These vegan thumbprint cookies are perfect for the holidays or any occasion! Made with a simple shortbread cookie dough, and filled with delicious raspberry jam. It's pure bliss in every bite! They're rich, delicate, and pop of brightness from the jam. And, if you're not convinced yet, they're super easy to make!
When it comes to cookies, you really can't beat a classic. And, whenever I think of holiday baking, I always think of thumbprint cookies. They're the most festive-looking and most beautiful cookies to look at, especially in a Christmas cookie box. Wouldn't you agree? I've always had a soft spot for these cookies, and it's because it's my mom's favorite cookies. She was never a fan of chocolate like I am, she'd always prefer the fruity and less sweet desserts. While my mom never baked, she would always buy the store-bought version of these cookies. And now that I've learned how to bake these, I wish she was here so she can enjoy my homemade version!
✨Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You'll only need 8 ingredients and it's extremely easy to make!
- You can easily customize the flavor of filling you want to add, whether it be raspberry jam, apricot jam, or strawberry.
- They make for the perfect gifts for any occasion
✏️Ingredient Notes
- Vegan Butter - You'll want to start this recipe with softened butter, as it'll help incorporate with the dough evenly.
- Fruit Jam - Use any kind of fruit jam you like, I used strawberry jam. It's such a classic thumbprint cookie flavor, and it's one of my favorite flavor of jam.
- Powdered sugar - Using powdered sugar will help with the texture of the cookies, it will give it that lovely crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread type of texture.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
📝Substitutions & Variations
- Substitute any flavor of fruit jam you like!
- Leave out the vanilla extract for a pure buttery shortbread cookie flavor
- You can make these bigger by using a tablespoon to scoop out the dough and using a teaspoon to make the indentation.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
🍴How to Make Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Top Tip: Use a food scale to weigh the ingredients into the bowl! This way you don't have to dirty any measuring cups and you truly only need ONE bowl!
Step 1: Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened vegan butter and powdered sugar, until light and creamy. Then add in the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract, and continue to mix until well combined.
Step 2: In a small bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt together. At low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until a dough starts to form. Don't over-mix and scrape down sides as needed.
Step 3: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and lightly knead until you get a smooth cohesive dough.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a half-tablespoon measuring spoon or 15 grams, scoop the dough and roll it into smooth balls. Place them on the baking sheet about 1 ½ inch apart.
Step 5: Make indentations using the back of a rounded ¼-teaspoon and gently press down about half way.
Step 6: Without overfilling, fill each cookie with your desired jam. Then bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool on the pan before serving!
⭐Expert Baking Tips
- Measure your flour properly. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error. My recipes are 100% tested in grams.
- Don’t use your thumb. I know, these are called "thumbprint" cookies, and maybe it's just me, but when I use my thumb they don't look as good! I prefer using the back of a rounded ¼-teaspoon measuring spoon instead. It creates the perfect indentation that holds jam better!
- How to prevent cracks in your dough. As mentioned earlier, make sure to measure your ingredients properly. If you add too much flour, the ratios of wet and dry ingredients could be off and can cause cracks in the dough. Another trick is to warm up small balls of dough by kneading them lightly between your hands before rolling and making the indentation.
- Jam too thick? If your jam is too thick to pour into the cookies, measure a small amount in a heat-proof bowl and heat it in the microwave for a few seconds!
💭Common Questions
I have not tested this using gluten-free flour, but for a cookie recipe like this, I think a 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour will work!
A few cracks are normal, you can smooth them out with your finger. But it could also mean that there could be too much flour in the dough. Make sure to properly measure out the flour, I always measure my ingredients using a food scale. Check out my top tips for more information!
🥣Storage & Reheating
- Room temperature
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. - Freezing Instructions
You can freeze baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month. When ready to eat, place them on the counter at room temperature for about an hour to thaw.
❤️More Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
- Food scale highly recommended
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- ½ tablespoon
- Rounded ¼ teaspoon
- Parchment Paper
- 2 Rimmed baking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 226 grams Vegan butter (softened at room temperature)
- 150 grams Powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Non-dairy milk (I used soy)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 300 grams All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch (or tapioca starch)
- 100 grams Jam of choice (I used strawberry jam)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, in a small bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, and salt together. Set these aside until ready to use.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened vegan butter and powdered sugar, until light and creamy. Then add in the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract, and continue to mix until well combined.
- At low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until a dough starts to form. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and lightly knead until you get a smooth cohesive dough.
- Using a half-tablespoon measuring spoon or 15 grams, scoop the dough and roll it into smooth balls. Place them on the baking sheet about 1 ½ inch apart. Make indentations using the back of a rounded ¼-teaspoon and gently press down about half way.
- Without overfilling, fill each cookie with your desired jam. Then bake for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Measure your flour properly. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error. My recipes are 100% tested in grams.
- Use softened butter. This recipe calls for room temperature butter, so when you make it, you’ll need to plan ahead. Remove the butter from the fridge or freezer a few hours before you start baking. Don’t try to speed up the process in the microwave. If you do, there’s a good chance that your cookie will spread more and will be a greasy mess.
- If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
- Watch this video from King Arthur on how to properly measure your flour if you don’t have a food scale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUSovVHpqsU
- Add your flour in batches. You’re looking for soft,play-doh-like cookie dough. So, I also suggest adding the flour in batches, instead of all at once. This way you can gauge how much flour you are adding by feeling the dough.
- Don’t use your thumb. I know, these are called "thumbprint" cookies, and maybe it's just me, but when I use my thumb they don't look as good! I prefer using the back of a rounded ¼ teaspoon instead. It creates the perfect indentation that holds jam better!
- How to prevent cracks in your dough. As mentioned earlier, make sure to measure your ingredients properly. If you add too much flour, the ratios of wet and dry ingredients could be off and can cause the cracks in the dough. Another trick is to warm up small balls of dough by kneading it lightly between your hands before roll and make the indentation
- Jam too thick? If your jam is too thick to pour into the cookies, measure a small amount in a heat-proof bowl and heat it in the microwave for a few seconds!
- Can I make this gluten-free? I have not tested this using gluten-free flour, but for a cookie recipe like this, I think a 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour will work!
- How long do these vegan thumbprint cookies last? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Joy says
These turned out great! I made a heart shaped indentation for Valentine's. (I used my pinky finger to form the heart) I really appreciated the tip of warming the dough by rolling right before you press it to avoid cracks! Thank you!