Tutti-Frutti Thumbprint Cookies
4.0
(12)
These Technicolor cookies are the perfect way to punch up your cookie plate. Tender shortbread-like dough flavored with a generous amount of lemon zest and vanilla extract gets rolled into balls, then dimpled with a thumb to create small indents. Once baked, the cookies are tossed in a mixture of freeze-dried fruit pulverized with granulated sugar, coating the outsides in a fun blanket of fruity flavor. Each indent gets filled with a fruit filling of your choice for a plate of festive cookies bursting with sweet-tart flavor.
The true beauty of this recipe lies in its endless adaptability. You can use whatever freeze-dried fruit you desire to tint and flavor the cookies a vast kaleidoscope of colors, and mix and match the fruit filling however you please. If a monochromatic cookie is what you’re after, use freeze-dried strawberries paired with strawberry jam. If an eclectic array of cookies is more your speed, use a combination of fruits and jams to create a true tutti-fruitti result. Just about any combo will taste good, so don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild.
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What you’ll need
Freeze Dried Strawberries
$7 At Amazon
Freeze Dried Blueberries
$10 At Amazon
Sheet Pan
$28 At Amazon
Stand Mixer
$450 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
24 cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Beat 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 cup (110 g) powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest, 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract, and 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 large egg yolks and beat until pale and fluffy, 1–2 minutes. Add 2⅓ cups (292 g) all-purpose flour and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms and there are no dry pockets of flour left, about 1 minute.
Step 2
Using a #40 cookie scoop (1½ Tbsp.), portion out dough and roll into smooth balls. Divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2" apart (you should have 12 cookies per baking sheet in a 4x3 grid.) Press the tip of your thumb vertically into the center of each dough ball to create a ½"-diameter indent. (If the dough is sticking to your thumb, spray with a little nonstick vegetable oil spray.) Chill cookies in freezer 15 minutes.
Step 3
While the cookies are chilling, process or blend one 0.8–1.2-oz. package freeze-dried fruit (such as strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries) and ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar in a food processor or blender to a very fine powder (think powdered sugar), 2–3 minute (don’t rush this part). Sift mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl to catch any large pieces; set fruit sugar aside.
Step 4
Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until barely golden and matte-looking, 18–22 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheets until hot but cool enough to handle. (Cookies need to be hot for the fruit sugar to stick properly.)
Step 5
Working one at a time, gently toss cookies in reserved fruit sugar until coated on all sides. Toss back and forth in your hands to shake off any excess sugar that might have collected in the center and place back on baking sheet. (If cookies are not evenly coated, toss in sugar a second time.) Fill indent in each cookie with about ½ tsp. jam, jelly, curd, or other fruit preserves/fillings of your choice (⅓ cup total).
Do Ahead: Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store in a single layer (do not stack), airtight or lightly wrapped, at room temperature.
Recipe notes
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