Eggless Thumbprint Cookies | Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies | Rosenmunnar
These Eggless thumbprint cookies | shortbread thumbprint cookies | shortbread jelly cookies are rich, buttery, tender, crumbly and melt in the mouth. Made with just four basic ingredients, these are easily adaptable to endless variations. Bake up a batch, or two or more this Holiday season coz they will be gone sooner than you think!
Servings 17 thumbprint cookies
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (leave the butter on the counter top, until soft)
- 1/2 cup Confectioner's sugar/powdered sugar, you may even reduce it to 1/3 cup if you prefer less sweeter cookies
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt, skip if using salted butter
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup jam/jelly/preserves, of choice
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Place butter in the bowl of your stand mixer (you can use your hand mixer or a whisk too), sift in powdered sugar, beat on low heat initially, until the powdered sugar is mixed with the butter, then increase the speed to medium and beat until pale, light and creamy, scraping down the bowl in between.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Now, switch to the lowest speed and add the dry ingredients in two parts, scraping down the bowl in between until well mixed. Gently bring the dough together. Do not knead. If at all the dough is dry, sprinkle few teaspoons of milk at a time, do not add too much. I didn't require any milk. The dough should be soft.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. I used a tablespoon and half to measure out the dough and form the balls, just so they are all uniform. Place the balls on the baking tray, about 2-inches apart.
- Make an indentation in the center of each cookie gently, using your thumb or the back of a rounded 1/4 teaspoon. If the edges crack, simply fix it with your fingers. Or just leave it as it is, it doesn't really matter.
- Fill the centers of the cookies with jam right up to the brim, about 1/4 teaspoon.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or just until the edges are golden brown. Let it stand on the cookie sheet for about a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
- The butter should be soft but not so soft that it is mushy. If you push the butter with your finger, it should slide with some resistance, leaving a dent behind. That is the correct consistency of the butter to be used in this recipe. Leave it for no more than 1 hour on the countertop to reach this stage. When the butter is too soft, you may end up using more flour as the dough might be sticky. Simply avoid this situation by ensuring the butter is not too soft.
- If the jam is too firm, transfer it to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 10 seconds or transfer to a heavy bottomed pot over medium-low heat, stir it well to loosen it and fill the cookies. Make sure it is not very hot.
- If it is too hot and humid where you live, you may want to refrigerate the cookies after making the indentation. Doing so will prevent the cookies from spreading while baking. Add the jam after the refrigerating the cookies and bake as directed.