Eggless Thumbprint Cookies - Jam Cookies
These melt in your mouth eggless thumbprint cookies are a wonderful addition to this Holiday season! These are made with some simple shortbread cookie dough and later intended and filled with jam/preserves.
Ingredients
- 1 cup All purpose flour + 2 tbsp
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter soften at room temperature
- 6 tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp Jam/Preserves
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine together flour, salt, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add softened butter and beat it with a hand mixer or with a rubber spatula for 1 minute.
- Next, add sugar to the butter. Cream together butter and sugar for 3 minutes with your hand mixer. Scrape sides and mix it again for a minute until light and fluffy.
- Add some vanilla extract and mix it well.
- Transfer the dry ingredients slowly to the sugar and butter mixture until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again. I like to use my hands to combine and make the dough.
- Scoop the cookie dough into a 1 tbsp sized ball and roll it into a smooth ball. Transfer the cookie to a baking tray.
- Make an indentation in the center of a cookie by pressing it gently with your thumb or back of a rounded teaspoon. Repeat until all the dough has been used. Notes: Some cracks are normal but you can gently smooth them with your fingers or leave them there.
- Place them in the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Cover the baking tray with a kitchen towel. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Place the jam/preserve in a microwave safe bowl, heat it for 5-6 seconds, stir it with a spoon.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/180℃
- Fill each indentation with about ¼ tsp of jam.
- Bake the cookies for about 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly brown. Remove them from the oven and let them sit on a baking tray for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack and enjoy once they cool down completely.
Notes
- No need to use a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this recipe. Simply use a rubber spatula to get the job done and still you can make beautiful cookies.
- This cookie dough is firm enough to roll without forming any cracks in the balls. Right after rolling each ball make an indentation - I have observed that if you roll all the balls and make an indentation the dough will crack more.
- If your cookie dough is sticky and hard to handle, cover the bowl with a plastic wrap, and store the dough in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- After making an indentation in the center of the cookies if the cracks are formed, gently smooth them out with your fingers or leave them as is if you wish.
- Make sure not to heat the jam too hot - you should be able to stir it easily and it should be slightly like a fluid to drop into the indentation.
- Lining a parchment paper helps the cookies bake more evenly and prevents them from cracking and breaking when lifting them off the sheet.