Iced Thumbprint Cookies

Iced Thumbprint Cookies are easy to make, taste great and are the perfect addition to the dessert table at any celebration.

Iced Thumbprint Cookies

These are our favorite special occasion cookies from the local bakery. When the bakery couldn’t fill an order for her son’s baptism, Barbara decided to tackle these Thumbprint Cookies with Icing herself. And guess what? They were better than the bakery. I ate at least a dozen, so I feel confident saying this.

She turned to a cookbook that is a go-to reference for some of our family’s favorite cookie recipes – the 1971 version of Homemade Cookies by Farm Journal Editors.

Want to make them for Easter? Make the icing yellow or pink.

Want to make them for Christmas? Make the icing green or red, as you can see below.

Want several different colors for the same event? Simply divide the icing before you add the food coloring and go from there.

See where I am going with this? You can make this thumbprint cookies recipe for a variety of special occasions.

You can make this dough several days ahead of time and pull out of the fridge when ready to bake.

How to Make Thumbprint Cookies with Icing

Full recipe can be found at the bottom of the page.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat butter, salt and vanilla until creamy and fluffy. Add sifted flour to butter mixture but don’t over mix. Stir in pecans. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Shaped chilled dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Make a small thumbprint on top of each cookie. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and set. Cool completely. Make icing using directions below.

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Iced Thumbprint Cookies

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

27 mins

 

Iced Thumbprint Cookies are easy to make, taste great and are the perfect addition to the dessert table at any celebration.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: iced thumbprint cookies

Servings: 60

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar sifted
• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour sifted
• 1 cup pecans finely chopped
• Icing:
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Milk or cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sift confectioners sugar onto a piece of parchment paper; then measure according to recipe.
3. Beat butter, sugar, salt and vanilla until creamy and fluffy.
4. Mix in flour that has been sifted in the same manner as confectioners sugar; do not over-mix.
5. Stir in pecans.
6. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

7. Shape the chilled dough into small balls and place 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.

8. Use the tip of your thumb to make a thumbprint in the center of the cookie.
9. Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and set; let cool completely.

Recipe Notes

For icing, mix 2 cups confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 Tablespoon of milk or cream at a time (approximately 3-4 Tablespoons total) until icing is smooth. The goal is an icing that isn't runny but perfectly spoonable. Add food coloring for desired color. Spoon icing to fill the thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Let sit until icing hardens.

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