Buttery almond and vanilla shortbread cookies filled with raspberry jam and drizzled with glaze.
Typical shortbread cookies are made up of one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour. Some recipes have eggs, some don’t. Some recipes have chemical leavening agents, some don’t.
My shortbread cookie dough is just pure sugar-butter-flour with a little salt, plus almond and vanilla extracts. I like to use a variation of this dough for wedge-shaped shortbread cookies. The dough is quite easy to work with and I’m already dreaming up new shortbread cookie recipes using it!
I have step-by-step photos for you today. Visual guides are always helpful when I’m making something new, so hopefully you won’t mind all the photos in this post.
To start, make sure you have enough time. Shortbread cookie dough typically needs to chill for a very long time. My cookie dough will need to chill for at least 3 hours (the longer it chills, the puffier the cookie and more time the flavors have to meld with one another into the dough). You also need the cookies to cool for 30 minutes after baked before glazing, so plan accordingly.
After you mix up the dough, it will be quite soft and buttery. Shortbread cookies are supposed to be buttery, so if the dough feels extra buttery—you’re on the right track.
Shape the cookie dough into balls. Mine were about 1 Tablespoon of dough per ball. Make sure they’re nice and smooth. Then, make an indentation with your thumb into each ball.
The dough may crack slightly when you press your thumb into it. Simply smooth it out with your fingers if you can. Otherwise, it’s perfectly fine to have a few cracks.
Chill the shaped thumbprint cookies in the refrigerator for 3 hours. You can place them close together on a lined baking sheet or large plate for this step, then space them out onto baking sheets when it’s time to bake them.
Fill with raspberry jam—about 1/2 teaspoon. You can certainly use any flavor jam you like best! Raspberry is my favorite and pairs beautifully with the almond/vanilla-flavored dough.
Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake these!
Now… the sweet, creamy glaze! A simple glaze made from cream and confectioners’ sugar. If you don’t have cream, use milk instead. Feel free to add a bit of almond extract to the glaze as well. Drizzle the glaze onto each cookie. See it *glisten* over the gorgeous red filling and buttery cookies.
More Thumbprint Cookies
- Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
- Peanut Butter Jam Thumbprints
- Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprints
- Apricot Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies
- Caramel Apple Spice Thumbprints
For more cookie inspiration, here are all my favorite Christmas cookies.
Print
Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 29 minutes
- Yield: 30-36 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Buttery almond and vanilla shortbread cookies filled with raspberry jam and drizzled with glaze.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (160g) raspberry jam*
Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1–2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) cream or milk
- optional: 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
- This cookie dough requires at least 3 hours for chilling and cookies must cool before glazing. Don’t forget to plan ahead!
- Make the cookies: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Switch mixer to medium speed and add the the sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the salt and flour. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed. If the dough seems too sticky for rolling, beat in another Tablespoon of flour.
- Shape the cookies: Line a baking sheet or plate with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Scoop and roll the dough, about a Tablespoon (18–20g) each, into balls, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Press an indentation with your thumb in each ball. The dough may crack slightly when you press your thumb into it. Simply smooth it out with your fingers if you can.
- Place the baking sheet with the thumbprint cookies in the refrigerator and chill until firm, at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2–3 inches apart, about 9–12 cookies per baking sheet. Fill each cookie with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
- Bake the shortbread thumbprint cookies for 13–15 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before glazing.
- Make the glaze: Whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Add more liquid to thin out or add more confectioners’ sugar to thicken to your desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Glaze will set within a couple hours.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Store cookies covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days. Shortbread cookie dough can be frozen up to 2 months; baked cookies (without glaze) may be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk
- Jam: Get creative with jam flavors! Any flavor you love works.
- Cold Dough: Make sure the cookie dough is cold and firm at all times. If it’s not firm and cold, put back into the refrigerator to chill. When working in batches, keep the unused dough chilled in the refrigerator. You may roll, print, and fill batch #2 and stick in the refrigerator while batch #1 bakes.
- Salt: Update in 2021—I like to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dough to balance the sweet flavor.
- Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
