Raspberry Walnut Thumbprint Cookies
Raspberry Walnut Thumbprint Cookies feature a basic cookie dough rolled in chopped walnuts with a dollop of sweet raspberry jam in the center.
When I was a kid, my Grandma did the majority of the Christmas baking in our family. She made the same things every year, and it never changed. And everyone had their favorites. Mine were (and still are) Cornflake Squares, which I now make every year without fail.
I have tried many, but not all of my Grandma’s old recipes, and some I continue to make slightly different versions of. But one thing that she always made, and I had not made myself was these Raspberry Walnut Thumbprint Cookies. I actually really liked these as a kid, but for some reason kind of forgot about them for many years.
This year I was feeling nostalgic for them, and started to try hunting down her old recipe. My mom didn’t have it, so I went to my Aunt. She didn’t have my Grandma’s actual recipe, so she gave me the one that she used to use when she made the cookies.
I made a couple of small tweaks to the recipe (swapped the shortening out for butter), and they ended up tasting exactly like I remember. Only time will tell if these will become a Christmas staple in my house, but this year at least, they will be ending up on the Christmas treat platter.
How to Make Raspberry Walnut Thumbprint Cookies
When I was testing this recipe, I made sure to test a variety of cooking methods to make sure you get the best cookies with the least amount of hassle. Specifically, I wanted to make sure that the thumbprints stayed dimpled while cooking, and see whether or not there was any benefit to chilling the dough.
The good news is that there didn’t seem to be any benefit to chilling the dough or making the dimples partway through the cooking time. The cookies came out just as well when the dough was unchilled, and when the jam was added to the dimples before cooking. In other words, the easiest way to make these cookies is the best way.
To get started with these cookies, you’ll want to make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped. This includes chopping the walnuts. While you can certainly chop the nuts by hand (using a large chef’s knife will be the best tool for the job), a manual nut chopper really makes things so much easier. Set the nuts aside for now and make the dough.
Cream the butter, brown sugar, and salt together in your stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer). Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour on low speed until a soft dough forms.
Scoop the dough into 1 to 1½ teaspoon portions and roll each portion into a ball. Dip the ball into the whisked egg white, then roll it in the chopped walnuts until it’s fully coated with chopped nuts. Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Using your thumb or a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon, press a dimple into the center of each dough ball. Fill each dimple with raspberry jam, making sure that the jam isn’t heaping or overflowing. Bake the cookies until the jam just starts to bubble and the nuts are beginning to brown, about 10-12 minutes. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets.
Store the cookies in an airtight container or zipper bag with parchment paper between any layers of cookies. The cookies will last 3 days at room temperature, or up to a few months in the freezer.
Raspberry Walnut Thumbprint Cookies Ingredients
The ingredient list to make these cookies is fairly short and comprised of easy-to-find ingredients that you will find in many cookies. Note the lack of a leavener (eg. baking powder). This is not a mistake: this keeps the cookies from losing their thumbprint shape while cooking.
- Unsalted butter – Or you can use a non-dairy butter alternative to make these cookies dairy-free. Whichever type you choose, make sure it’s softened before you start making the dough.
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Large egg – Note that you’ll be separating the egg for this recipe: the yolk will go into the cookie dough, and you’ll be dipping the dough balls into the white for better walnut adherence.
- Vanilla
- All-purpose flour
- Finely chopped walnuts – Or you can use any other finely chopped nuts. Pecans would make a good alternative, or use peanuts to make a PB&J flavored cookie.
- Raspberry jam – Or you can use any other jam or jelly of your choice
Want more Christmas cookie recipes?
Raspberry Walnut Thumbprint Cookies Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one cookie. If you eat more cookies, make sure to do the math to figure out the nutrition facts, if you’re interested.
The nutrition information includes all of the walnuts and raspberry jam included in the recipe. If you use different nuts or jam, or use more (or less) of either than the recipe calls for, the nutrition information may vary slightly.
To make these cookies dairy-free, replace the butter with a dairy-free butter alternative.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. Move the oven racks to the upper middle and lower middle positions. Heat oven to 350°F.
- Place ½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl). Cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until well-mixed and slightly fluffy.
- Add the egg yolk and ½ teaspoon (2 g) vanilla and beat on medium-high speed again until pale and fluffy. Add 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour and mix on low speed until a dough forms.
- Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until foamy. Pour 1 ¼ cups (146 g) finely chopped walnuts into a plate or shallow bowl.
- Scoop the dough into 1-1½ teaspoon portions and roll each portion into a ball. Dip each dough ball first into the foamy egg whites, then roll them in the chopped walnuts until the ball is coated with walnuts.
- Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1½ to 2 inches apart. Use your thumb or a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indent in the center of each dough ball. Use a small spoon to to fill each indent with about ½ teaspoon of raspberry jam. Avoid overfilling.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, or just until you see the jam start bubbling. Place the baking sheets onto wire racks and allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets. Store any leftovers in airtight containers or zipper bags with sheets of parchment between layers at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for several weeks.
Nutrition
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