Thumbprint cookies with specks of rosemary leaves filled with cranberry jam and orange marmalade make delicious, perfect holiday cookies.
Cookies with Cranberry, Marmalade and Rosemary
I wanted to bake some hassle-free, pretty holiday treats and decided on thumbprint cookies with cranberry sauce and orange marmalade. My homemade cranberry sauce that I whip up every year in November and stock up in my freezer is perfect for these cookies. Orange marmalade is store bought, but it’s delicious, high-quality French marmalade from St. Dalfour which is my favorite fruit spread brand. To make these cookies even more flavorful and holiday-like, I incorporated plenty of fresh rosemary leaves to the cookie dough.
Baking Tips for Thumbprint Cookies
- Mix the dough for 2-3 minutes at low speed. When you’re mixing the dough, it takes few minutes for the cookie dough to come together. The dough will be crumbly at first, but keep mixing at low speed and the dough will bind together.
- Let the cookie dough soften for 15 – 20 minutes when you take them out of the fridge. This cookie dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours (up to 24 hours) so it’s rock hard when you take them out of the fridge. Slightly soft dough makes it easier to shape into small balls and it won’t freeze your hands and fingers.
- Form cookie dough into 1¼” balls and make a depression with a back of ¼ teaspoon. I used to do this with my thumb, but cookie shape was not consistent and there were too many large cracks. Using a measuring spoon is definitely better for overall consistency and appearance!
- Fill cracks with bits of cookie dough. If there are too many cracks or large cracks on a cookie, take small bits of dough to fill the crack. You can try to smooth out the cracks with your fingers, but sometimes that can take too long.
Holiday Serving Dish
Every year for the holidays, I use my holly and berry patterned French tableware by Coursange en Provence. Whether you’re serving a holiday dinner or some appetizers or desserts for parties or a get together, this beautiful French pottery complements your dishes! Based on their name, I assume these hand-painted pieces are from Provence, region in southern France famous for potteries. I don’t have information about this manufacturer, and was only able to find few vintage olive patterned pieces on online platforms which is more the reason form me to treasure and cherish this tableware!
Serve this Refreshing, Fruit-Filled Thumbprint Cookies with Wine & Cheese
When I posted these cookies on Instagram, one of my followers, Salomé, @sallyspirit commented that they would go well with wine and cheese. What a great idea! These cookies are not very sweet and with refreshing flavors of rosemary, cranberries, and marmalade, it would be terrific to serve with wine and cheese or incorporate them into a large charcuterie board!
More Holiday Baking Ideas
- Charming Molded Walnut Cookies
- Tea Time with Pain d’ Epices
- Orange and Currant Loaf Cake
- Whole Wheat Orange Muffins
Holiday Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar (I used organic cane sugar)
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup cranberry sauce
- ⅓ cup marmalade
Instructions
- Combine flour and salt in a small bowl and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar with a hand mixer until fluffy. Next, beat in egg yolk and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour, chopped rosemary to the bowl and mix at low speed until well combined. Divide the dough into two, wrap individually with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
- Take the dough out of fridge and set it aside for 15-20 minutes so it can soften. Preheat oven to 375° and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into 1¼" balls and place them 2" apart on the baking sheet. Use the back of ¼ teaspoon to indent middle of each cookie. If large cracks form, use bits of dough to fill the cracks. Fill center of cookie with cranberry sauce or marmalade.
- Bake the cookies for 15-17 minutes or until the edges of cookies are golden brown. Once done, let the cookies cool on the rack.