Description
Delightful Easter Thumbprint Cookies bring festive cheer to spring celebrations with their colorful jelly centers. Sweet almond-infused shortbread provides a delicate base that melts in your palate, offering pure delight for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
Flavoring and Seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Decoration and Finishing:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for dusting, optional)
- 1/2 cup pastel-colored frosting or melted white chocolate
- Sprinkles or mini candy eggs for decoration
Instructions
- Prepare the oven environment by setting the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper to ensure easy cookie removal.
- Create a smooth, creamy dough by thoroughly blending butter and granulated sugar until the mixture becomes airy and light. Incorporate egg yolks and vanilla extract, mixing until fully integrated.
- Gradually fold in flour and salt, gently working the ingredients until a cohesive dough forms that holds its shape without crumbling.
- Craft uniform cookie rounds by rolling the dough into precise 1-inch spheres, strategically positioning them on the prepared baking sheet with sufficient spacing.
- Delicately create a center depression in each cookie using your thumb or the curved back of a spoon, forming a gentle indentation for future filling.
- Transfer the cookie-laden sheet into the preheated oven, allowing the treats to bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges develop a soft golden hue.
- Upon removing from the oven, softly reinforce the center indentations if they’ve slightly puffed during baking, then transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack.
- Once the cookies have completely cooled, artfully fill the center wells with pastel-tinted frosting or smoothly melted white chocolate.
- Embellish the filled cookies with whimsical sprinkles or diminutive candy eggs, adding a playful festive touch to these delicate Easter treats.
- Allow the decorative elements to set completely before serving, ensuring a picture-perfect presentation of these delightful seasonal cookies.
Notes
- Softening butter at room temperature ensures smooth, creamy dough that blends perfectly without lumps.
- Chilling the dough for 30 minutes before shaping helps prevent spreading and maintains cookie structure during baking.
- Use a small measuring spoon or the back of a rounded teaspoon to create consistent, uniform indentations in cookie centers.
- Gluten-free bakers can substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for a celiac-friendly version of these cookies.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg