Description
Jam Drops, also known as Thumbprint Cookies, are buttery vanilla shortbread biscuits filled with your choice of jam. These classic cookies are made by pressing your thumb into the dough to create an indentation filled with jam before baking, ensuring the jam is baked into the cookie for a perfect blend of buttery and fruity flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 225g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar, regular granulated sugar is also fine)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature (~50-55g/2oz)
- 2 1/2 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt or kosher salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup strawberry or raspberry jam (or any other flavor, mixed well to loosen)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: Cream the softened butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and egg, mixing well to combine. Gradually add the plain flour and salt to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Shape the Cookies: Roll the dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut. Place them evenly spaced on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Create the Thumbprint Indentations: Using your thumb, gently press into the center of each dough ball to create a small indentation without breaking through to the baking sheet.
- Add the Jam: Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of your chosen jam into each indentation, making sure the jam is well distributed and fills the thumbprint.
- Bake the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Bake the cookies for about 14 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden and the jam has set into the cookie.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy once cooled.
Notes
- Watch the recipe video above for helpful visual guidance.
- These cookies are best made using your thumb to create the jam indentation for the traditional authentic shape and texture.
- You can use any jam flavor, but strawberry, raspberry, and apricot are the most popular choices.
- The jam is baked into the cookie rather than added after baking for a superior texture and flavor experience.
- This recipe yields about 28 cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 139 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 77 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
