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Tutti-Frutti Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 112 reviews

Delightfully tangy and colorful, Tutti-Frutti Thumbprint Cookies feature buttery dough with a hint of lemon and vanilla, coated in a vibrant freeze-dried fruit sugar and crowned with a dollop of your favorite jam or fruit preserves. These charming cookies blend classic thumbprint technique with a fun twist from fruit powder, perfect for gifting or sharing.

Ingredients

Scale

Cookie Dough

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (110 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2⅓ cups (292 g) all-purpose flour

Coating and Filling

  • Nonstick cooking oil spray (optional, for thumb indentation)
  • 1 (0.8–1.2-oz.) package freeze-dried fruit (strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries)
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup jam, jelly, curd, or fruit preserves of your choice

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Dough: Place oven racks in upper and lower thirds and preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon zest, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Beat in 2 egg yolks until pale and fluffy, 1–2 minutes. Gradually add 2⅓ cups flour on low speed until soft dough forms with no dry flour remaining, about 1 minute.
  2. Shape the Cookies: Using a #40 cookie scoop (about 1½ Tbsp), portion dough into balls and place 12 per parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart. Press your thumb vertically into the center of each ball to form a ½-inch diameter indent. If dough sticks, lightly spray thumb with nonstick cooking spray. Chill cookies in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  3. Make the Fruit Sugar: While cookies chill, combine freeze-dried fruit and ½ cup granulated sugar in a food processor or blender. Process for 2–3 minutes until powdery, then sift through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any large pieces. Set aside the fruit sugar powder.
  4. Bake Cookies: Bake cookies on upper and lower racks, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are barely golden and surface is matte, about 18–22 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest on baking sheets until warm but cool enough to handle, ensuring the fruit sugar sticks well later.
  5. Coat and Fill: One at a time, gently toss each warm cookie in the fruit sugar until coated on all sides. Shake off excess sugar, then return to the baking sheet. If needed, toss a second time for even coating. Fill each thumbprint indent with about ½ teaspoon jam or other fruit preserves, totaling roughly ⅓ cup for all cookies.

Notes

  • Cookies can be baked up to 5 days in advance; store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature.
  • Use different freeze-dried fruit varieties to customize flavor and color of the coating.
  • Chilling the dough and using the freezer before baking helps maintain cookie shape and clean indentations.
  • If dough is sticky during shaping, lightly oil your thumb to prevent sticking.
  • Make sure cookies are warm when tossing in fruit sugar to help it adhere properly.

Keywords: tutti-frutti cookies, thumbprint cookies, lemon zest cookies, freeze-dried fruit sugar, jam-filled cookies, buttery cookies, holiday cookies

Find it online: https://reemcook.com/tutti-frutti-thumbprint-cookies-recipe/