Raspberry cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies

A Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies Recipe made with a cream cheese cookie batter and delicious pecans. Reminds me of a raspberry cheesecake in cookie form. The jewelled centres are the perfect way to make any cookie tray look special for the holidays!

When I first found this recipe in my grandmother’s recipe index I thought she was crazy adding cream cheese to an almost shortbread-like batter.  Boy was I wrong!  I can’t stand cream cheese on its own, but in a cookie… well that is an entirely different story.  It actually gives a richness to the cookie and is not “cheesy” at all.

My grandmother’s shortbread recipe is one of my faves so when you get a chance to be sure to check it out too!

• You don’t have to use raspberry jam. You can use any jam you love the most or mix it up and use a variety of jams. On a cookie platter, they will look like beautiful little jewels!

Tips for making Raspberry thumbprint cookies

• Be careful not to burn your thumbs. Many thumbprint cookie recipes suggest poking the hole in the centre before they go in the oven but I find that they crack more often this way. I like to bake halfway through and then take the cookies out and use the end of a wooden spoon handle to put the hole in the cookie. Not your actual thumb… or ouch!

• Let them rest on the cookie sheet for about a minute after taking them out of the oven. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. They do tend to be a bit fragile so moving them right away when they are super hot sometimes causes them to crack or fall apart.

• Don’t go overboard and overfill the jam holes.  When the jam gets hot it will expand and if overfilled it will leak over the sides and they won’t look as pretty.  A 1/2 a teaspoon should do.

• Be careful not to overbake!  These cookies can really dry out.  Take them out just as soon as the batter feels firm to the touch and is just starting to turn golden brown on the bottom.

How To Make Raspberry thumbprint cookies

Add cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla to a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the flour, baking soda and pecans and mix well with a spoon until just well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for about 1/2  an hour to chill.

Preheat oven to 350°F and on a ceramic cookie sheet or regular cookie sheet lined with parchment paper place hand rolled balls about 1″ in diameter about 2″ apart.  12 per sheet.

Bake for 7 minutes and then remove from the oven using the end of a wooden spoon to make holes in the centre of each ball.

Add a 1/2 tsp of jam to each centre and place back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes. Remove from the oven as soon as they begin to turn light golden brown.  Let rest on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Then when the cookies are cooled you can sprinkle the tops with some coarse sugar or drizzle with icing if you wish. Then store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

Thumbprint cookie variations

• Be creative. Roll the dough in coarse white sugar before placing them n the oven or drizzle them with icing once they are cool to make each one look unique and pretty in its own way.
• Use a variety of your favourite jams – strawberry and apricot work very well
• Not a fan of nuts, leave them out

Can you freeze Raspberry thumbprint cookies?

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies so you can certainly eat them all they are so good but if you decide you want to save some for later simply place them in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months. I freeze them all the time!

why Did My Thumbprint Cookies Spread

It comes down to the temperature of the butter for many cookies. Fat causes cookies to spread so if the butter in the batter is too soft still when you begin baking then they will spread more than they should.

To keep this from happening be sure to chill the dough in the fridge for a half-hour to an hour so that the dough is firm enough to scoop and roll but not hard like a rock.

Do You Fill the Thumbprint Cookies Before Or After Baking?

You should fill them before they are baked but if you forget don’t fret. As soon as they come out of the oven use the back of a teaspoon or the end of a wooden spoon handle to make an indent in the centre of each thumbprint cookie.

Since the dough will still be soft right out of the oven this should be quite easy to do.

Be careful though and don’t use your thumb! These are hot and sticking your thump into hot dough might burn you.

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