Heart-Shaped Jam Thumbprint Cookie Recipe
Heart-Shaped Strawberry Jam Thumbprint Cookie!!
A soft, crumbly shortbread base baked to golden brown perfection topped with a sweet, fruity strawberry jam!
Background
A perfect cookie for Valentine’s Day or to sweeten up your midnight snack. This small, delicately soft cookie melts in your mouth with every bite and the fruity jam cuts the softness with a burst of chunky, bittersweet flavor.
Thumbprint cookies are fun to make for anyone. Use your thumb to make any design into your cookie and fill it with your favorite topping. These heart-shaped ones are so simple and cute that anyone will fall over themselves to get one.
What makes it unique
What sets my recipe apart from the others is adding almond extract into my cookie base for that sweet and almondy flavor similar to a Lofthouse sugar cookie. Since this is a very simple recipe adding a little almond flavor makes the sweetness in these cookies go a long way.
What you will need:
Butter- Salted or unsalted will do just make sure to soften the butter either by leaving on the counter until easily spreadable or (what I prefer) nuking my cold butter in the
Egg- Any eggs will do just make sure to leave out for a bit so the eggs are room temperature (make sure to scoop out any egg shells that have fallen into the mixture!)
Vanilla- Only 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract is needed!
Almond Extract- Similar to the vanilla only 1/2 teaspoon is needed!
Flour- All-purpose flour is recommended for this recipe which I severely recommend for any cookie recipe for the least crumbly and most chewy cookies.
Salt- Any regular salt will do but I prefer kosher sea salt as it balances the sweetness of the cookies wonderfully. If using salted butter you can leave the extra salt out so as to avoid salt overload!
Powdered Sugar- Any brand of your trusty confectioner’s sugar will do.
Strawberry Jam- Any thick strawberry jam will do I like Smucker’s brand!
Cornstarch- Only two teaspoons are required for this recipe!
Q&A about these cookies:
How long do these cookies take to make?
Total time I would say about an hour including prep, cook, cool, and assembly time.
Can I store these cookies in the fridge/freezer?
Of course! I personally prefer my cookies chilled in the fridge. When storing in the freezer make sure to leave them at room temp for at least an hour before serving.
How many cookies does this recipe yield? Can I make larger cookies?
This recipe makes 18 cookies when using a small cookie scooper. Of course, you can! To make about 9 large cookies use a large cookie scooper and bake them for about 15 minutes or until crispy on the bottom and edges.
Recipe
Shortbread Cookie
1 cup of unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
2 and 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon of kosher sea salt
Jam Topping
1/2 cup of Strawberry Jam
Notes:
*Let cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes or I prefer letting them cool for 5 mins then placing in the fridge to cool completely for another 5-10 min.
Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 10 min
Cool time: 20 min
Servings: 18
Instructions
In a stand mixer with the beater attachment beat 1 cup of butter until smooth and then combine 2/3 cup of powdered sugar.
Add 1 egg, 1/2 tsp of vanilla, and 1/2 tsp of almond extract until fully combined.
In a separate bowl mix together the 2 and 1/4 cups of flour, 2 tsp of cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Slowly add this mixture into your stand mixer on low until incorporated.
Using a small cookie scooper scoop out equally sized dough balls, roll with your hand, and place on a prepared baking sheet making sure to leave space between each cookie.
Using your thumb press on the dough forming a heart shape into the cookie.
Place cookies in the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. Once cool scoop and smooth out a dollop of your jam into the heart indent. Repeat for each cookie.
Then bake the cookies in a 375F preheated oven for 10 minutes or until crispy on the bottom.
Let them chill for about 20 minutes before serving (see notes).
