Delicious and fun to make shortbread-style little cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. I’m filling these jems with my Homemade Rhubarb Jam – or choose your favorite! See my awesome trick for creating the imprint. Recipe works great with Gluten Free AND Regular Flour. Just the best Rhubarb Jam Cookies!
What are Thumbprint Cookies?
Also called Jam Cookies and Jam Drop Cookies.
Buttery quality cookies that are a shortbread type – which means they melt-in-your mouth. They are filled with jam when firm and cold – and baked until a touch golden.
The ALMOND FLAVOR is pronounced… yet subtle.
Fine Almond Flour is blended into the soft dough, and Natural Almond Extract adds the right amount of flavor. Nielsen-Massey Pure Almond Extract is a great one!
I would stay away from one with artificial flavors.
Fill these cookies with My Rhubarb Jam:
I Have 2 recipes for Rhubarb Jam:
All made without Pectin and cook between 30 – 45 minutes.
- Karen’s Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Jam
I used this one to fill the cookies – the vanilla beans are optional.
Both recipes are lower in sugar than commercial varieties.
- Karen’s Chunky Rhubarb Jam – No Pectin and Lower in Sugar
This one includes strawberries for some extra natural sweetness.
Rhubarb is one of those flavors that is deliciously addicting! For those of you who have experienced it’s earthy yet tangy taste – it can not be compared to any other fruit! Make this jam ahead of time.
My soft dough, rolled and pressed down slightly then filled
DOES NOT CRACK WHILE BAKING!
Thumbprint Cookies – date back to the 1800s.
When a thimble was used to make the indentations! Many suggest using your thumb.
See MY genius method!
The original recipe is a 19th century Swedish one, and also noted as a Czech one, dating back to 1836.
Let’s Get Baking!
INGREDIENTS:
STEP 1:
Make the soft dough – add 20 rolled balls of dough to a cookie sheet lined with a silpat liner (or parchment paper.)
STEP 2:
PRO TIP: How to make a hole for the jam!
Press down the dough balls slightly –
Then tip the end of a fat wooden spoon into flour, tap off excess and swirl to make a hole for the jam; a 1/2 inch opening.
Can make the hole slightly larger if you want more jam.
SO MUCH MORE EFFICIENT THAN USING YOUR THUMB!
STEP 3:
The refrigerated dough is now filled with jam and baked in a 350 degree oven for 16 – 17 minutes until a touch golden.
STEP 4:
Remove cookies to a wire cooling rack. ENJOY!!
The balance you want between cookie part and jam part:
I make a half inch hole for filling the jam. You could make a hole a bit larger, if you want a lot of jam – 3/4 inch would work too; note, you will use more jam.
Add any Spring flowers on the table ~ nice addition to the Rhubarb Cookies (Rhubarb is a Spring Fruit)
I have a special place in my heart for Rhubarb…
Ready to pick now through summer. My grandparents had plentiful rhubarb plants sprawling in their garden, and rhubarb pie was typically served after dinner. This beautiful ruby hued perennial has a flavor that is distinctive, tart and heavenly scented.
Rhubarb’s sourness is flattered by a constellation of other fruits and flavors, but I like to keep it simple, and not overpower with much… so the plant’s essence is forefront. Look for rhubarb at shop near you – it’s in season NOW, and shortly at your local farmers market.
You will love these awesome Spring Cookies!
Karen
ALSO SEE:
16 Rhubarb Recipes ~ Sweet AND Savory!
Love to bake? SEE all of may Cookies & Bars
If you like these recipes, SUBSCRIBE (here) to my newsletter ~ never miss a recipe!
Buttery Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Rhubarb Jam
Equipment
- 1 or 2 cookie sheets
- 1 or 2 silat liners (can also use parchment paper)
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter*, half pound, room temperature: I use organic
- 1/3 cup pure cane sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature; I love pasture raised eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend, OR regular flour (Bob's Red Mill, 1 to 1 Baking Flour, Gluten Free) used
- 1/2 cup fine almond flour*
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, non GMO
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cups + 2 tablespoons Rhubarb Jam*
Instructions
- Make Rhubarb Jam; use when cool. Or choose the jam of your choice.
The Cookies Dough:
- Add softened butter* with both sugars to a stand mixer bowl. Cream with paddle over low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl contents with a rubber spatula. Cream 20 seconds more on low speed until well combined.Add the room temperature egg, vanilla and almond extract – blend in fully at low speed.
- Add flour, almond flour, cornstarch and sea salt. Blend all together at low speed, scrape down contents in bowl, then blend until the dough comes together. The dough will be soft.
- Make 20 cookies on each cookie sheet. Line a cookie sheet with a silpat liner (can use parchment paper.) Using a 1 inch cookie scoop (will be about 1 T. dough) – scoop some dough, level off top, drop into the palm of your hand and quickly roll into a symmetrical ball. Place on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Repeat adding 20 balls on cookie sheet spacing them by one inch.
PRO TIP!:
- Add a tablespoon of flour in a small bowl. Dip the end of a thick wooden spoon in the flour, tap off excess, make a 1/2 inch hole in the center of each cookie. To do this, indent straight down and swivel in a circular motion to create a 1/2 inch hole for the jam. Repeat with remaining cookies. (See photo.)Make another cookie sheet of 20 more cookies, or freeze half the dough for another time.
Refrigerate Cookies:
- Refrigerate the cookies on the pan for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove the cookies from the refrigerator. Fill each hole with jam. Easiest is to use a sharp small pairing knife – pick up some jam with the knife and add to each hole straight down. Fill each to the top to the hole.
- Bake the cookies 16 – 17 minutes. The bottoms should be golden and the sides just showing some color. Remove them to cool on a cookie rack.
Notes
* Almond Flour used: Bob’s Red Mill, Super-Fine Almond Flour See my Rhubarb Jam Recipes – or use your favorite jam
Karen’s Rhubarb Vanilla Bean Jam
and Karen’s Chunky Rhubarb Jam – No Pectin and Lower in Sugar Makes wonderful Gluten Free cookies too! This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So pretty! Want to make these.