Nutty Jam Thumbprints
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These Nutty Jam Thumbprints could win a cookie contest on looks alone, but they’re just as delicious as they are pretty.
These nutty jam thumbprints could win a cookie contest on looks alone, but they’re just as delicious as they are pretty. The cookie is actually a Mexican wedding cookie, also known as a Russian tea cake, Viennese crescents or snowball cookies. Nutty and not-too-sweet, these cookies make a wonderful shortbread-like base for a dollop of luscious fruit preserves. The recipe is adapted from Alice Medrich’s award-winning cookie book Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy.
“I’ve made jam thumbprints for many years but your recipe is the best. They’re delicious and beautiful to look at.”
What You’ll Need To Make Nutty Jam Thumbprints
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness. The sugar is blitzed in a food processor to give it a superfine texture; this makes the cookies extra tender.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the cookies. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Pecans: Contribute a nutty flavor and crunchy texture when finely ground.
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the dough.
- Vanilla Extract: Infuses the dough with a warm, aromatic flavor.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Used for dusting the cookies, adding a touch of sweetness and visual appeal.
- Jam, Jelly, or Preserves: Provides a sweet and fruity filling in the center of each cookie. You can use any jam or jelly you like. I love Bonne Maman strawberry, raspberry, four fruit or apricot. Chocolate will work too; for chocolate lovers, try Nutella or chocolate ganache.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
The most tender wedding cookies are made with superfine sugar, so begin by pulsing the granulated sugar in a food processor until it is fine and powdery.
Next, add the flour, salt, and pecans.
Process the mixture until the nuts are finely ground.
Add the butter.
Then pulse until the mixture comes together.
Transfer the dough to a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
Roll the dough into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon to press an indentation about 3/4 of the way down into the center of each ball (you could also use your thumb but a wooden spoon works much better).
Bake for 22-24 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a rack. Let the cookies cool slightly, then dust them generously with powdered sugar.
Fill the cookies using a tiny spoon or the tips of teaspoon handles.
That’s all there is to it. Such beauties!
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Nutty Jam Thumbprints
These Nutty Jam Thumbprints could win a cookie contest on looks alone, but they’re just as delicious as they are pretty.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups pecans
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut unto 1-inch chunks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
- ½ cup favorite jam, jelly or preserves (best quality, such as Bonne Maman)
Instructions
- Put the granulated sugar in the food processor and process until it is fine and powdery, about 30 seconds. (Be sure to cover the feed tube so the powder doesn’t float out.)
- Add the flour, salt and pecans and pulse until the nuts are finely ground.
- Add the butter and vanilla and process until the mixture looks damp and comes together. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.
- Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Use the tip of a wooden spoon handle to press an indentation about ¾ of the way down into the center of each ball (twist slightly to release; if the handle sticks, dip it in flour). Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until lightly colored on top and golden brown on the bottom. (If your oven cooks unevenly, rotate cookies from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through baking time.)
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Using a sieve, dust cookies with confectioners’ sugar. Use a tiny spoon or the tip of a teaspoon handle to fill with jam, jelly or preserves.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature. (For best results, add the jam after defrosting.)
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 90
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 26 mg
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi, Jenn,
I am interested in trying this cookie with a bit of my homemade apple butter in the center. In keeping with that theme, do you think I should dust with cinnamon sugar instead of powdered sugar? Or add any spice to the dough? (Although my apple butter is generously spiced.) Stick with pecans or try walnuts? Thanks for your advice!
Hi Sandy, I’d keep the powdered sugar because it looks pretty but adding a little cinnamon to the dough sounds delicious. I’d probably use about 3/4 teaspoon. And walnuts would be delicious, too.
can this delicious looking recipe be made without nuts? my son is severely allergic to pecans and walnuts. i know this is a part of the base of the recipe, not an add on like in other recipes, i just want to make sure it will not effect the finished product or consistency. thank you
Hi Meredith, I wouldn’t recommend it – sorry! There are plenty of thumbprint cookie recipes, that don’t require nuts. I’d recommend giving one of those a try.
I’d like to make these cookies. Could you add the metric toggle for me please?
Done – hope you enjoy the cookies!
Is there nutritional info for these cookies?
I just added them, Ro – hope that helps!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! These are going to make a wonderful addition to my cookie boxes this year. (That’s if I don’t complete bomb the baking process). My dough is chilling now. I am planning on baking them off either this afternoon or this evening, and will give them out tomorrow. How should I store these cookies? Also, should I wait to dust them with the powdered sugar and fill them with jam until the morning? Thank you so much!! Xx
Hi Jen, I would store them in a covered container at room temp, and then fill and dust them w/sugar in the morning. Hope that helps!
Hi!
I’ve made several of your dessert recipes already and would like to try this one. I don’t have a food processor, but I do have a coffee grinder which I use to grind oats into oat flour, etc. If I grind the pecans using the coffee grinder can I make the rest of the recipe by hand? I would love to try these cookies! Thank you.
-Kristina
If you feel confident you’ll have success using the grinder to process the nuts and the sugar (the sugar need to be ground too) then I suspect it should work. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
These cookies are so good! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! How do I store them, Jen?
Hi Marissa, Glad you like them! I’d store them in an airtight container, stacked between sheets of parchment paper.
Excellent cookie. I chilled the dough overnight and it was hard to worok with. I warmed up each spootful in my hand before shaping it into a ball. Next time I would take the dough out about 1/2 hour before using. They bake up beautifully and look festive.
Jam Thumbprint cookies are a traditional cookie in our house every Christmas! Love this nutty base of the cookie with the pecans. Reminds me a bit of our other traditional cookie, the Mexican Wedding cake. I didn’t roll the Thumbprint cookie in unsweetened coconut before flattening this time, but I most often do for this recipe. Delicious!
Could you use powdered sugar instead of processing the granulated sugar in the first step?
While I think you could, the cornstarch that’s in powdered sugar would change the texture of the cookies a bit (and make them softer).
These cookie recipes are amazing- a great selection. Will they keep until Xmas or is it too soon to start my baking ??
Hi Rachel, They only way they’d keep until Christmas is if you froze them. I’ve never frozen them, but I think they would freeze nicely.