Description
Jam Drops, also known as Thumbprint Cookies, are delicate buttery cookies with a soft crumb and a sweet jam center. These classic treats are perfect for teatime or festive occasions, featuring a rich vanilla-flavored dough and a burst of fruity jam in the middle. They are simple to make, baked until light golden, and provide a delightful balance between rich dough and tangy sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
Butter Mixture
- 225g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar, regular granulated sugar okay)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (room temperature, approx. 50-55g/2oz)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt or kosher salt
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
Filling
- 1/2 cup strawberry or raspberry jam, or any other flavor, mixed well to loosen
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Trays: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or 160°C (320°F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays with parchment paper to prevent the cookies from sticking and to ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 1.5 minutes until the mixture is creamy and light.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add vanilla extract, egg, and salt to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Beat for approximately 20 seconds until everything is well incorporated.
- Add Flour: Gradually add the plain flour and beat until just combined into a crumbly dough where you no longer see the white flour, but the dough remains somewhat crumbly.
- Shape Cookies: Measure out a tightly packed tablespoon of dough (about 3 cm or 1.2 inches in diameter). Tap the dough out into your hand, scrunch it to press it together, then roll into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball into a disc about 1.25 cm (0.5 inches) thick. Use your thumb to gently press an indent in the center of each disc. This technique helps avoid cracks.
- Fill the Indent: Place the shaped cookie discs on the prepared baking tray, leaving around 3.5 cm (1.5 inches) between each. Fill each thumbprint indentation with a slightly heaped 1/2 teaspoon of your chosen jam.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake both trays simultaneously for 14 minutes or until the edges turn light golden and the tops pale golden. At the 10-minute mark, rotate the trays and switch their shelving positions inside the oven to ensure even baking.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the trays from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely on the trays. The bases will finish cooking and firming as they cool. Once cooled, enjoy your jam-filled thumbprint cookies immediately or store them for later.
Notes
- You can substitute caster sugar with regular granulated sugar if needed; the texture might slightly vary but the taste remains delicious.
- Use any jam flavor you prefer. Mixing the jam before filling helps it spread more easily into the indent without clumping.
- The technique of tapping, scrunching, and rolling the dough ensures the cookies do not crack when baked.
- Be cautious not to overfill the indent with jam to prevent spills while baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western
Keywords: Jam Drops, Thumbprint Cookies, Shortbread Cookies, Butter Cookies, Easy Jam Cookies, Classic Dessert, Tea Time Cookies
