Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

A platter of raspberry jam filled cookies

4.91 from 72 votes

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

A tender shortbread cookie packed with raspberry jam & topped with a simple almond flavored icing. Not just for the holidays!

Prep Time30

Cook Time11

Chilling1

Total Time1 41

Course: Cookie

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies, dessert

Servings: Cookies

Calories: 112kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour (252g)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (226g or 16 tablespoons)
⅔ cup granulated sugar (135g)
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup seedless raspberry jam (4 ounces)

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar (115g)
2-3 teaspoons water more or less as needed for drizzling consistency
½ teaspoon almond extract (add more to taste if desired - I've used to up 1 1/2 teaspoons - substitute vanilla if desired)

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Beat at medium speed until the butter mixture is creamy and light. Scrape down the sides of mixing bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until well blended. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared pan. Keep remaining cookie dough refrigerated until needed. Make an indentation straight down into the center of each cookie (about half way to the bottom) with your smallest finger. Fill each with a well rounded ¼ teaspoon jam.
Bake for 11 to 15 minutes or until edges are just lightly browned. Let the cookies stand 1 minute before removing to a cooling rack. Cool completely.
Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over cookies and allow them to set.

Notes

Please read all notes and instructions before beginning. This is an easy recipe, but must be followed for best results.

When measuring flour, lightly spoon into measuring cup and level off the top with the flat side of a table knife. Do not pack the flour into the cup.
Be sure you are using jam not jelly.
If your dough is dry and crumbly, you probably added too much flour. Try adding 1 tablespoon of butter to the cookie dough.
I always use good quality unsalted butter in all my baking recipes. If you use salted butter omit the 1/4 teaspoon additional salt added with the flour.
Do not over-bake. The cookies are best just lightly browned on the bottom.

To prevent the cookies from spreading too much please note:

Make sure the dough is well chilled before making the dough balls.
Keep dough refrigerated between batches. With a high butter content, the dough will quickly warm when left at room temperature.
Place dough balls on a cool baking sheet, or parchment paper. The cookies will begin to spread if placed on a hot pan.
Do not smash the entire dough ball flat when making the indentation. Use a small finger and push straight down into the center of the cookie. DO NOT MAKE THE INDENTION TOO DEEP. The bigger the whole, the wider the cookies will spread. Please see the photos for reference. Even though they are called thumbprints, if you use your thumb they may not spread correctly and hold the jelly in the pocket.
Bake 3-4 cookies first to see how they do for you. If they are spreading too much, refrigerate the dough balls with jam for 15 minutes before baking.

Adapted from a Land-O-Lakes recipe

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition