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Heart Thumbprint Cookies

Heart thumbprint cookies with strawberry jam are easy to make and perfect for sharing with those you love!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
chilling
20 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 142 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup strawberry jam, or jam of your choice (note: this will be more jam than you need to fill the cookies but it will be much easier to fill them if you have a little extra)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar until well combined, 1-2 minutes. Note: we're not going for "light and fluffy" here, just enough to get things well mixed. You actually don't want a lot of extra air incorporated into this dough so that the cookies keep their shape as they bake.
  3. Briefly mix in the salt and almond extract.
  4. Add the flour, and mix slowly until the ingredients are just combined, don't over mix. The dough will be fairly soft.
  5. Take 1 Tbsp of dough, and roll it into a ball. Place on one of the prepared baking sheets, and using the rectangular end of a kitchen implement like a spatula, serving spoon, or whatever you have available, make a small "v" in the center of the ball, pressing down about 1/3 of an inch or so.
  6. Repeat for the rest of the dough (you should make somewhere around 20 cookies), spacing them a couple inches apart on the pan.
  7. Chill the formed cookies in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before baking.
  8. Bake the cookies (straight from the fridge) for about 15-17 minutes. They will be pale, but light golden on the bottom.
  9. You may want to re-press your divets gently when the cookies come out of the oven for a little more definition and depth, but be careful not to press too hard because they will be delicate when warm.
  10. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool before you prepare the jam filling.
  11. Once the cookies are pretty much cool (it's okay if they are just slightly warm still), bring the jam to a boil in a small saucepan. Then, pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
  12. Working fairly quickly (before the jam starts to set too much) spoon a very small amount of jam into the heart-shaped wells of the cookies. If you have a small spoon like an espresso spoon or a teaspoon that would be helpful for this step. You can nudge the jam around a bit while it is still warm to fill the well nicely.
  13. Allow the cookies to cool and the jam to set before moving. The jam centers will still be soft and somewhat sticky, but they will partially set and will be less messy and delicate than if you filled them with jam straight out of the jar.

Notes

  • This dough is very soft when first made - it helps to have a nice soft dough when forming the cookies and the heart imprints - a chilled or stiffer dough will crack on the edges. Chilling the dough after forming the cookies helps them keep their shape in the oven.
  • Cooking the jam briefly and straining it allows the jam to fill the "wells" of the cookies nicely and will partially set the jam so it isn't so runny and messy, but still expect the jam filling to be soft - I wouldn't stack these cookies on top of each other for packing.
  • Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.

Nutrition Information

Calories 142kcal (7%) Carbohydrates 19g (6%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g Monounsaturated Fat 2g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 18mg (6%) Sodium 34mg (1%) Potassium 22mg (1%) Fiber 0.4g (2%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 210IU (4%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 6mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 142

% Daily Value*

Calories 142kcal 7%
Carbohydrates 19g 6%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g 2%
Monounsaturated Fat 2g 10%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 34mg 1%
Potassium 22mg 0%
Fiber 0.4g 2%
Sugar 9g 18%
Vitamin A 210IU 4%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 6mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.