Thumbprint Cookie Recipes | Taste of Home (2024)

FAQs

Why are my thumbprint cookies falling apart? ›

The dough should be chilled for at least 30 minutes, so that you can shape it into balls and indent without falling apart. Check that your oven temperature isn't too high.

Never place your cookies on a hot cookie sheet. Make sure your cookie sheet has cooled completely before placing your next batch of cookies, otherwise they'll start melting before they can start baking, and they're much more likely to spread.

Make sure you roll the cookie dough balls into a smooth round ball. If there are cracks on the balls, then they're more likely to crack as you indent them. Also, avoid waiting too long after rolling them to indent them.

Hallongrotta (plural: hallongrottor) is the name of a common Swedish cookie. The name means raspberry cave in Swedish. In the United States they are known as thumbprint cookies, as well as by many other names. Similar cookies sold in Australia are known as jam drops.

Store the cooled thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature on the counter. You don't have to refrigerate the cookies. I don't recommend stacking the cookies because of the jam. These cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Cookies spread because the fat in the cookie dough melts in the oven. If there isn't enough flour to hold that melted fat, the cookies will over-spread. Spoon and level that flour or, better yet, weigh your flour. If your cookies are still spreading, add an extra 2 Tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough.

If all you have on hand is foil and you don't like thin and crispy cookies, try chilling your dough before baking to prevent excess spreading — or just skip the lining altogether and bake them on an ungreased sheet pan. A nonstick silicone cookie mat made the best cookies of all the tests I tried.

Yield: This recipe will make about 42 cookies depending on exactly what size you roll your balls of dough. Storage: Store Thumbprint cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Make ahead: The dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days in advance. Just portion it straight from the refrigerator.

A good trick I've learned for softer cookies. After they've baked and cooled completely. Store them in an airtight container with a piece of plain white bread overnight.

Putting a slice of fresh white bread in the container with the cookies will help the cookies stay soft: fresh bread is moist, and that slice will give up its moisture for the greater good: keeping the cookies from drying out. We recommend white bread so that no flavor is transferred to the cookies.

Do Thumbprint Cookies mail well? ›

Do Thumbprint Cookies ship well? Yes. Firm and sturdy cookies are the best type of cookies to ship, so our Thumbprint Cookies handle the trip well.

Can You Freeze Thumbprint Cookies? Yes, you can freeze thumbprint cookies — but it's best to freeze them before filling them with jam. Make and par-bake the dough, then use your thumb to press an indent into each puffed cookie. Once you've made the indent, stop!

The most common reason that thumbprint cookies may spread when baking is an incorrect ratio of butter to flour. Be sure to follow my tips above for properly measuring flour. Another reason for spreading could be placing cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet. Be sure to read and follow my tips above.

If you overmix the dough, the cookies will be dry and crumbly. The best way to fix this is to add more liquid to the dough. This can be done by adding milk, water, or even melted butter. You may also need to add more flour to the dough if it is too wet.

Too much flour: If you add too much flour to your cookie dough, it will be dry and crumbly. Make sure to measure your flour correctly using a kitchen scale or by spooning it into your measuring cup and then leveling it off. Not enough fat: Fat helps to bind the ingredients together and make cookies chewy.

If you reduce the amount of butter or oil in a recipe, your cookies won't spread as much. If you add too much flour, your cookies won't spread as much. If your cookies have more brown sugar than white sugar, they won't spread as much. It's a careful balance.

Dough that's too airy.

The goal, usually, is to only incorporate the two ingredients without reaching the "light and fluffy" stage. When you mix the butter and sugar together at high speed or for too long, you'll aerate the dough excessively, causing the cookies to rise—and then fall—in the oven.