Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies
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These are the perfect Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies! Tender and buttery shortbread cookies made with only FOUR ingredients, flour, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter, then filled with strawberry jam. They are a simple treat that’s a real crowd-pleaser!
I am SO excited to share this recipe with all of you! Since our lemon thumbprint cookies are consistently one of our most popular recipes, my mom and I thought it would be fun to create something similar.
Strawberries are in season here, and they are so good and so sweet right now. What better choice of fruit could there be?! So…strawberry jam it is!
Next was the cookie base. We wanted a base that would hold it’s shape when baked. We tried a couple of different doughs – such as our chewy sugar cookies and soft sugar cookies – to find what would be the best. Ultimately, we found that a classic shortbread cookie is the PERFECT base to hold our sweet strawberry jam. It’s buttery, tender, not too sweet, and holds its shape with little to no spread!
Fresh Strawberries Make A Difference
While you can use frozen strawberries, fresh in-season strawberries really make the jam into something special. Not only does it add a natural sweetness, but it also creates a brighter more flavorful jam!
Make The Homemade Strawberry Jam First
Have you ever made jam before? It’s such a delicious addition to your morning toast, a sweet accompaniment to a charcuterie board, and even a filling for your favorite snacks and desserts! While store-bought jam can be used in a pinch, we highly recommend making your own. It’s so simple, requires only 3 ingredients, and takes 10 minutes or so to make.
- Quick Tip: I recommend making it ahead of time, so it has plenty of time to cool completely! It keeps well in the refrigerator for 1-2 months, so you can make it well in advance of making these strawberry thumbprint cookies.
We have a complete separate page dedicated to homemade strawberry jam, with a step-by-step photos to help. It’s just 3 easy ingredients: strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
You could also play around with flavors! Try filling the thumbprints with a mixed berry jam or a lemon curd like we use in these lemon curd thumbprint cookies.
Here’s What You Need To Make These Thumbprint Cookies (Only 4 Ingredients!):
As a point of reference, this recipe is the same as our base for lemon bars. Just like our shortbread cookies, there’s no leavening agent! Grab these ingredients:
- Salted Butter – Adds richness and moisture while eliminating the need for additional salt.
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens the dough while the corn starch in the powdered sugar keeps these cookies from spreading.
- Vanilla Extract – Adds a delicious vanilla flavor to the dough that really complements the flavor of the strawberry jam.
- All-Purpose Flour – Using plain all purpose flour is the way to go here. The protein content gives the dough the structure it needs to hold it’s shape.
Make The Shortbread Dough
The dough comes together quickly with an electric mixer, which is required for creaming the butter and sugar together!
Luckily with this recipe, there is NO chill time! We can get straight into shaping and baking these cookies.
Shaping The Dough
Scoop the dough with a medium-sized cookie scoop (about 1 ½ Tablespoons!) and then roll the dough into balls before placing on a baking sheet.
We found during testing that, while thumbprints are known for using your thumb to make the indention, it was hard to ensure that each cookie got the same amount of jam. So, we used a rounded teaspoon to make the indentation in the center of each cookie dough ball, then spoon about ½ teaspoon of jam into each. Bake the cookies for about 18–20 minutes.
Optional: A Sweet Vanilla Icing
Is a cookie really finished if there’s not a drizzle of icing? 😉
It’s entirely optional, but we love these cookies with a drizzle of icing on top. It’s just that little something extra that makes them look straight from a bakery. Plus, it tastes delicious!
You need just 3 ingredients: powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk it together until smooth, and drizzle over the cooled cookies. I used a spoon to drizzle, but you can use a squeeze bottle (if you have one!) or fork.
If you want something that will really set onto these cookies and still tastes delicious, try drizzling some melted white chocolate over the top for a strawberries & cream type treat!
✳ FAQ’s
More cookie recipes you’ll love:
When you make these Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.
Happy baking!
x, Caylie
Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Strawberry Jam
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, chopped
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
Cookies
- ¾ cup salted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
Instructions
Strawberry Jam
- Combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan.
- Cook and stir over medium low heat until sugar dissolves, strawberries break down, and jam starts to thicken, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
Cookies
- Heat oven to 350℉/177℃.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add vanilla.
- Mix in flour. (You may need to use your hands to bring the dough together.)
- Use a 1½ Tablespoon scoop to portion dough onto prepared pan.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into a smooth ball.
- Use the back of a rounded measuring spoon, a regular spoon, or your thumb to make an indention in the dough.
- Repeat with remaining portions.
- Fill indentions with jam. (This will take anywhere from ½-1 teaspoon depending on how deep you made the indentions.)
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cookies are set.
Notes + Tips!
- Room temperature is about 70℉/21℃.
- Use an oven thermometer to ensure accurate cooking temperatures.
- While cooking, mash the strawberries with your wooden spoon!
- You can strain the seeds out if you want, but you will end up with much less jam.
- Overcooked the jam? No problem! We found that you can add a few Tablespoons of water to loosen it.
- Use the back of a rounded teaspoon or small cookie scoop to make the indentation into each cookie. Just be careful to not go all the way down to the pan. About ½ to ¾ of the way through the cookie should do.
- Since it won’t be exact for each cookie, be careful not to overfill! Fill each cookie just to the top. If it’s filled anymore, it may make a mess!
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Loved these cookies! I decided to use store-bought jam, and they turned out great. One note: I think using 1 1/2 tbsp of dough for each cookie is a bit too big. Next time, I think I’ll do 1 tbsp. Also, I baked them for 18 minutes, and that was too long. I have an oven thermometer, so I know it was at the right temperature. I’d start checking them around 15–16 minutes. Soft, buttery, and definitely worth making.
Hi Charlotte! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cookies. Thanks for making our recipe! x, Caylie
This is the perfect cookie for summer!!! I made jam using strawberries from my garden and it worked so well. Will definitely make these cookies again!