Buttery Jam Thumbprints

These buttery jam thumbprints take me right back to baking with my grandmother. The sweet aroma of butter and vanilla fills my kitchen as I make batch after batch. Something about pressing your thumb into soft cookie dough and filling it with colorful preserves brings out the joy in baking. Why These Cookies Never Last Long in My House Every time I make these cookies they disappear faster than I can cool them. Their buttery softness and sweet jam centers make them absolutely irresistible. My family hovers around the kitchen just waiting to snag one warm from the cooling rack. Everything You Need to Get Started Butter: 1 cup just slightly softened. The quality of your butter really matters here. Confectioner's Sugar: A half cup gives these the most incredible melt away texture. Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla makes all the difference. Almond Extract: Just half a teaspoon adds that something special. Flour: 2 cups of regular all purpose flour works perfectly. Salt: A quarter teaspoon to make all the flavors pop. Preserves: About half a cup of your favorite thick fruit preserves. Let's Bake Together Create Your Base Get your mixer ready and beat that butter with sugar until it looks light and fluffy. This usually takes me about 3 minutes and it's worth every second. Add the Magic Mix in your extracts and salt. The smell is absolutely heavenly at this point. Make Your Dough Slowly add the flour until everything comes together into a soft beautiful dough. Give it some time to chill. Shape with Love Roll your dough into cute little balls and make wells in the center. I love this part it feels like playing with clay. Fill Those Centers Add your favorite preserves into each well. I usually go for raspberry but honestly they're all delicious. Time to Bake Pop them in the oven and watch the magic happen. Your kitchen will smell amazing. Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse My Secret Tips Let me share what I've learned after countless batches. Make sure your butter is just right not too soft not too cold. Play around with different preserves I love mixing and matching flavors. And always always let them cool completely before storing. Make Them Your Own Some days I reach for classic strawberry preserves other times I get fancy with blackberry or apricot. Sometimes I dust them with powdered sugar or add orange zest to the dough. Each batch becomes a new adventure in my kitchen. Keeping Them Fresh These little gems stay perfect for about 5 days in an airtight container. I keep them on my counter but they do beautifully in the fridge too. If you're planning ahead they freeze wonderfully. Just thaw them gently when you're ready to enjoy. Frequently Asked Questions What type of jam works best? Use thick fruit preserves rather than thin jams or spreads. The preserves should be high quality as they'll strongly influence the final taste. Why aren't my cookies browning much? These cookies naturally stay light like shortbread. For more browning, move the rack to upper-middle position or bake a few minutes longer. Can I skip the almond extract? Yes, you can replace the almond extract with extra vanilla extract for a total of 2 teaspoons vanilla. How long do these cookies keep? Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Make sure they're completely cool before dusting with sugar. Why chill the dough? Chilling helps prevent spreading and makes the dough easier to handle. Don't skip the chilling steps for best results. Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse Buttery Jam Thumbprints Lightly crisp, melt-in-your-mouth cookies filled with fruit preserves. An easy recipe that needs no eggs. Prep Time 15 Minutes Cook Time 20 Minutes Total Time 35 Minutes Difficulty: Intermediate Cuisine: American Yield: 24 Servings (24 cookies) Dietary: Vegetarian Ingredients 01 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened and sliced. 02 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar. 03 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 04 1 teaspoon almond extract. 05 1/2 teaspoon table salt. 06 2 cups all-purpose flour. 07 1/2 cup fruit preserves. Instructions Step 01 Beat butter and sugar briefly on low speed. Switch to high and beat 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Step 02 Mix in extracts and salt on medium-low for 10 seconds. Scrape bowl as needed. Step 03 Gently mix in flour just until combined, about 1 minute. Form dough into a ball, cover, and chill 30-60 minutes. Step 04 Heat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat. Step 05 Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Make a deep well in center of each using wooden spoon or finger. Step 06 Fill each well with about 1/2 teaspoon preserves. Chill cookies 5 minutes before baking. Step 07 Bake 20-23 minutes until lightly golden and puffy. Cool 5 minutes on pan, then move to rack. Step 08 Once fully cooled, dust with powdered sugar. Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse Notes Butter should be just slightly soft, not melty. Use thick preserves, not thin jams. Can omit almond extract and use extra vanilla instead. Cookies will stay light colored like shortbread. Tools You'll Need Stand mixer with paddle attachment. Baking sheet. Parchment paper or silicone mat. Cooling rack.