Pecan Thumbprint Cookies are bite-sized treats with a rich buttery flavor and a hint of brown sugar sweetness. Roll them with finely chopped pecans, bake to a golden brown, and fill with jam for a sweet, nutty, jammy cookie.
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These jam-filled cookies are always a hit! Use your favorite jam flavor in the middle. I used apricot jam because it's my favorite, and it goes great with pecans.
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You Are Going To Love These Cookies
These cookies are a piece of cake to make - seriously, you probably have the ingredients in your pantry! Just grab a bowl and a wooden spoon, and you're good to go - no fancy mixer required. Whip them up in a jiffy
They make a great Christmas Cookie, and look pretty with a red jam, like seedless raspberry jam or my homemade strawberry jam.
You will love these jam thumbprint cookies with their zesty filling and crispy pecans. But you can also change them up with sprinkles and icing, like these Iced Thumbprint Cookies rolled with colorful sprinkles.
Pecan Thumbprints Ingredients
- Butter - I use room temperature unsalted butter.
- Brown Sugar - Use dark brown sugar if you have it, but light brown sugar works just as well.
- Egg - always bake with large eggs
- Vanilla extract - Use good quality vanilla or learn how to make vanilla with your favorite vanilla beans.
- Flour - I use all-purpose flour, but you can substitute this gluten-free 1 for 1 flour.
- Salt
- Pecans—I use pecan halves for this recipe and chop them.
- Jam - Use your favorite jam; I like the Bonne Maman brand.
Chopping pecans
When you chop the pecans, make sure they are finely chopped. Finer pieces of pecans will adhere better to the cookie balls.
☑️You can also toast the pecans, adding a deeper pecan flavor. This takes minutes in a skillet or the oven.
☑️The easiest way to make the little indent in the cookie to hold the jam is with the back of a teaspoon. I have a ¼ teaspoon that is deep and leaves a perfect indent. However, since these are called Thumbprint cookies, using your thumb is just as easy.
☑️You can make these cookies in various sizes by rolling a larger cookie dough ball and adjusting the baking time.
How To Make Thumbprint Cookies
This dough is nice and soft but sturdy enough to roll into balls.
- Mix the cookie batter: Cream the butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. You can do this by hand or use an electric mixer. Then mix in the flour and salt.
- Roll the dough: I use a teaspoon and scoop the dough into 1-inch balls.
- Dip dough in egg white: Put the egg white in a small bowl and lightly mix it, then dip the dough balls in it. This helps the pecans stick to the balls.
- Roll in pecans: Roll the balls in finely chopped pecans, and then place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Make the thumbprint: You can use your thumb to make the indent, but I like to use a ¼ teaspoon and press that into the dough ball.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. After the cookies have been baked, you may have to make another indent, so just press the teaspoon in to deepen the indent.
- Fill with jam: Spoon the jam into the center of the cookies.
- Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to four days.
You Can Bake The Cookies With The Jam
You can also bake the thumbprints with the jam instead of adding the jam after baking. This sets the jam in the thumbprint and makes it firmer.
There are my raspberry thumbprint cookies I made for Christmas. This time I added the jam before I baked the thumbprints.
Equipment
I still like to use a quick and easy appliance for small jobs, and this manual food chopper works great for the small amount of pecans you need to chop. You can also use a small electric food processor; it is just as handy and will chop pecans in seconds.
More tasty recipes
- For all the pecan lovers, try these Pecan Tassies for your next dessert.
- This Sweet Nut Braid bread has a soft center filling with toasted pecans.
- For pecan pie lovers, change things up and bake this Bourbon Pecan Pie, and don't wait for the holiday season to make it.
- Bake these Raspberry Lemon Cookies for a citrusy thumbprint cookie.
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Recipe
Pecan Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Manuel Food Chopper optional
- 1 Mini food processor optional
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg separated - the egg yolk is used in the batter and then roll the balls in the egg white.
- t teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup AP flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups pecans, halves finely chopped
- ⅓ cup jam use your favorite flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and prepare sheet pans with parchment paper.
- The pecans need to be finely chopped so they stick to the cookies. Place the pecans in a food processor and chop until the pecans are fine. If you don't have a food processor, a handheld chopper will work, but it will be best to chop the pecans in small batches, or chop the pecans on a cutting board with a chef's knife.
- In a large bowl mix the softened butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until combined, and the dough holds its shape.
- In a small bowl add the egg white and beat slightly.
- Shape the dough into 1" balls, I find using a teaspoon to scoop the dough makes the right size of dough balls. I do make a heaping teaspoon of dough.
- Roll the dough balls in the egg white, then roll in the chopped pecans.
- Place the balls 1" apart on the baking sheets, then press your thumb or the back of a ¼ teaspoon into the center of each dough ball.
- Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. You may need to re-indent the cookies when you remove them from the oven to have a deep well. completely
- Remove the cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely before adding the jam.
- Gently stir the jam to make it easier to fill the thumbprint wells, and then proceed to add jam to each well. This is usually a ½ teaspoon.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to four days.
Notes
Make sure the pecans are chopped fine so they will stick to the rolled dough.
For the jam, I find it easier to stir the jam to make it a soft and fluid consistency before spooning it into the thumbprint well.
You can also add the jam to the unbaked cookies and then bake for 10 minutes. This sets the jam in the cookie.
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Nutrition
First published: Jan. 5, 2019; last updated: March 15, 2024, for better readability.
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About Jere'
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
Karen M Bach
made them for the first time and everyone in my family loved them( even the picky people who don't want nuts in their cookies. I will definitely be making more of them.
gwen
can these cookies go in the freezer
Jere Cassidy
They can go into the freezer, but leave off the jam, and add that later. Or, if you bake the cookies with the jam, they can be frozen.
Elaine
These were perfect! I used some homemade pear jam and the light taste of the cookie with the pear jam was perfect. Great pantry staple recipe!
GRETA
OMG, these were so delicious. Literally, I didn't have not even one left for the next day. Everyone loved it. It was a big hit.
Jere Cassidy
I am so glad you liked these thumbprints. They are tasty little treats.
Ksenia
Sweet, yummy, and full of ALL the delicious pecan flavors! I could eat a jar of these cookies all by myself.
Liz
These thumbprint cookies are so good!! I love the pecan and jam combo! will make again!
JD Alewine
Who would've known that pecan jam was SOOOO addictive?