Fingerprint cookies

Why this recipe works

Delicious and fruity: I absolutely love everything about this fingerprint cookie recipe! From the buttery, crumbly shortbread cookie to the fruity jam center that adds so much flavor! The flavor contrast between the buttery cookie base and the sweet goodness of fruity jam makes these cookies irresistible.

Versatile: Thumbprint cookies can be perfectly combined with all kinds of different flavors! The simple shortbread cookie goes well with all your favorite sweet flavors. You can add any flavor of jam, chocolate, nut butter or even Nutella to create a variety of cookies with flavors everyone will love!

Ingredients

• Flour: All-purpose flour works great here!
• Corn starch: Cornstarch ensures that the cookies don’t spread too much in the oven, so the indentations remain intact!
• Butter: Soft butter works best for beating it with the sugar. This gives the cookies a rich and buttery flavor!
• Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works well!
• Egg yolk: Egg yolk helps add some structure to these fingerprint cookies!
• Jam: You can use your favorite store-bought jam. Try all your favorite flavors, like apricot, strawberry, raspberry and blackberry!

Here’s how to make it

Step by step instructions

1. Measure dry ingredients: Mix the flour and cornstarch and set aside.
2. Combine butter and sugar: Beat the butter and sugar together until just combined. Beat in the egg yolk until smooth and light.
3. Add flour: Stir in the flour mixture, switching to your hands when you can no longer work the dough with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to overwork the mixture, you’ll want to stop once there are no flour streaks left. Let the dough cool for 30 minutes.
4. Baking: Using a cookie scoop or a measuring spoon, roll the dough into balls that fit perfectly into a 1 tbsp round measuring measure. Arrange them on the baking sheet at least 1 inch apart and use a 1/2 teaspoon spoon to make deep cuts in the top of each ball to hold the jam.
5. To fill: Fill each cookie cavity with a heaped 1/4 teaspoon spoonfuls of jam.
6. Baking: Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cookies just start to turn golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheets before transferring to an airtight container.

Expert tips

• Add Nutella or nut butters! If you want to change it up and don’t want to use jam, you can replace the jam and add Nutella or nut butter. But you’ll want to add that to the cookies after they’re baked instead of before!
• Don’t overmix the dough! You want to combine the dough well enough that there are no dry flour streaks without over-mixing! Overmixing the cookie dough can result in tough or dense cookies.
• If you’d rather not waste proteinBeat the mixture until just frothy with a splash of water and roll the dough balls first in the egg whites and then in the chopped nuts before placing them on the baking tray and making an indentation to hold the jam.