Traditional Thumbprint Christmas Cookies

There’s nothing better than whipping up a batch of traditional thumbprint Christmas cookies for the kids. They’re one of the best Christmas cookie recipes and they’re so easy, you’ll wonder why we only make them at Christmas.

Then you’ll be making them for New Years, then Valentines…and then it’s all year round! These cookies are that delicious and simple.

What I love about these you is grab your favorite jell or jam and add it to your cookie. So good!

What You Need to Make Traditional Thumbprint Christmas Cookies 

• 1 Package Sugar Cookie Mix (We used Betty Crocker
• 3 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
• 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup jelly or jam

How to Make TRADITIONAL THUMBPRINT CHRISTMAS COOKIES 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine cookie mix, flour, melted butter, vanilla, and egg until well mixed. 

Shape dough into small 1” balls and place on cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. 

Use your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon to make a little hole in the center of each cookie. 

Place sugar in a bowl or on a plate.Roll the tops of each cookie in the sugar. 

Spoon 1/4 teaspoon of your jelly or jam into the hole in each cookie. 

Bake for 9-10 minutes and let cool for about 2 minutes on the pan before moving them to a wire rack. 

Sprinkle each cookie with a little sugar.

Enjoy!

What Can You Fill Thumbprint Cookies With?

Thumbprint cookies can be filled with so many yummy different jellies and jams (or other things) that an exhaustive list would be pages long. But, some of my favorite thumbprint cookie fillings are:

• Raspberry Jam
• Strawberry Jam
• Blackberry Jam
• Chocolate Ganache
• Caramel

Can I Use Homemade Sugar Cookie Dough?

Yes, you totally can! My wife has the best sugar cookie dough recipe and it makes a ton of cookies! We’ve made them for many different occasions and the recipe would work perfectly for these.

How Long Do Christmas Thumbprint Cookies Last?

On the counter, they don’t last long at my house. They’re just the perfect little drive-by bite of yummy. But then if you want them to last a little longer, you need to keep them away from the kids. LOL!

But in all seriousness, if you want to keep the cookies around, I recommend putting the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container. They’ll last 3-5 days on the counter that way without any problem. If you’d like to keep them a bit longer than that, even, plan to take that airtight container of cookies and pop it in the fridge.

In the refrigerator, the cookies should last 12-15 days no problem.

Can You Freeze Traditional Thumbprint Christmas Cookies

Oh, wow, you’re planning to make a million of these thumbprint cookies and you need to store them for longer than 15 days? Well, have I got a plan for you! These traditional Christmas cookies will freeze really well.

Just put them in that single-layer in the airtight container and you’re welcome to pop them in the freezer. That way they’ll last 3-5 months.

When you’re ready to have a thumbprint cookie, you’ll just pull them out, let them thaw on the counter and you’re good to go!

TIPS FOR BAKING Traditional Christmas Thumbprint COOKIES

Oh, your Christmas cookies came out flat? That’s too bad. Good news, though? I have a handful of tips to troubleshoot your flat cookies:

• The oven was too hot. If you didn’t set the oven to a higher temperature than the recipe called for, your oven might need to be calibrated.
• The oven was cold. Yeah, if your oven wasn’t fully preheated or never reached the required temperature, the cookies might not have risen. So, again, if you didn’t pop your cookies in the oven too early, then you might need to calibrate it.

Do You Burn Your Cookies on the Second or Third Batches? Try this tip!

OTHER CHristmas COOKIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

• Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies
• Cream Cheese Chocolate Cookies
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Smores Cookies
• Grinch Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Chip and Candy Cookies

Continue to Content

Traditional Thumbprint Christmas Cookies

Yield: 18

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

There's nothing better than whipping up a batch of traditional thumbprint Christmas cookies for the kids. They're one of the best Christmas cookie recipes and they're so easy, you'll wonder why we only make them at Christmas.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 Package Sugar Cookie Mix
• 3 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
• 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup jelly or jam

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cookie mix, flour, melted butter, vanilla, and egg until well mixed. 
3. Shape dough into small 1” balls and place on cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. 
4. Use your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon to make a little hole in the center of each cookie. 
5. Place sugar in a bowl or on a plate.
6. Roll the tops of each cookie in the sugar. 
7. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon of your jelly or jam into the hole in each cookie. 
8. Bake for 9-10 minutes and let cool for about 2 minutes on the pan before moving them to a wire rack. 
9. Sprinkle each cookie with a little sugar.
10. Enjoy!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Silver Spoons and More lace Rim 14" x 7.5" Heavyweight Plastic Set of 2 Serving Trays, gold
• 
  2 Set of 3-Tier Plastic Cupcake Stand Dessert Plates Mini Cakes Fruit Candy Display Tower White for Kids Birthday Tea Party Baby Shower Serving Tray Small
• 
  DII Ceramic Cookies for Santa Plate,

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 78mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 13gProtein: 1g