These melt-in-your-mouth Iced Valentine’s Day Thumbprint Cookies are rich and buttery cookies perfect to bake for your special someone. The recipe for these cookies is so easy with basic pantry ingredients, plus the pretty as can be red, white, and pink nonpareil sprinkles and colorful icing. Perfect for parties, gifts, and those times you want a festive cookie!
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What is a Thumbprint Cookie
Originating in the 19th century in Sweden these cookies are also known as hallongrotta, which means “raspberry cave,” because the indent is usually filled with raspberry jam. The dough is usually an enriched shortbread dough or a sugar cookie dough that gets rolled into balls and have an indent made in the center of the cookie with your thumb.
Today’s recipe has you covered for Valentine’s Day, but what about other times you want a thumbprint cookie? Luckily these cookies are so easy to change up to make for an occasion.
Cookie Options
You can roll the cookies in so many ingredients
- Chopped nuts
- Colored sugars
- Raw sugar
- Poppy seeds
- Any color of sprinkle you can think of
You can fill the cookies with lots of fun flavors
- Melted chocolate
- Jams and jellies
- Marshmallow
- Caramel
- Lemon curd
- Different colors of icing
For this recipe, you want to make sure to have these Valentine's Nonpareil Sprinkle Mix. Pretty aren’t they?
I like this sprinkle mix so much I have used them on these Dark Chocolate Slice and Bake Shortbread Cookies and these Sprinkle Sugar Cookies and a Red Velvet Filling. Both are delicious and perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Who can resist colorful sprinkles?
Ingredients
- Butter
- Shortening
- Brown Sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Salt
- Colored nonpareils
Let’s bake cookies
These sweet little cookies are super easy to make. Just mix the batter in a bowl with a big wooden spoon and the best part is you don’t need to refrigerate the dough. Just mix, roll and bake.
Step 1. Get things ready. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment or a Silpat and put the sprinkles in a big bowl so you can roll the cookie dough balls in.
Step 2. Place the softened butter, shortening, egg yolk, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix to incorporate. Then add the flour and salt and mix in with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough. You can also use a mixer if you prefer.
Step 3. Using a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, scoop 1″ balls then immediately roll in the sprinkles then set on the baking sheet.
Step 4. Using a teaspoon, press the rounded bottom into each cookie ball to make an indent in the center. You can also use your thumb to make the indent
Step 5. Bake for 10 minutes, then set the cookies on a cooling rack. Sometimes you need to press down on the indents right after the cookies come out of the oven to make them deep again.
Step 6. While the cookies are cooling make the icing. Sift the powdered sugar then mix with milk until smooth. Separate the icing into three small bowls then tint with pink and red gel food coloring. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap until ready to use.
Step 7. Using a small spoon fill each cookie with one of the icings.
Step 8. Let the cookies set out so the icing can harden before storing in an airtight container
Tips for the perfect thumbprint cookie
To keep the cookie from cracking roll the balls in the palm of your hand to make them nice and smooth.
Get those sprinkles to stick – right after you roll the dough balls put them in the sprinkles, the warmth of your hands will make the dough balls a bit sticky and the sprinkles will stick better.
How to keep these cookies from spreading – using a silicone baking mat will help, make sure your oven has heated up to the correct temperature, use cool baking sheets for each batch of cookies.
Pin this to your Pinterest Board for later
More cookie favorite to bake
Try these Apricot Pecan Thumbprint Cookies for a different take on this classic cookie.
Lemon Slice and Bake Shortbreads are tender cookies with lemon zest baked right in.
For something chocolaty bake these Cacao Nib and Sea Salt Shortbread Cookies, you will love how easy they are to bake.
Rose Petal Shortbreads are the most delicate cookie topped with rose petals and made with rice flour so they are gluten-free.
Don’t forget the Valentine's sprinkles
Iced Valentine's Day Thumbprint Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup solid shortening
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup AP, flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 5 oz. Red, white and pink nonpareils
Powdered Sugar Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbls milk
- 1 tbls. white corn syrup
- drops red and pink food coloring gel
Instructions
Making the Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., and prepare sheet pans with Silpat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl mix the softened butter, shortening, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until completely mixed.
- Mix in the flour and salt until combined and the dough holds its shape.
- Place the nonpareils in a bowl big enough to roll the dough balls.
- Shape the dough into 1" balls using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, then immediately roll in the nonpareils. The warmth of your hands helps make the dough balls a little soft so the nonpareils will stick better.
- Place the balls 1" apart on the baking sheets then press your thumb into the center of each dough ball or use the bottom of a teaspoon to create an indent.
- Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Then remove from oven to cooling rack.
Powdered Sugar Icing
- Mix the sifted powdered sugar and milk to make a smooth mixture. This icing sets up hard after it sits for a couple of hours.
- Separate the icing into three small bowls. Tint one pink and one red with the food coloring.
- With a small spoon fill each cookie with one of the icings.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for several days.
Notes
Nutrition
First Published: Jan 19, 2020… Last Updated: Jan. 28, 2021
What a wonderful day, full of sweets, flowers, and love.
Wishing you all the best this Valentine’s Day!
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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 both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.
Alexandra
These are so beautiful and I love the decoration options! Pretty and festive!
Corina Blum
My kids absolutely love anything with sprinkles and these are just so cute! I could quite easily eat quite a few they look so addictive!
Jere Cassidy
I’m a sucker for sprinkles.
Lucy Parissi
I love the vibrant colours you have chosen to fill and decorate these thumbprints with – so much fun for Valentine’s Day.
Jane Saunders
Oh gosh, you sound like when I was pregnant with my first child, only my addiction was sausage rolls – and they had to be warm! The heartbreak I felt if I couldn’t find one. Danishes and pastry aside, these cookies are gorgeous. I think my kids would love to bake them and eat them.
Jere Cassidy
These are definitely kid-friendly.
Heidi Roberts
I think Valentine’s Day is my favourite holiday. I love to go mad making things heart shaped or red!
Sisley White
They are so cute! I wish I had one ready made in front of me. It would be perfect with a cup of tea.
Kelly Johnson
Unfortunately, Joy Ann’s is not going to be open much longer. The woman running it now is posting insane things in Facebook groups insulting her customers. I haven’t lived there in 15 years and I don’t know her, but I’m dealing with stages of grief thinking the bakery will be gone soon. They’re only open Thursday through Saturday from 10 – 4 now.
The owner said that her customers are trash and told them that they have no class and eat possum. It was out of control. From one former Richmond person to another, you can understand my pain when I read that. It’s so needless and unnecessary.
That said, I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Jere Cassidy
Oh my, how sad to see such a long time bakery come to an end. I know when I lived there over 25 years ago that the owner had changed. Well, I have fond memories of delicious treats.
Annie
I’m from Richmond too. My parents still live out by Hayes Arboretum. I miss Joy Ann’s bakery. I used to sneak out at lunch when I went to RHS, and would go with friends to the bakery. Is this the actual recipe for their thumbprint cookies? I could have sworn there was some kind of nut flour in them. Maybe I’m wrong! Can’t wait to try these! Thanks for posting.
Jere Cassidy
Hi Annie, Glad you found my recipe for the Thumbprints. They are really good, but no like the good old Joy Ann’s. I agree they had to use something other than AP flour to make their cookies. We lived very close to the Arboretum too back in the late 70’s. Will be visiting Hagerstown next week. Let me know how your cookies come out. Jere’
Krista Price
There’s nothing quite like a sweet and delicious thumbprint cookie! I’ve finally bounced back from the dozens I ate during the holidays (no regrets). Looks like I’ll be eating a dozen more for Valentine’s Day -there’s no way I can resist making these cookies! 🙂
Jere Cassidy
I made Apricot Pecan Thumbprints for the holidays and now these. A bit obsessed with these cookies.
Fred N
This is such great work of art; a well designed cookies with a well taken pic. And the cookies look great, my son will be a fan, he likes colorful cookies.
Jere Cassidy
Thanks for your kind comments. I too love colorful cookies.
Neli Howard
These are absolutely amazing. I am so happy I decided to try this recipe.
Sandhya Hariharan
Omg.. such cute little thumbprint cookies loaded with sprinkles. Anyone will fall in love with them:)
Annie @ Annie's Noms
I love anything with sprinkles! These are adorable and just perfect to make for your sweetheart! Although… they look addictive, so it would be hard to share!
Geetanjali
How lovely these thumb print cookies look! Just perfect for this Valentine’s day. Love it
Maman de sara
I make thumbprint cookies often but now you gave me an idea to make them as a treat for valentines with the valentines sprinkles.
Kelly Anthony
These Valentines thumbprint cookies are so pretty and fun to make. My girls will love making these with me.
Mimi
Thumbprint cookies are the best. I guess it is thumbprint cookies that work miracles on the Valentine’s. And I like that you don’t have to refrigerate the dough – saves a bunch of time!
Jere Cassidy
I agree on the no refrigeration on the dough. Mix and bake at one time is good.
April
I love the recipes that allow me to go wild on toppings. I then use them as a base and play with various ingredients – it seems like I am having a different dish every time!
Lathiya
The thumbprint cookies looks perfect to celebrate this Valentines day…as you said,who can resisit sprinkles…it will be a great treat to kids
Linda
Awww these thumbprint cookies are too cute! Love the colors, the size, and basically everything about these cookies. And oh, so fun to make too.
Dianna
What festive cookies for the upcoming valentines holiday. I know the kids would love them. Thanks for sharing.
Cheese Curd In Paradise
How cute are these!? My kiddos would love these and they would make a wonderful treat for the school parties!
Jacqueline Debono
I love your thumbprint cookie recipes. These are so pretty and perfect for a Valentine’s day treat!
Stine Mari
How festive and perfect for Valentine’s Day! So cute, and sounds delicious too. I am pretty sad you didn’t get a danish though! They should know better!
Jere Cassidy
Thanks for the kind comment. Now that I live so far away I may never get another one of those danish.
Candiss
These are such a cute and lovely simple cookie. I bet they would be a welcome addition to any valentines day spread.
Jere Cassidy
Thanks so much, the colors would look so nice on a Valentine’s Day table.
Amanda
These are too adorable! Talk about the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. I’m definitely baking a batch. Thanks for sharing!
Jere Cassidy
You are so welcome.
Gloria
What a great little treat to celebrate with. Anything with sprinkles is always a hit. I know my grandkids would love these for sure.
Jere Cassidy
I agree, sprinkles are the best.
Danielle Wolter
So simple, but delicious. Nothing like a thumbprint cookie. They are so cute fr valentines day too!