and you can use any type of jelly or jam that you like.
- Thumbprint – You don’t actually have to use your thumb to make these cookies (though you can of course!) We used the back of a rounded measuring spoon. A cookie scoop could work too.
- Storage – For best results, I recommend storing your thumbprint cookies in an airtight container in the fridge. They should last up to a week. Because they have a soft center, you may not want to stack the cookies on top of each other or they could stick together. You can also freeze your cookies in a freezer bag or container for up to 2-3 months. Wait to place the cookies in a bag or container until the jam has set.
More of Our Favorite Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Christmas Sweeties Cookies
- Santa’s Whiskers Cookies
- Grandmother’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Lace Cookies
- Granny’s Surprise Cookies (Russian Teacakes)
- Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
Christmas Thumbprint Cookie Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
If you tried this recipe and liked it, please rate it!
Christmas Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
- Large Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper or Silicone Baking Mat
- Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- sanding sugar Red, green, and/or gold
- 2 cups Jelly or lemon curd to match the sugar colors
Instructions
- To Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl with an electric mixer), cream the butter for about 1 minute. Add sugar and mix until well combined and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add in the flour and salt and mix until it just comes together. Scoop and roll dough into balls about a teaspoon in size.
- Roll each cookie dough ball in the colored sugar and place on baking sheet.
- Using the back side of a cookie scoop or melon baller, press each cookie dough ball down to make an indentation, or "thumbprint" in the center.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies just start to turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely and then add a small scoop of jelly in the middle of each.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Christmas Gem Cookies on Pinterest:
You might also like these Chocolate Cherry Thumbprint Cookies:
