A classic combination of buttery shortbread filled to the brim with luscious blueberry jam and topped with a tart lemon glaze makes Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon Glaze irresistible. Like my Butterscotch and Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lemon Blueberry Cookies, and Sunflower Seed Cookies, they are impossible not to like, and resistance is futile.
There is something magical about cookies; with every bite, like these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, they bring back fond memories of childhood, celebrations, and good times. And, it’s almost a physical impossibility to take a bite of these flavorful, old-fashioned morsels and not break out into a big smile as you savor the deliciousness and the feelings it invokes.
Here’s why you will love this recipe:
- You only need five ingredients, and you probably already have everything you need in your pantry or fridge.
- They are very versatile; you can swap out the blueberry jam for any type of jam or preserves you like or happen to have on hand.
- Unlike some cookie recipes, you don’t have to chill the dough. They are ready to bake when you are.
What you will need:
I wasn’t kidding about the five ingredients; all you need are butter, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, fresh lemon juice, and blueberry jam.
How to make blueberry thumbprint cookies:
1. Add butter and ¾ cup of sugar to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. This will take about three minutes.
2. Add the lemon juice and flour and mix to combine. The mixture will be crumbly.
3. Use your hands and squeeze the dough together until it forms a smooth ball. Set aside.
4. Place one-quarter cup of granulated sugar into a small bowl.
5. Use a small cookie scoop and scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough. Use your hands to roll it into a ball. It should be about half the size of a golf ball.
6. Roll the ball in the sugar and place on a greased cookie sheet. Use your thumb or a small measuring spoon (I used a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon) to flatten each cookie and add the indentation for the jam.
7. Add one-half teaspoon of jam to the indentation in each cookie. Don’t overfill.
8. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from the pan.
How to make the lemon glaze:
1. Add one-third cup of sugar and one-quarter cup of lemon juice to a small bowl, and mix with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved.
2. When the cookies have cooled, use a spoon and drizzle the lemon glaze mixture over the top.
Sharon’s tips:
When measuring the flour, use the “spoon and level method,” that is, fluff up the flour with a spoon, and then use the spoon to fill your measuring cup. Then, use the flat side of a knife to level off the top of the container.
You can also use the round handle of a wooden spoon to make the indentions in your cookie dough. Don’t go too deep.
Store these cookies in an airtight container on your counter for up to 4 days, or up to 6 days in the fridge.
You can freeze the cookies after baking but wait to add the glaze until they have thawed, and you are ready to serve them. You can also make the dough up to the point of rolling it into balls and freeze that for up to three months. Allow the dough to thaw before continuing with the recipe.
Your dough might crack a little when making the indentions. You can smooth the cracks with your fingers or just leave them.
The jam in the cookies will firm up, and you should be able to stack your cookies to store them.
You can use any type or flavor of jam or preserves you like or have on hand.
You can use the old tried, and true method of greasing your cookie sheet with butter, or you can line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a slip mat silicone baking mat.
Related recipes:
Who doesn’t love cookies? If you love them as we do, you might also like these popular recipes:
- Forgotten Cookies aka Forgotten Kisses
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies, plus a Genius Cookie Hack
- Old Fashioned Crunchy Gingersnap Cookies
- Easy Butter Pecan Cookies
- Cranberry Cookies
And, because these recipes also feature cookie crusts, I thought you might also want to check them out: Luscious Southern Meyer Lemon Bars and Blueberry Delight Bars.
★ If you make these cookies, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked them!
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Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice or lemon paste
- 2-½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup blueberry jam
Lemon glaze ingredients:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Cookie directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add butter and ¾ cup of sugar to a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. (About three minutes)
- Add the lemon juice and flour and mix to combine. The mixture will be crumbly. Use your hands and squeeze the dough together until it forms a smooth ball.
- Place ¼ cup of granulated sugar into a small bowl.
- Use a small cookie scoop and scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough. Use your hands to roll it into a ball. It should be about half the size of a golf ball.
- Roll the ball in the sugar and place on a greased cookie sheet. Use your thumb or a small measuring spoon (I used a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon) to flatten each cookie and add the indentation for the jam.
- Add one-half teaspoon of jam to the indentation in each cookie. Don't overfill them.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from the pan.
Lemon glaze directions:
- Add ⅓ cup of sugar and ¼ cup of lemon juice to a small bowl and mix with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved.
- When the cookies have cooled, use a spoon and drizzle the lemon glaze mixture over the top.
Notes
Nutrition
*Special thanks to my sister Nancy for sharing her delicious recipe with me so I can share it with you!
teresa Ellen young
We are enjoying these cookies today. However, I had the same problem. Baked at 350 degrees for 12 mins and they were soft, pale and not quite done. Left them in for another 5 mins and they were slightly brown on the edges and just right. Also I got 37 good size cookies from this recipe. I used the leftover sugar from rolling the cookies to use for the glaze. I used homemade black & blue jam, my sister makes and sends me from NY. It is blackberries and blueberries mixed. I also used peach preserves and raspberry jam and made 12 of each one. I ate the extra one! Thanks for the recipe. I have only made fingerprint cookies maybe once in my 60 years of baking.
Brenda
Baked as directed and cookies did not taste “done” and they looked very pale and raw. Was 12 minutes enough time for these to bake properly?
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Brenda,
Twelve minutes should have been enough time to bake these cookies. Because they are shortbread cookies, they are by their very nature supposed to be pale with just a slight browning on the bottom. That said, they should have not tasted raw. The only thing I can think of is your oven temperature may be off by a few degrees. My oven is less than a year old, and it cooks a little hot. I had to purchase an oven thermometer to ensure I was cooking at the correct temperature and it has made all of the difference.
I’m so sorry the cookies didn’t turn as you had hoped.
All the best,
Sharon