I never knew how easy it was to make thumbprint cookies till this past weekend.

Thumbprint cookies with Niagara Golden Plum & Lavender jam from Kitten and the Bear

A couple weeks ago, I went with my friends, Isabelle and Rosa, to Kitten and the Bear. While I’d been several times, KATB is a place I would always happily return to! It’s the cutest, little artisanal jam and preserve shop. With only 2 tables in the whole place, you can enjoy their jam and tea service with a friend or two in an intimate atmosphere. It’s also owned by a husband and wife duo who are super passionate about what they do, and that’s always something I appreciate.

Since I don’t have a sweet tooth, whenever I go to KATB, I’m usually more interested in their buttermilk scones and clotted cream (which are made in-house, along with their artisanal jams). Mmmmm! On this visit, the folks at KATB were kind enough to send each of us home with a jam of our choice. I chose the Niagara Golden Plum & Lavender because it looked yummy and I’ve literally been obsessed with lavender all summer, as you might have guessed from one of my previous blog posts.

Knowing I don’t have a big sweet tooth, I didn’t just want to let the jam sit in my cupboard. I wanted to incorporate it into a recipe for the blog in some way. So, I asked my followers on Instagram what I should make with the jam and a few people responded with thumbprint cookies. Not gonna lie, I’ve never baked cookies (let alone, thumbprint cookies) in my life before, but I was willing to take on the challenge and see how the cookie crumbles 😉 !

Thumbprint cookies in the making!

Naturally, I did some research online. Fun fact: they’re called “Thumbprint cookies” in North America, but they’re actually a Swedish dessert named “Hallongrotta”, which means “Raspberry cave” (thanks, Wikipedia!). I looked at about 6 different thumbprint cookie recipes and figured out what I’d need to do. I also had my husband to help with this one, which made putting this recipe together a lot more fun!

Oh, and we also don’t have a stand mixer or a hand mixer (told you, I’m not a baker!). So, we actually just whipped everything up by hand – it adds a lot more love to the cookies that way, right?! We at least have some more arm muscle as a result!

Thumbprint cookies cooling on a cooling rack

So, long story short, if I can make these thumbprint cookies turn out on my first (well, second) try, then anyone can! Also, if you don’t have Niagara Golden Plum & Lavender jam to make these cookies, you could substitute with any of your favourite jam.

Thumbprint cookies with golden plum and lavender jam

I topped the cookies up with some more jam after baking. I also tried making some with cherry jam and formed a heart-shaped indentation.

Here is the recipe.

Thumbprint Cookies with Niagara Golden Plum & Lavender Jam

Easy to make thumbprint cookie recipe. You can use any of your favourite jam for these cookies.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 45 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter (1 1/2 cups) which must be at room temperature
  • 3 1/4 cups cake flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup jam I used Niagara Golden Plum & Lavender, but you could use any jam of your choice

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Sift the powdered sugar and add to bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Add salt and room temperature butter. Mix until fluffy. Note: if you don't have a hand mixer or stand mixer, you could also mix by hand (I used both a whisk and spatula).
  • Add yolk and the egg, one at a time, and continue mixing. Add vanilla extract.
  • Gradually add 3 sifted cups of the cake flour. Continue to mix until incorporated well. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cake flour for rolling the dough balls.
  • Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Using a teaspoon or your hands, form dough balls no bigger than 1 inch in diameter and place on baking trays. As the cookie batter is quite sticky, you'll want to add a pinch of cake flour, here and there, as you roll the dough balls. Note: it's very important to make the dough balls small, since the cookies will expand as they bake.
  • Once all your dough balls are on the baking trays, using your thumb (or in my case, index finger), make a deep imprint in each and fill with jam. I found it easier to dip my finger into cold water before indenting each ball.
  • Place trays in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Once your first batch is done, transfer cookies to a cooling rack and work on your next batch. This recipe yielded more than 45 cookies for me.
  • Serve and enjoy!

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