Easy Christmas Thumbprint Cookies You’ll Love

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If you’re looking for a melt in your mouth Christmas cookie recipe, these Christmas thumbprint cookies are sure to fit the bill. They’re soft, chewy, tasty and oh so fun. 

Perfect for serving in a Christmas cookie tin with gingerbread men and some of those egg white meringue cookies, and more and more and more! LOL! 

Can you tell I love a good Christmas cookie?! I really do. So you can trust that these are amazing.

And if you’re searching for the best Christmas cookies, you have to check out these 30+ easy Christmas cookie recipes. Because, at the end of the day, variety is the spice of life and Christmas cookie tins.

Now, let’s get this traditional Christmas cookie recipe going, because you’re going to love it.

What You Need to Make Christmas Thumbprint Cookies 

• 1 Package Sugar Cookie Mix 
• 3 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
• 1/2 Cup Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup jelly or jam

How to Make Christmas Thumbprint Cookies 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cookie mix, flour, melted butter, vanilla, and egg. 

Scoop the dough into small 1” balls with a cookie scoop or tablespoon measure, spacing them about 2-inches apart on the baking sheet. 

With the end of a wooden spoon, press a hole into the center of each cookie. 

Place sugar on a plate.

Gently roll the top of each of the cookies in the sugar. 

Place 1/4 teaspoon of jelly or jam into the center of each cookie. 

Bake the cookies for about 9-10 minutes. 

Remove cookies from oven and allow them cool for about 2 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. 

Sprinkle each cookie with a bit of sugar or drizzle with red and green candy melts or white chocolate chips–or make them look like a candy cane with red and white chocolate drizzle, whatever.

Enjoy!

If you love this recipe for Christmas Thumbprint Cookies, be sure to pin it to your favorite Christmas cookies board on Pinterest. That way you can find it really fast when you’re ready to bake!

Oh, but before you go, let’s talk about some of the questions I’ve gotten about these awesome Christmas cookies.

How Long do Christmas Thumbprint Cookies Last?

If you put them on the counter, have a houseful of kids and you turn your back, they don’t last longer than about 5 seconds. But if you can put some security on them and guard them like a soldier, you can be that these thumbprint cookies for Christmas will last about 8-10 days on the counter in an airtight container before they start to dry out.

To get them to last any longer, you’ll want to put them in that same airtight container and pop them in the fridge. Then they’ll last 14-18 days. But keep them in the airtight container or they’ll get crumbly.

Can I Freeze these Christmas Thumbprint Cookies?

Yes, you certainly can. Just put them in an airtight container and toss them off in the freezer. When you’re ready to grab a cookie, you can just put it on the counter for a bit to defrost to room temperature. If you’re keeping the cookies in the freezer, you can expect them to last 3-5 months, easy.

Why are My Cookies Flat?

If you’re having a problem with flat cookies, there’s a few things that could be wrong. Since I’m not there to watch you bake, it’s a little difficult to diagnose the problem, but here’s a few tips I’ve run into over the years:

• Your oven wasn’t fully preheated or it got too hot. If you’re not baking the cookies at the right temperature, you can bet that they won’t bake correctly. If the oven isn’t preheated, the cookies will just melt before the heat has a chance to activate the baking powder, and if your oven is too hot, your cookies won’t have time to rise before the flour firms-up.
• Maybe it’s the butter. If you used margarine instead of butter or the butter wasn’t melted all the way and thus wasn’t the consistency it was supposed to be, that can really effect the way your cookies turn out. Butter’s kind of the “glue” holds the cookie dough together until the cookie can bake, so it’s gotta be right. And because this recipe calls for melted butter, it has to be melted so that it can get fully incorporated in the dough.

More Christmas Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

• Christmas Kiss Cookies – It’s not a holly, jolly Christmas without a kiss cookie and some sprinkles, LOL!
• Holiday Thumbprint Cookies – These are the easiest, most fun cookies you’ll ever make. Just super simple and definitely worth the time!
• Easy Iced Snowman Cookies – I love recipes I can make with the kids and these easy Christmas cookies are surely one for the kiddos!