Description
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!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 sticks – vegan butter, softened at room temp
- 2 cups (300g) – all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (150g) – powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon – vanilla extract
- Jam of choice ⅓ cup, I used raspberry jam
Equipment:
- Food scale, highly recommend
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- 2 rimmed baking sheets
- Wire cooling rack
Instructions
- Prepare two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, and set them aside. Also, make room in the fridge for the baking sheets as the cookies will chill in the fridge later on.
- Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, mix together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until light and creamy.
- Then, at low speed, and gradually add the flour and mix until just combined and the dough starts to form. Don’t over mix and scrape down sides as needed. If you’re using cup measurements, see notes.
- While you wait, preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, and set them aside.
- Measure 30 grams (about a tablespoon) of dough and roll them into smooth balls. Place them on your baking sheet about 1 ½ inches apart. If using a measuring spoon, try to keep the dough around the same measurement for even baking.
- Make an indent using the back of a teaspoon, and press down gently about halfway in.
- Fill each cookie with a teaspoon of jam and put them in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit. If your jam is too thick to pour into the cookie molds, measure out it in a heat-proof bowl and heat it in the microwave for a few seconds!
- Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, you want the bottom of the cookies to be slightly golden. Make sure not to overbake the cookies.
- 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 teaspoon measuring spoon instead. It creates the perfect indentation that holds jam better!
- Chill your dough. Since we are handling this dough a lot, the warmth from your hands will start melting the butter in the dough. So, you need to chill them in the fridge to prevent them from spreading too much in the oven.
Keywords: vegan, vegan cookies, vegan christmas cookies, vegan thumbrpint cookies, christmas cookies, thumbprint cookies, vegan holiday recipe, cookie swap, cookie recipes
