Name: Easy Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Nuts Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 cup pecans; 2 cups all purpose flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup jam or icing of your choice

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Our Easy Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Nuts Recipe are an old fashioned and a classic holiday cookie! The crumbly, sweet cookies taste delicious with raspberry or cherry jam, or even chocolate icing!

While they are perfect for cookie exchanges around Christmas time, they’re also a family favorite all year long!

This cookie recipe is a staple dessert in our house because they’re so easy to make and everyone just loves them! We personally love them with pecans, but you could also use walnuts.

Whatever kind of nut you use – you can bet these bite-sized treats will melt in your mouth!

What are Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint cookies are an old fashioned Swedish cookie made from shortbread dough. They all have a cave in the middle that holds either a jam or chocolate filling.

The most common type of filling is raspberry jam, but you could also use another jam or even chocolate icing.

What kind of jam should you use?

We prefer a seedless raspberry jam, but you could also use cherry, apricot, or strawberry. All four jams taste amazing with the pecan cookie batter!

You could even do a mixture as you’ll see from our pictures.

Another option is to use a chocolate buttercream icing for the filling.

Do you put jam in thumbprint cookies before or after baking?

You’ll want to add in the jam after you bake your cookies.

How do you make pecan cookies from scratch?

Our thumbprint cookies with pecans & raspberry jam are super easy to make!

First, you’ll need a few simple ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup pecans
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup jam

Once you have your items handy, you’re ready to make your cookies!

Pulse your pecans in a food processor (or buy chopped pecans)

Mix all of your ingredients except for the jam together to make the dough.

Roll the doll into a ball and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Using a cookie scoop to keep the size the same, grab some dough and form a ball.

Make a cave using the back of the cookie scoop.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 10 minutes.

Fill each cookie with jam or icing once they’re completely cooled.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy!

Tips to Make the Perfect Raspberry Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are super easy to make! We recommend lining a couple of sheet pans with parchment paper so that once your cookies are ready, you can easily place them on the pan.

Another tip is to always use a cookie scoop as we suggested above; this will keep your cookies perfectly sized!

How do I keep my thumbprint cookies from spreading?

If it’s possible, we recommend using a scale to measure your ingredients. Yep, it’s an extra step, but it can help make sure you’re using the exact amount of flour and ingredients in your recipes.

You also want to use a silicone making mat or parchment paper versus using a nonstick spray to keep your cookies from spreading.

The nonstick spray tends to leave the cookie sheet overly-greasy, and this is why cookies spread.

Your cookie sheet should also be completely cool before placing the dough on it.

How do I keep my cookies from cracking?

It could be that the lines or cracks are happening as you’re rolling the dough into balls. You want to make sure to completely roll the dough into a ball with no lines — it’s easiest to do when your hands are a bit wet.

You can also wet your cookie scoop to place the cave in the cookie to prevent cracks in the cookies.

Can you freeze raspberry thumbprint cookies?

Yes, you can freeze thumbprint cookies either before or after they’re baked.

If you’re freezing the cookie dough–

You’ll want to portion out the cookies and then freeze them. Once their frozen, you can transfer them to an airtight container and freeze them for up to 3 months.

If you’re freezing baked cookies —

You’ll want to make sure the cookies are completely cooled before freezing them. You can either wrap the cookies individually in plastic wrap or put them in a airtight container in single layers.

How Long Can I Keep Frozen Cookies in the Freezer?

Frozen cookies can last up to 3 months in the freezer if they’re wrapped tightly, stored in freezer-safe bags or placed in an airtight container.

These cookies will spread a little as they bake. If you need a cookie to ice, we recommend this no spread sugar cookies recipe.

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Yield: 24 Cookies