Easy Heart Thumbprint Cookies with Strawberry Puree
Heart thumbprint cookies are a classic treat that are loved by many, and they are a fun cookie for kids to put their touch on! Hehee…see what we did there? But seriously, these are simple cookies that are easy to make and can be customized with various flavors. One popular variation is heart thumbprint cookies with strawberry puree. We think this is a perfect Valentine’s Day cookie recipe!
These cookies are a perfect combination of buttery cookie dough and sweet strawberry puree. The dough is rolled into balls, then indented with a thumbprint to create a small well for the preserves. The cookies are then baked until golden brown and the preserves are set.
How to Make Heart Thumbprint Cookies
Preparing the Dough
To start making our delicious thumbprint cookies with strawberry puree, we need to prepare the dough. First, we mix the butter and powdered sugar. Then, we add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Finally, we add the flour and cornstarch. At this point, we want to be careful not to over mix as we don’t want to dry out the dough.
Shaping and Indenting
While the oven preheats, we start making the dough balls. Typically, we can get around 24 evenly-sized dough balls from one batch of dough.
We place the dough balls on a prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave about 2 inches of space between each cookie. We then use our thumb to make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Now, we are kids and so our thumbs aren’t huge. Grown ups might be better off using the top of their index fingers if their thumbs are indenting too large of a space on the dough.
To make heart thumbprint cookies, you will want to kind of criss-cross your thumbprints – two of them. Picture drawing out the top of a letter X. When done properly, the two thumbprints should make a heart shape.
Luckily, if you mess up, you can just reshape the dough ball and start again.
Filling with Puree or Jam
Now it’s time to fill the thumbprint cookies with strawberry jam or puree. We spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of preserves into each indentation, being careful not to overfill them.
By the way, if you are confused about the differences among jam, jelly, preserves, etc, you aren’t alone!
Alternative Heart Thumbprint Cookie Fillings
In our house, we are big fans of berries – especially strawberries. So we like to use the strawberry puree – especially for Valentine’s Day cookies.
While strawberry puree is a classic filling for thumbprint cookies, you can experiment with other fillings. Some ideas include:
- Chocolate ganache
- Caramel sauce
- Lemon curd
- Peanut butter
- Raspberry jam
Valentine’s Day Fillings Alternatives
Specifically for Valentine’s Day, you probably want to stick with a red or pink filling.
- Cherry jam
- Strawberry jam or preserves
- Raspberry jam
- Raspberry preserves
- Crabapple jelly
Dusting Powdered Sugar on Heart Thumbprint Cookies
For a classic look, we like to dust the heart thumbprint cookies with a bit of powdered sugar. We wait until the cookies have cooled completely. Then, we place a small amount of powdered sugar in a fine mesh sieve (powder sugar sprinkler) and gently tap it over the cookies. This gives them a beautiful snowy appearance that is perfect for winter holidays or any occasion.
If you add the sugar while the puree is still hot, the sugar can get clumpy and gooey looking.
Heart Thumbprint Cookies with Strawberry
Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted butter
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Strawberry puree or any flavor of puree, jam or preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whip together softened butter and powdered sugar.
- Add egg and vanilla and whip until well incorporated.
- Add your flour and cornstarch to your bowl and fold in until incorporated, don’t over mix.
- Roll dough into 24, 1 inch balls.
- Use your thumb or index finger to press a heart shape into each dough ball.
- Carefully spoon 1 tsp of puree into the heart shape.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar after cookies are cool.
Nutrition
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