These buttery, soft and tender Almond Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies are the perfect addition to any cookie plate this holiday season!
Filled with sweet raspberry jam and rolled in toasted almonds, these cookies are sure to bring smiles.
I’m teaming up with Land O’Lakes to share this fun and festive thumbprint cookie recipe.
When it comes to holiday cookies, quality butter like Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, makes a big difference in the final result. These cookies are soft and tender and melt in your mouth.
Almond Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
If you’ve never had a thumbprint cookie before, let me introduce you to these tasty little morsels.
The cookie base is a butter shortbread cookie that I’ve enhanced with a touch of almond extract.
The simple cookie dough is chilled, then rolled into small balls and then you, get this… USE YOUR THUMB to gently press a small cavity in the center of the cookie dough.
Hence – ‘thumbprint’ cookies.
Ingredients Needed For Thumbprint Cookies
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make these delish cookies. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs – separate the yolks and whites
- Almond Extract – replace with equal parts vanilla extract if nut allergy
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Chopped Almonds – you can leave out if there is a nut allergy
- Raspberry Preserves – swap with any other fruit spread to mix it up!
How To Make Almond Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint cookies are so fun because you really can customize them to your preferred taste with simple modifications.
I’ve jazzed up the classic thumbprint cookie by adding almond extract and then rolling the cookie dough in chopped almonds before baking.
The almonds add a nice toasted crunch to the buttery soft cookie.
CREAM BUTTER Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. You really want to make sure the sugar dissolves into the butter. This should take a few minutes.
ADD EGG YOLKS Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and add only the egg yolks to the butter, along with the almond and vanilla extracts. Beat again until combined.
ADD DRY INGREDIENTS Blend in the all purpose flour, cornstarch and salt and mix until the cookie dough forms.
CHILL DOUGH Cover the cookie dough and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
ROLL INTO BALLS Gather about 1 tablespoon of dough into your hands and roll into a smooth ball. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up. This recipe should make about 30 cookies.
DIP IN EGG WHITES Lightly beat the reserved egg whites until they’re slightly frothy and then roll the cookie dough ball in the egg whites. This will act as a bonding agent for the chopped almonds.
COAT WITH ALMONDS Roll the cookie dough balls in the chopped almonds and place them on a prepared cookie sheet.
PRESS AND FILL Use your thumb or the back of a small, rounded measuring spoon, to make a cavity in the cookie dough ball. Fill each cookie with 1/2 tsp of raspberry preserves.
BAKE AND COOL Bake the thumbprint cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, until the outer edges are just set. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Can I Leave Out The Nuts?
Yes! You can definitely remove the almonds from this recipe and you’ll be left with a gorgeous Raspberry Thumbprint Cookie.
PRO TIP – roll the cookie dough ball in granulated sugar (no need for the egg whites) before making the thumbprint and filling.
Make Ahead and Freeze Cookies
The great thing about this recipe is that you can easily make these cookies ahead of time, freeze for up to 6 months and enjoy them later.
These cookies stay buttery soft for many days so you can even just bake and store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 7 days.
Do I Need To Bake The Raspberry Filling?
I highly recommend adding the raspberry preserves prior to baking because it helps the filling to set once cooled.
If you’re wanting to add hazelnut spread or caramel filling instead of the jam, you would want to add that after the cookies have been baked.
Do I Need To Chill The Dough?
Yes, it’s crucial to chill the cookie dough here because thumbprint cookies are not meant to spread very much when baked. If the dough is too warm, the cookies will be flat and your filling may ooze out of the center of the cookie.
Luckily, you only need to chill the dough for 30 minutes, which is plenty of time to clean up the dishes and get yourself a cup of hot cocoa.
Can I Add an Icing?
Yes! You can add a super simple powdered sugar icing over the top of these cookies to give them a little extra sweetness.
- Combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tsp almond extract and 1 tbsp of water.
- Whisk until smooth. Place in a frosting bag and snip corner to drizzle over cooled cookies.
What Do Thumbprint Cookies Taste Like?
Thumbprint cookies are soft and buttery to the bite with a sweet jam filling in the center. Some people might add a sweet icing drizzle over the top, but I left these simple.
The addition of almonds adds a nice nutty flavor and toasted crunch to the soft and tender cookie.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
You better believe I’m using all the Land O Lakes® Butter to bake up more and more Holiday Cookies this year. Here are a few more of my favorites…
- Perfect Gingerbread Cookies
- No Chill Sugar Cookies
- 4 Ingredient Pecan Balls
- Chewy Gingerdoodles
- Gingerbread Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
I can’t wait for you to give these little cookies a try! I know you’re going to love them as much as we do.
Almond Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Land O Lakes® Unsalted Butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, yolk and egg whites divided
- ¾ tsp almond extract
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups almonds, finely chopped
- ½ cup raspberry preserves
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. prior to baking.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until the sugar is dissolved into the butter, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrap down sides of bowl as needed.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, place egg whites into a separate small dish. Add egg yolks to the butter mixture, as well as almond extract and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
- Next add in the all purpose flour, cornstarch and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms. You may need to use your hands to combine it together at the end. Cover and place cookie dough in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove cookie dough from fridge and roll into 1 tablespoon size balls. Lightly beat the egg whites until they are slightly frothy. Roll the cookie dough ball in the egg whites, then roll in the chopped almonds to coat.
- Place on cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart, and use your thumb or small spoon to make a cavity in the center of each cookie dough ball. Be careful not to press too hard and create a hole in the middle. Fill each cookie with ½ tsp of raspberry preserves, then bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Joan Campbell
I was out of almond extract so i used coconut extract and rolled them in coconut, so good! I love all your recipes….you are the first place i search for something to cook. Thank you so much
Jan
I’ve tried making these 2 years in a row for my Christmas trays. I follow the directions exactly. Each time the cookie flattens out completely in the oven & the jam runs all over. What could I be doing wrong?
Shawn
Make sure you’re using a good quality butter for this recipe. Also, if your dough is really warm, try chilling it in the fridge before rolling and baking. Hope that helps!
Ann
I have a big bag of almond flour. May I use that instead of all purpose flour? Any suggestions as to what to do with almond flour? Initially, I was thinking of making marzipan.
Gloria
I just bake the thumbprint cookies last night. I did everything as stated. They look so yummy but there was no taste like something was missing. Before I prepare any cookies, I premeasure my ingredients and line them up from start to finish. So why do they taste flat? So disappointed
Shawn
Hi Gina, based off of what you’re saying here I can think of a few things that would make them tasteless…
1. Did you miss the salt? Salt will bring out a lot of the flavor in the cookie.
2. Did you forget the extract? I’ve definitely been there before, sometimes even the smallest ingredient left out can make a difference.
3. Lastly, did you use a raspberry filling? The filling will bring a lot of flavor to the finished cookies.
I hope you can remedy why you’re not tasting anything and give them another try. They really are delicious!
Glenda tesra
Can you use apricot filling instead of raspberry?
Shawn
Definitely! You can use any sort of jam or preserve you like. 🙂 Enjoy!
Barbara
So easy and delicious! Use a really good raspberry preserve though