Eggless Thumbprint Cookies

Name: Eggless Thumbprint Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 275 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick/113 grams, at room temperature); 1/3 cup caster sugar (68 grams); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (138 grams); 1 tablespoon cornstarch (10 grams); 1/4 teaspoon salt (skip if using salted butter); jam (of choice, to fill the cookies, you can use a mix of strawberry jam, apricot jam etc.)

By Manali Singh

5 from 1 vote

Nov 30, 2021, Updated May 07, 2023

These Eggless Thumbprint Cookies are made with basic pantry ingredients and filled with jam. An easy cookie to enjoy for every season!

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These Eggless Thumbprint Cookies are one of the easiest cookies that you can bake with basic pantry ingredients. Made with a simple cookie dough and filled with jam, these are really festive and can be filled with so many things!

thumbprint cookies arranged on a white plate with more cookies placed in the background

I love baking cookies in my kitchen and if you have been around for a while, you are fully aware of this! :). In the past I have shared these eggless danish butter cookies, eggless cake rusk and many more! These eggless thumbprint cookies or eggless jam cookies (whatever you want to call them) are another favorite of mine and and I am excited to share this recipe on the blog today.

If there’s one cookie you want to try this holiday season, try these eggless thumbprint cookies filled with jam. They are not only incredibly easy to make but also look so festive. All that beautiful jam color in the center with the contrasting white edges- just so pretty!

And let me tell you, they are just as good in taste as well. Thumbprint cookies are such a classic and everyone has a version of their own. While the traditional recipes call for egg, I obviously had to make them eggless because you guys seem to love all the egg-free recipes that I share and I also happen to love them just as much.

Let’s see how we make them and also talk about some tips to get them right.

These Eggless Jam Thumbprint Cookies

are egg-free and nut-free.
are the simplest cookies you can bake for your friends & family.
will make a great addition to your holiday cookies box.
requires very few pantry ingredients.
can be filled with a number of delicious fillings!

Ingredients

You need only a handful of ingredients to make these eggless thumbprint cookies! You will most likely have these in your pantry already!

Flour: All purpose flour is used to make these cookies. Whole wheat flour may be used but it will have them denser so keep that in mind.
Cornstarch: it gives tenderness to the cookies. If you don’t have cornstarch, skip and add 1 additional tablespoon of flour.
Butter: either salted or unsalted butter can be used in the recipe. I have used unsalted butter in the recipe, if using salted butter skip the salt that the recipe calls for.
Caster sugar: if you are not aware, caster sugar is a very fine form of sugar which works really well in baking. It’s somewhere between granulated white sugar and icing/confectioners sugar. If you don’t have caster sugar, you can use granulated sugar but beat it a bit longer so that is mixes really well in the dough.
Jam: you can use one type of jam or a mix of several jams, it’s up to you. I have used strawberry jam and a saffron apricot jam here.

Step by Step Instructions

1- To a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or use your hand mixer), add room temperature butter along with caster sugar. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed until it’s well combined and creamy.

2- Add the vanilla extract and mix for 1 more minute.

3- Now, add the flour, cornstarch and salt (skip salt if using salted butter).

4- Mix at medium speed until the dough comes together, around 1 to 1 & 1/2 minutes.

step by step picture collage of making eggless thumbprint cookies

5- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into small balls, around 20 to 22 grams each. You would get around 16 balls.

6- Now, using back of a small spoon or use your 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, press an indent in the center of the cookie dough.

7- Repeat with all the cookie dough. Now cover and chill this for 4 hours or overnight. Chilling is important since that will prevent spreading of the cookies when they bake in the oven.

8- Once chilled, take the baking sheet out of the refrigerator. Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees. Fill each indent to the top with jam, around 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon jam in each. If your jam is thick, you may need to microwave it to bring it to the right consistency. Bake at 350 F degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until the bottom is lightly browned (I bake for 20 minutes since I like them a little crispy).

Let rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chilling The Cookies

Do you really need to chill the dough and can’t you bake straight away? You can bake straight away but the cookies may spread and become flat. If you are okay with that then you bake them straight.

I do recommend chilling them before baking so that they don’t spread as much in the oven. Chill them for a minimum of 4 hours or even overnight. Remember to fill them with jam only before baking.

Baking Time

I baked these cookies at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes. If you prefer softer cookies, I would recommend baking for 15 minutes. Remember every oven is different so you cookies might take less or more time. Definitely check at 15 minutes mark and go from there. The cookies are done when the bottom is lightly browned and the edges are set.

In any case, you can always put the cookies back in the oven and bake more if you think they aren’t crispy enough. Mine were good at 20 minute mark.

Caster Sugar Replacement

Caster sugar is super fine white sugar and works really well in this recipe. Do not confuse it with powdered sugar/icing sugar. This is different! You can find caster sugar in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.

But in case you can’t find it, you can use granulated white sugar which isn’t as fine as caster sugar but will work. You will need to beat the sugar a little longer for it to mix really well with the butter in that case.

Storage & Make Ahead Instructions

These cookies will stay good at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or keep them in the refrigerator for a week.

The cookie dough can be easily made in advance. It can be refrigerated for up to 36 hours before baking. Just fill with jam when you want to bake the cookies and then put them in the oven.

one thumbprint cookie stacked against a tower of other cookies

a thumbprint cookie broken in half to show the texture

More Filling Options

If you do not like jam, you can also will these other things like-

chocolate ganache
caramel
dulce de leche
lemon curd

For all of these fillings, bake the cookies first and then fill them.

Tips & Notes

You can roll them in granulated white sugar after making the dough ball and then make the indentation.
Measuring the ingredients using a kitchen scale will give the best results and also prevent spreading of the cookies.
Make sure the butter is at room temperature before using in the recipe.
If you don’t have cornstarch, skip it and add an additional tablespoon of flour in place.
I highly recommend chilling the dough to prevent spreading of the cookies in the oven. If you are short on time, chill for at least 2 hours.
The jam that I used in the cookies was of spreading consistency. If the jam you are using is not firm, then microwave it a bit to loosen it up and then use it to fill the cookies.
If the sides of the cookies crack when you press the dough to make the indent, you can fix it using your hands.

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