Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies

This is the classic buttery thumbprint cookie you love with delicious apple butter in the center. And it’s rolled in cinnamon sugar so they are a perfect fall cookie.

The dough is easy to make and you only need one bowl, so clean up will be a breeze.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

You don’t have to make your own apple butter here. You can buy some from the store near the jam section or local markets. But if you do want to make your own, here’s the recipe.

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This will make 30 cookies. If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Parchment paper
• Stand mixer or hand mixer

Ingredients

Cookie dough

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

Putting cookies together

• ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookies
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup apple butter (try them with homemade old-fashioned apple butter for extra credit. But a store-bought jar is just as acceptable.)

How to Make

Step One: Prep

Heat your oven to 350°F and line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step Two: Make the Dough

Mix the butter and sugar together for a few minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and keep mixing until everything looks nice and creamy.

Step Three: Add the Flour

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add this to your butter mixture about a cup at a time, mixing on low speed just until it comes together. Don’t overmix it.

Step Four: Chill

Cover the dough and stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes. This makes it way easier to work with.

Step Five: Prep for Assembly

While that’s chilling, mix your extra sugar with the cinnamon in a shallow bowl.

Step Six: Shape the Cookies

Once the dough is chilled, scoop out tablespoon-sized portions and roll them into balls. Roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar, then place them on your baking sheets about an inch apart.

Step Seven: Make Thumbprints and Fill

Press your thumb (or the end of a wooden spoon) into each cookie to make a little well. Fill each indent with a small spoonful of apple butter.

Step Eight: Bake

Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Don’t overbake them.

Step Nine: Cool

Let them cool completely before eating – trust me on this one. The apple butter stays molten hot for a while and will burn your mouth.

Serving & Storing

Enjoy these with a glass of apple juice, apple cider punch, or a homemade caramel apple latte.

Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

You can freeze the cookies, but they might stick together. It’s easier to make the dough ahead of time and freeze that, saving assembly and baking for later.

More Thumbprint Cookies

• Use whatever jam you have on hand to make jam thumbprint cookies.
• Lemon curd thumbprint cookies are lovely to eat in springtime.
• Or make some buttercream and pip it into fun shapes for buttercream-filled thumbprint cookies.
• For Christmas, get a jar of maraschino cherries to make cherry Christmas cookies.

Printable Recipe