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Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies include a buttery shortbread cookie base and a delicate lemon glaze that’ll melt and crumble in your mouth, offering a subtle lemon flavor.
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Raspberry Cookies, Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies, Thumbprint Cookies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 88kcal

Ingredients

Cookies

Glaze

Instructions

Make The Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter and ⅔ cup sugar with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add the lemon zest and vanilla and stir. Add the flour mixture a little at a time until it’s incorporated, scrape down the sides as needed.
  • Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl.
  • Roll 1 tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball, then roll it in the sugar, and place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, placing the cookie balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
  • Using the round end of a wooden spoon or something similar, and make indentions in the middle of each cookie dough ball about ⅔ of the way down into the dough. They may slightly crack along the edges, that’s okay.
  • Fill each cookie with a heaping 1/4th teaspoon of jam.
  • Bake for 13-15 minutes until the cookies look dry on the outside and the bottoms are lightly golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the sheet tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make The Glaze

  • While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze.
  • Place the powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the vanilla, whisk to combine until smooth. It should be thick yet pourable, if it is too thick add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice.

Glaze The Cookies

  • I like to dip a fork into the glaze to drizzle it over the cookies. Let them sit for about 15 minutes so the glaze sets then enjoy.

Video

Notes

Recipe Notes

  • Stand Mixer. I always prefer using a stand mixer when mixing cookie dough - it's much more manageable. If you don't have a standing mixer, use a handheld mixer - it will work just as well but may require extra arm work! 
  • Make-Ahead. Make the cookie dough overnight or a couple of days in advance to be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator as a great way to reduce recipe prep and overall time required to make these cookies. You could even store the dough shaped into balls. 
  • Double It. You can easily double the cookie dough to make varieties of jam thumbprint cookies. 
  • Indent Ideas. There are a few ways to make the indent in your cookies: Use a wooden utensil with a rounded handle, a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon, or your thumb…after all, these cookies are called “thumbprint” cookies for a reason.  
  • Storage. These keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Variations

  • or blackberry thumbprint cookies.  All you have to do is use a different kind of jam to change up these cookies.
  • White Chocolate Drizzle. Instead of the powdered sugar glaze, drizzle melted white chocolate over the baked cookies. White chocolate and raspberry are fantastic flavor combinations!
  • White Chocolate Chips. Add white chocolate chips to the cookie dough for a decadent raspberry thumbprint cookie.
  • Almond Flavor. You can turn these into Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies by adding ½ teaspoon almond extract to the dough or glaze in addition to the vanilla extraction for another dimension of flavor or simply omit the vanilla extract and replace it with almond extract. 
  • Replace Sugar. Instead of using granulated sugar in the cookie base, try using brown sugar to change it up.
  • Sugar Glaze. You can remove the lemon zest and lemon juice from this cookie recipe if you aren't a fan of lemon. Milk can replace the lemon in the glaze, while you can completely omit the zest from the cookie dough without affecting the cookie base. 
  • Cream Cheese. Use half cream cheese and half butter in the cookie dough base, and turn these cookies into Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg