Perfect strawberry jam cookies: this is a quick and easy strawberry thumbprint cookie recipe that works out every time. No need to cream the butter and the sugar.
Food processor OR stand/hand mixer with hook attachments
2 cookie sheets
Ingredients
2½cupsall-purpose flour 300 g, Note 1
½cupicing sugar 100 g
1pinchof salt
¾ cup + 1 Tbspunsalted butter cold, 200 g, Note 2
1egg large
½cupstrawberry jam smooth, 150 g, Note 3
icing sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Cut the cold butter into small cubes.¾ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter / 200 g
Dry ingredients: Sift flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of the food processor or stand mixer, and stir or pulse them a few times to combine.2½ cups all-purpose flour / 300 g + ½ cup icing sugar / 100 g + 1 pinch of salt
Dough: Add butter and egg. Knead or pulse shortly until the dough comes together; don’t overmix. Turn the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and bring it in shape with your hands. Don’t knead it; press it together to form a ball.1 egg
Chill dough: Wrap the ball and chill it in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and leave it on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before making the cookies.
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Form cookies: Break small pieces of dough and form small balls about the size of a smaller cherry, about 60 pieces.
Make wells: Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets leaving some space between them. Use your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon (works best) to make a small well in the middle of each cookie.
Fill: Stir the jam to soften it. Fill each well with about ½ teaspoon of jam (Note 4).½ cup strawberry jam / 150 g
Bake the thumbprint strawberry cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden. Allow them to cool on the trays for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool, sprinkle them with a bit of icing sugar.
Notes
It’s best to use a digital kitchen scale to measure the ingredients; it guarantees the best results (Amazon affiliate link). Measuring flour and butter consistently using cups is close to impossible.
Butter with 82% fat is best (European style). Please don’t use lower-fat alternatives; they contain more water, and that will affect the results.
A tart jam is best (lower sugar). You can use another flavor of your choice. Ensure the jam is smooth, without any seeds or fruit pieces.
Alternatively, bake the cookies without the filling, and fill them with jam once baked. In this case, allow them to get a bit firmer while resting on the baking sheet (about 10 minutes). Fill them with jam (lemon curd, Nutella, etc) and let the filling set for 2-3 hours before transferring them to a container.