These pumpkin thumbprint cookies are perfect for the fall season. Buttery and melt-in-your-mouth cookie dough filled with the most delicious homemade pumpkin jam. They are easy to make, using simple ingredients. The addition of cornstarch makes the cookies extra tender and irresistible.
Why you’ll love this recipe
The dough for these pumpkin thumbprint cookies is easy to make. All you have to do is cream the butter and sugar, mix in the egg, and add the dry ingredients. The final dough is easy to work with, pliable, and without cracks when forming the cookies.
Besides the 30-minute chill in the fridge, the cookies are ready to enjoy in 15 minutes. The texture of these pumpkin thumbprint cookies is delicate but firm, thanks to carefully selecting and multiple times testing the recipe with different ingredients and ratios.
The use of sugar with some of the molasses still present gives the cookies extra flavor that compliments the pumpkin jam filling. To learn more about types of sugar and their use, I find the site whatsugar.com very informative.
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients for this easy cookie recipe are:
All-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, butter, turbinado sugar, egg, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and pumpkin jam.
How to make pumpkin thumbprint cookies?
Note! For exact measurements and detailed directions, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Step 2: Cream the butter and turbinado sugar.
Step 3: Add the flour.
Step 4: Start with the hand mixer. As the dough comes together, switching using a spatula is easier.
Step 5: Shape the cookies into a ball.
If you’d like, roll them in sugar.
Step 6: Make an indentation at the center of the cookie.
Step 7: Fill each cookie nest with the pumpkin jam and refrigerate them for 30 minutes.
Step 8: Bake the cookies until the edges are slightly golden.
Let them cool for a few minutes before enjoying.
Things to know before making this recipe
Make the pumpkin jam before starting with the cookie dough. It’s very easy to make and you can use the leftovers for other baking projects or simply spread it on toast with butter, yum!
The cookies need to chill in the fridge before baking them for at least 30 minutes. Do not chill the dough before shaping the cookies.
You can roll the cookies in granulated, caster, or powdered sugar. To be honest, if you want less sugar, I recommend not rolling them in any sugar. They taste delicious without it too.
Additions and substitutions
The nature of thumbprint cookies is how versatile they can be. You can substitute the filling for anything you like – different types of jam, chocolate, vanilla cream, etc.
Also, the dough can be made with granulated sugar instead of turbinado. You can skip the cinnamon, or add chopped nuts of your choice, or cacao. So many options, but of course any of these changes create a whole other flavor.
Storage and reheating
Store the pumpkin thumbprint cookies at room temperature for up to a week. If you need to freeze them, you can do so for up to 3 months. Defrost them at room temperature.
Sage Kitchen FAQ
More recipes to try
Butterscotch chocolate chip cookies – These butterscotch chocolate chip cookies are thick, soft, a bit chewy, and simply irresistible. If you like thick cookies with lots of flavor, then this recipe is for you.
Chewy ginger spice cookies – These easy-to-make cookies are filled with the warm, comforting flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and they’re the perfect way to indulge in a little bit of holiday cheer.
Brown butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies – Whether you’re baking for yourself, family, or friends, these cookies are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
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Pumpkin thumbprint cookies
Ingredients
- 225 grams all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 10 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 142 grams butter, soft, 10 tablespoons
- 80 grams turbinado sugar, demerara sugar, or raw cane sugar, 1/3 cup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50 grams granulated sugar for rolling, caster sugar, or powdered sugar, 1/4 cup (optional)
- 50-70 grams pumpkin jam
Instructions
- Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
- In another bowl, cream the butter and turbinado sugar using a hand mixer.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until incorporated.
- Next, add the flour mixture and beat until it comes together. It may look dry and crumbly at the beginning, but keep beating, it will come together into a smooth batter. If it becomes difficult with a hand mixer, use your hands or spatula to knead the dough.
- To shape each cookie, use a cookie scooper (1 ½ diameter) for even-sized cookies, or use a spoon. Roll each cookie into a ball, then roll it in the granulated sugar (optional) and place it on the parchment paper-lined baking tray, leaving about 2 inches between each one. Then, using a ½ tsp measuring spoon or your thumb, make the indentation where the jam will nest (see photos). Transfer them to the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Fill each cookie nest with pumpkin jam.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350F (180C) for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies cool before transferring them to a cooling rack.