Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies
These strawberry thumbprint cookies start off with a delicious sugar cookie base, which is then scooped, rolled, and easily imprinted with hearts! The cavities are filled with strawberry jam and decorated with melted chocolates to make the cookies look like strawberries. They’re simple to make, yet SO cute and delicious!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe 🍓
- It’s a cute spin on thumbprint cookies! Regular circle and heart thumbprint cookies are pretty popular to make. Adding simple decorations using melted chocolates can really elevate the design!
- You won’t need any special equipment. The dough easily comes together in one bowl and you can use a hand whisk or electric mixer. Plus, the heart imprints can be made with either your thumb or the thin end of a rubber spatula—whichever is easier for you. Since I have long-ish nails, I find it easier to use a spatula.
- The recipe is versatile. Not feeling strawberry? Try different jams, like apricot, cherry, blueberry etc. You can also fill the cookies with ganache post-bake, like my matcha strawberry thumbprint or ube thumbprint cookies.
Ingredients
To make these strawberry jam cookies, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Ingredient Notes
- You’ll need softened unsalted butter, which you’ll cream with the granulated and brown sugars. You’ll also need a little extra granulated sugar (not pictured) to roll the cookie dough balls in before shaping.
- Cornstarch helps the cookies keep their shape, while also remaining soft.
- I’ve been loving vanilla paste lately because of all the specks of vanilla beans in it! But if you don’t have it on hand, you totally can swap it 1:1 for vanilla extract.
- You can use either store-bought or homemade strawberry jam.
- After baking, I dyed white chocolate wafers with food coloring to add the strawberry decorations. It’s best to use oil-based food coloring so the chocolate doesn’t seize. However, if you don’t have it on hand (like me), you can always stir in 1-2 tsp neutral oil (canola, vegetable) to the melted chocolate so it comes back together.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
How To Make Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies
Step 1: Cream softened butter and sugars until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla paste until fully combined.
Step 2: Stir in dry ingredients until no dry spots remain.
Step 3: Roll 1 ½ tablespoon cookie dough balls into sugar, then place on a lined cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
Step 4: Use your thumb or thin end of a spatula to create heart shapes. The deeper the cavity, the more jam you can add!
Step 5: Fill cavities with strawberry jam, making sure to not overfill. Bake at 350°F/177°C for 11-13 minutes, or until edges are set and lightly golden brown.
Step 6: Use melted chocolates to draw on strawberry seeds and leaves. Feel free to leave some as heart thumbprint cookies, too! Enjoy!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
Recipe Tips
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it helps yield consistent results in baking. Measuring ingredients by weight is much more accurate rather than by volume (like using measuring cups). However, if you’re measuring your dry ingredients with cups, make sure you follow this tip: gently spoon in the flour into the cup until it’s full, then scrape the excess off using the back of a knife or offset spatula.
- If the dough is sticking when making the heart indents, try lightly flouring your thumb or the end of the silicone spatula.
Storage
Store the strawberry jam cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
If you’d like to make the cookie dough ahead of time, I recommend following the recipe right until you add the filling. I’d line a baking sheet or plate, place the unfilled imprinted cookies in a single layer, and freeze for 1-2 hours.
Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container/Ziploc and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, place the raw cookies on a lined cookie sheet, fill, and bake. Since the dough is frozen, you may need to add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
Other Strawberry Recipes 🍓
I really hope you enjoy this strawberry jam cookie recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see! You can tag me at #bitesbybianca / @bitesbybianca on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Cute Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies
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Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- hand whisk or electric mixer
- silicone spatula
- medium mixing bowl for dry ingredients
- large mixing bowl for cookie dough
- small cookie scoop 1 ½ tablespoon capacity
- Parchment Paper
- Wire rack
- small microwave-safe bowls, for heating chocolate
- piping bags or toothpick for decorating cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cup (218.75 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (3 g) table salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (36 g) brown sugar light or dark
- 1 tbsp (15 g) vanilla paste can sub 1:1 vanilla extract
- 1 (1) egg room temperature
For rolling:
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
Filling:
- ½ cup (170 g) strawberry jam homemade or storebought
Decoration (optional):
- 3 tbsp (45 g) white chocolate chips
- oil-based food coloring yellow and green
Instructions
For the cookie dough:
- In a medium bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients: 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp table salt.
- In a large bowl, lightly cream the softened ½ cup unsalted butter, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, and 3 tbsp brown sugar until smooth with an electric/stand mixer or hand whisk.
- Mix in 1 tbsp vanilla paste and 1 egg until smooth.
- Dump in all of the dry ingredients. Fold using silicone spatula until no dry spots remains.
Shape & bake cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add ¼ cup granulated sugar into small bowl or plate.
- Use a small cookie dough scoop to gather dough into a ball (about1 ½ tablespoon each). Roll into granulated sugar and place onto lined cookie sheet, spacing cookies about 3 inches apart.
- Using your thumb or thin end of a spatula, create heart prints in the middle of the cookies.Tip: If dough is sticky, lightly flour your thumb or spatula every time you create an indent.
- Spoon strawberry jam into heart indents, making sure not to overfill.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until edges are set and lightly golden brown. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.
Decorate:
- Note: You can a piping bag, toothpick, or cookie scribe to add on the details. I used piping bags.
- Add 3 tbsp white chocolate chips chips to small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between with a silicone spatula, until fully melted.
- Dye ⅓ of the melted chocolate with yellow oil-based food coloring. Use this to draw on strawberry seeds.Tip: If you don't have oil-based food coloring, then the chocolate will seize/become lumpy. To counter this, stir in a tsp of neutral oil (canola, vegetable) at a time, until it becomes smooth again.
- Dye remaining white chocolate with green oil-based food coloring. Use this for the leaves and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Keep cookies at room temp in airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Tip for measuring ingredients: I weigh my ingredients with a kitchen scale, rather than using measuring cups because it is more accurate. If using measuring cups, I recommend spooning flour into the cup and overfilling it, then leveling it off with a knife.
This is pretty simple. I like the idea of thumbprint and bringing it into the cookie is good. My favorite jam is an orange jam and you have given me a wonderful idea of baking cookies filled with orange jam.