Thumbprint cookies are easy, can be made with any kind of jam or fruit filling, flavored with whatever pleases you most, and are delicious. We are of differing opinions about what kind of glaze to use, though. Our go-to (powdered sugar, water, and flavoring) can be too soft and smeary, especially if you’re packing them as holiday treats. A royal icing squiggle works just as well, is just as easy, and tastes just as nice. We’ve included instructions for both here.

The Cookie

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon extract (our favorites are vanilla, almond, lemon, and rum, but go ahead and experiment!)
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup fruit jam
• Pinch salt

The Soft Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 teaspoons water, milk, or cream
• 1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

The Royal Alternative

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 ½ teaspoons meringue powder

In mixer bowl, combine softened butter, sugar and ½ teaspoon flavoring extract. Beat, scraping sides of bowl often, until mix is fluffy and creamy. Add flour and salt, and beat until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, and place on cookie sheets. Push your thumb¹ into each center, making an indentation, and don’t worry if the edges begin to crack a little. Fill each indentation with about ¼ teaspoon jam.²

Bake about 14 minutes,³ or until edges are very lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on sheet for a minute, then remove to cooling rack. When cookies are completely cool, make your glaze or royal icing.

For the glaze, combine powdered sugar and extract, then mix in water (or milk) one teaspoon at a time until you have a pourable consistency. Drizzle over cookies.

For royal icing, mix all ingredients and beat in a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Put icing in a pastry bag and pipe over cookies.

Tips and Tricks (and footnotes)

Carla loves currant jelly in all of its forms, so of course loves to make these cookies at Christmas with red currant jelly and lemon extract. And that currant/lemon flavor is a nice tart contrast to the sweetness of the cookie and its icing. Also a big winner? Blueberry preserves or jam with lemon extract. Please experiment with your favorites.

1. We’ve discovered a cool cheat for this, as we like perfectly round indentations. We take our smallest cookie scooper (a melon baller would work, too, but who has those in the back of a kitchen drawer anymore?) and press a nice neat round into the top of the cookie. ↩︎
2. Land o’ Lakes, whose recipes never fail us, recommends that you pop cookies still waiting for their turn in the oven back into the refrigerator. They’re right – the cookies will stay firm and hold their shape better during baking. ↩︎
3. Land o’ Lakes says 9-11 minutes. ↩︎