Easy Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Whether you’re hosting a holiday party, baking cookies for Santa, or just want a little treat, you’re going to love these easy raspberry thumbprint cookies! These cookies are a nostalgic dessert and a budget-friendly recipe you can whip up quickly. Rich butter combines with sweet sugar for a tender texture and decadent melt-in-your-mouth flavor. Topped off with raspberry preserves, these classic thumbprint cookies will have you coming back for seconds. We’ve even included options to make this recipe gluten-free and dairy-free to fit any dietary needs. See the full list of swaps and substitutions in the recipe card below.
What Are Thumbprint Cookies?
Also known as Hallongrotta, a Swedish term meaning “raspberry cave,” thumbprint cookies are a type of sweet shortbread with a colorful jam center. These treats get their name from the method you use to create them, which involves pressing your thumb into the center to make an indentation to hold the jam.
Ingredients for Thumbprint Cookies
These gluten free thumbprint cookies come together with just a handful of pantry staples. Here’s what you need:
Granulated sugarButter – we recommend unsalted butter; may use plant-based stick butter for dairy-freeEgg – swap out the egg for a flax egg to make these thumbprint cookie vegan and 100% plant-basedMilk of choice – use any dairy or non-dairy milk of choicePure vanilla extract Gluten-free 1:1 flour blend – we recommend using Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour; you can also use unbleached all-purpose flour if you don’t need your thumbprint cookies to be gluten freeBaking powderBaking sodaRaspberry preserves – may substitute strawberry or apricot preserves (or any favorite flavor), or fill with chocolate or caramel, too
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How to make Thumbprint Cookies
Here are the basic steps to make these Thumbprint Cookies today:
Mix the cookie dough: Cream together the sugar and butter then mix in the egg, milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and baking soda until a soft dough forms.Chill the dough: Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for 1-2 hours. Roll the dough into balls: Remove dough from the fridge and roll between into balls. Press your thumb into the middle of the cookie to make a well. Fill and bake: Fill well with strawberry preserves, about one teaspoon per cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes or lightly golden brown on the edges and bottom.Cool and enjoy: Let the thumbprint cookies cool before removing from the baking sheet and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.
For the complete directions, ingredient amounts, and nutrition analysis that lists calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium per serving, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Video: How to make Thumbprint Cookies
Recipe Swaps & Substitutions
This thumbprint cookie recipe is naturally gluten and nut free. However, if you need a treat that is dairy free, too, we’ve got you covered.
Let the ingredients come to room temperature: For easy mixing and to avoid overworking the dough, let the butter and eggs come to room temperature before you begin baking Keep an eye on the oven: Unlike chocolate chip cookies or monster cookies that turn a beautiful golden-brown color in the oven, these raspberry thumbprint cookies will be just slightly browned and pale once done. As a result, it’s important to keep a close on them so that they don’t over-bake or burn.
Make it Dairy-Free
Use the following swaps to make these raspberry thumbprint cookies dairy free.
Use plant-based butter instead regular dairy butterSwap out the cow’s milk with any non-dairy milk you like best
Make It Vegan
Use the dairy-free swaps above, along with the egg substitute below to make these gluten free thumbprint cookies vegan.
Replace the egg with a flax egg. To do so, whisk 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and set it aside for about 15 minutes to thicken. Then, just follow the directions as listed in the recipe card below!
When to serve these cookies
Personally, we don’t think there’s ever a bad time to serve up a fresh batch of cookies. Traditionally, these festive treats are particularly great to prepare and snack on while wrapping gifts, after a day spent out playing in the snow, or snuggled up on the couch for a movie night with a mug of dairy-free gingerbread hot cocoa in hand. They’re also perfect for bake sales, too!
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For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you! **For gluten free flours, we recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. If you don’t need cookies that are gluten-free, you can use an equal amount of unbleached all-purpose flour
