Description

These Christmas Thumbprint Cookies feature a crisp buttery exterior and a super soft inside, perfect for holiday celebrations. This versatile recipe allows you to create a variety of flavors using one dough base, with customizable toppings and fillings like seedless jam, lemon curd, or Nutella. Easy to prepare and no chill time required, these festive cookies stay soft for days and make an excellent gift in cookie 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: coarse sugar, powdered sugar, finely chopped roasted nuts, or desiccated coconut)
½ cup seedless jam (such as seedless raspberry jam) or your preferred fillings (lemon curd, fruit curd, hard candies, Nutella, chocolates, Hershey kisses)

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Instructions

Mix the 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 incorporate all ingredients evenly.
Add Wet Ingredients: Add the sea salt, egg, and vanilla extract into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat again until light and fluffy to fully combine.
Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Sift the all-purpose flour and baking powder directly into the mixing bowl. Fold the mixture gently until a uniform cookie dough forms.
Divide and Flavor Dough: Remove half of the dough and place it in a separate bowl. Add the dutch processed cocoa powder to one half and mix gently until fully incorporated, creating the chocolate cookie dough.
Form Cookie Balls: Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop portions of both vanilla and chocolate dough. Roll the dough between your palms to form smooth, even balls.
Coat the Dough Balls: Roll each cookie dough ball in your choice of topping such as granulated sugar, coarse sugar, powdered sugar, chopped nuts, or desiccated coconut to add texture and sweetness.
Create Indentations: Press the center of each cookie ball down using your thumb or a measuring teaspoon to make space for the filling. To make a heart shape, press your index finger into the center, then push again at a slight angle to form the heart indentation.
Fill the Cookies: Fill the indentations with your chosen jam or filling, such as seedless raspberry jam. For fillings like Nutella or chocolates, it is best to add these after baking.
Arrange and Bake: Place the cookies on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for spreading. Bake in a preheated oven at 355°F (180°C) for 10 minutes, being careful not to overbake to keep the cookies soft.
Add Post-Bake Toppings: Once baked, add any additional toppings such as Nutella, chocolates, or Hershey kisses. Press a teaspoon gently into the warm cookie center to create space for these toppings if needed.
Cool and Serve: Bake cookies in batches if necessary and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before enjoying or packaging.

Notes

The cookies have a crisp buttery outside and a soft, tender inside.
You can customize flavors extensively with toppings and fillings, making a variety of cookies from one dough recipe.
No chill time is required, making this a quick cookie recipe.
The cookies remain soft for days and are sturdy enough for cookie boxes.
Try toppings like coarse sugar, powdered sugar, chopped nuts, or desiccated coconut for different textures and tastes.
Fillings can include jam, lemon curd, fruit curds, hard candies, or after baking, Nutella and chocolates.
Press indentations carefully to create heart shapes for a festive holiday look.

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