Our Absolute Best Thumbprint Cookie Recipes

Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies

These festive sugar-coated red velvet cookies are perfect for Christmas. They’re just as delicious as they are beautiful. —Colleen Delawder, Herndon, Virginia

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Raspberry Pistachio Thumbprints

Thumbprint cookies are a Christmas classic, and I especially like my updated version with pistachios. The rich, buttery bites are not only delicious, but they are also pretty enough to give for gifts—if you manage to share them! —Laura Murphy, Columbus, Mississippi

Baklava Thumbprint Cookies

The topping on my sister-in-law's peach cobbler was so delicious that I asked for the recipe, then decided to use that to top a cookie I developed with the flavors of baklava. My adult son tried one and immediately ate two more—which is unusual for him! It's a good recipe to mix up the night before and bake fresh the next day for company. —Sharon Eshelman, Harrington, Delaware

Jeweled Coconut Drops

Red raspberry preserves add a festive flair to these tender coconut cookies. Perfect for potlucks and cookie exchanges, these shaped cookies never last long when I make them for my husband and two sons. -Ellen Marie Byler, Munfordville, Kentucky

Carrot Spice Thumbprint Cookies

Carrot cake is a family favorite, and these delicious cookies taste just like it with shredded carrots, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, cinnamon and cloves. And they're topped with a rich cream cheese frosting. Who could resist? Each cookie is like eating a piece of carrot cake, but with no fork needed! —Susan Bickta, Kutztown, Pennsylvania

Berry Shortbread Dreams

Raspberry jam adds fruity sweetness to these rich raspberry-filled shortbread cookies. They will absolutely melt in your mouth! —Mildred Sherrer, Fort Worth, Texas

Coconut Key Lime Thumbprints

This is the cookie recipe I created for the Las Vegas World Food Championships in 2013. It's similar to a shortbread thumbprint cookie, but with lots more personality. —Amy Freeze, Avon Park, Florida

White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

When I pass around the cookie tray, all eyes land on these fancy thumbprints. The white chocolate filling and dab of jewel-toned jam will satisfy even the most discriminating sweet tooth. —Agnes Ward, Stratford, Ontario

Thumbprint Butter Cookies

These buttery little rounds add beautiful color to a platter of treats. Fill the thumbprint in the center with any fruit preserves you like. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Pistachio Thumbprints

These mild pistachio-flavored cookies disappear in a wink. —Liz Probelski, Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Sweetheart Cookies

These rounds filled with fruit preserves were blue-ribbon winners at the county fair two years running. A family favorite, they never last beyond December 25! —Pamela Esposito, Smithville, New Jersey

Chocolate Chip & Cookie Butter Thumbprints

I wanted to make a more festive version of chocolate chip cookies for the holidays. Since my mom's thumbprints are what I look forward to most, I decided to combine the two. —Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado

Sacher Torte Cookies

This cookie recipe will be a hit whether you are making it for your family or for a potluck. Apricot is traditional but you can choose whichever fruit preserves you prefer.—Audrey Thibodeau, Gilbert, Arizona

Red Velvet Peppermint Thumbprints

Red velvet cookies and cakes are so pretty, but I always wish they had a bigger flavor. I infused these thumbprints with a peppermint pop. —Priscilla Yee, Concord, California

No-Bake Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints

Years ago, a friend gave me a recipe for chocolate peanut treats that didn't require baking. I thought it was a quick and clever way to whip up a batch of sweet snacks without heating up the kitchen, and I started making different variations. This one includes luscious Nutella and crunchy hazelnuts. Yum! —Lisa Speer, Palm Beach, Florida

Poppy Seed Thumbprints

My oldest son is a huge fan of these thumbprints, so I make sure they're on my baking list every Christmas. Lemon zest and poppy seeds help give this crisp cookie fantastic flavor. —Kelly Pember, Wheeler, Wisconsin

Pecan Pie Thumbprints

A good buttery dough and nutty filling take time to make, but the results are so worth it. After munching on a few, I think you'll agree.— Peggy Key, Grant, Alabama

Pumpkin-Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are the result of a recipe inspiration and an afternoon spent experimenting in the kitchen with my daughters. I took the cookies to a meeting and they were a hit. So yummy with a cup of coffee! —Jennifer Needham, Woodstock, Georgia

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

When I was four, Mom and I would don our aprons and I would pretend we were bakers named Marge and Betty. Though we dropped that routine, we still make Christmas cookies together every year. —Rebecca Little, Park Ridge, Illinois

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Thumbprints

When I dig out my best cookie recipes, I'm reminded of baking with my children when they were little. These thumbprints with cherries elicit such sweet memories. –Deborah Puette, Lilburn, Georgia

Flourless Peanut Butter Thumbprints

I had been searching for a dessert to make for my brother's girlfriend (who is gluten intolerant), and I came across a naturally gluten-free dessert—a flourless peanut butter cookie. After tweaking the recipe a bit and adding Nutella and a sprinkling of sea salt, I finally found the perfect cookie for her. —Dana Hinck, Pensacola, Florida

Jeweled Thumbprints

When I moved here from Malta more than 20 years ago, a kind neighbor lady took me under her wing and baked many cookies for me. This is one of her recipes that I treasure. —Maria Debono, New York, New York

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

My group of friends had a weekly "movie night" during winters on Martha's Vineyard, and we'd take turns making a chocolate treat to share. These terrific cookies were an instant success. Once they debuted, I had to make them many more times. —Laura Bryant German, W. Warren, Massachusetts

Cranberry-Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies

For years, I made Swedish thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam and walnuts. Now at Christmas, I use pistachios and cranberries for holiday color. —Dion Frischer, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Apricot-Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

I enjoy experimenting with cake mixes to make new cookie recipes. I love apricot, but feel free to fill the thumbprint in the center of these goodies with any fruit preserve you like. —Nancy Johnson, Laverne, Oklahoma

Chocolate-Cherry Thumbprint Cookies

These look so pretty at Christmas on a tea table with other decorated cookies. They taste as good as they look, and they are eaten quickly wherever and whenever I take them. They're also ideal for Valentine's Day, and every other day of the year! —Stephanie Smith, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Eggnog Thumbprints

These cute cookie bites always get a recipe request. They make special holiday gifts and freeze well, too.— Mary Ann Ludwig, Edwardsville, Illinois

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Covered in chopped nuts and drizzled with chocolate, these cookies are delicious and pretty, too. Everybody looks forward to munching on them during the holidays. —Elizabeth Marino, San Juan Capistrano, California

Festive Thumbprints

I never cared for jam-filled thumbprints, so I decided to fill them with frosting instead. This makes them easy to ship, which you can’t do with the sticky jam filling. I sent these to my daughter while she was serving in Iraq, and they made the long haul in perfect condition. —Wendy Schlueter, Babbitt, Minnesota

Apricot Thumbprints

Each dimpled delight holds a dab of apricot preserves—or whatever jam or jelly your family fancies most. —Jeanette Meidal, Savage, Minnesota