Thumbprint cookies are a sleeper favorite. I say that mostly due to my own preferences, which I’m extending to everyone else who eats cookies (and if you don’t…I don’t think we can be associated). When I reach for a cookie, I want it to have lots and lots of sugar, probably chocolate, and definitely some softness. If it doesn’t have those three things, I probably won’t be satisfied, although truth be told, I’d eat any cookie handed to me.

These cookies only check one of the three boxes, in that they’re soft. The dough actually doesn’t have that much sugar (only 1/2 a cup), and zero chocolate is involved. However, despite missing two of my three gold standards for cookies, they’re incredible. They’re light, fun, vibrant, and delicious. Now that I’m writing about it, they’re basically like having a best friend in cookie form.

There are a few tricks to making these cookies really, really good. One is almond extract. Most at-home bakers have vanilla extract in their pantry, but splurge on some good quality almond extract for these cookies. They add another layer of flavor, especially in dough that is essentially just butter and sugar.

Second, don’t forget lemon zest and orange zest. In a pinch, you can just use one or the other (all lemon or all orange), but try not to omit this. It adds some zest to the cookies and keeps them from tasting too generic.

Finally, *definitely* splurge on some high-quality jam for these. The grocery store brand variety will not cut it. The jam is really the star of the show here, and you can see by its location front and center in the cookies. If you get a subpar kind, the cookies will still be good, but they probably won’t be great. Feel free to choose whichever kind of jam speaks to you. My favorite is raspberry, but I’ve used strawberry and blood orange before, and both are delicious.

I made a batch of these today especially for my coworker’s three-year-old son, who asked her if I made some last week after he tried some in March when I brought them in. I can’t wait to set aside a few just for him. I’m all about giving back to my fans.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this song. It’s good to listen to on long walks around your city during springtime or play on repeat in your kitchen when you’re baking cookies.

Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

220 g all-purpose flour
85 g almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
225 g unsalted butter, softened
100 g sugar, plus 2 tsp
3 large egg yolks
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 egg white, whisked
75 g high-quality store-bought jam

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flours and salt together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks all at once and mix until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the zests and extracts and mix everything together until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined on low speed. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom again to make sure the dough is uniform.

Use a small cookie scoop to scoop the dough out. Roll into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about two inches of space between each dough ball. Use your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon to make an indent in each cookie. Brush with the whisked egg white and sprinkle with the reserved 2 tsp sugar. Fill each hole with 1/2 tsp jam, being careful not to overfill them.

Chill the unbaked cookies for 30 minutes in the fridge. When it’s time to bake, bake one sheet at a time for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies are barely golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on the sheets. Store the cookies in an airtight container. Enjoy!