These sourdough thumbprint cookies are incredibly simple to make, using my sourdough shortbread cookie base and your favorite jam. They are rich and buttery, just sweet enough to balance the subtle tang of the sourdough discard and the bright fruitiness of the jam. Crisp around the edges with soft, jammy centers, and a delicate melt-in-your-mouth texture, I promise you won’t stop at one.
My husband declared he could easily eat three of these in one sitting straight from the baking sheet while I was testing the recipe, which I think says everything you need to know about how delicious they are. Freshly baked, these thumbprint cookies are crispy and buttery with bright, jammy centers. The next day, they soften slightly as the jam settles into the cookie, creating an even more tender bite. I love how effortless this recipe comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients to create a cookie that’s rich, buttery and packed with flavor.
Sourdough thumbprint cookies key ingredients
🍓 Delicious jam really shines in these cookies. I used Bonne Maman strawberry guava preserves I bought at Costco a while back. I don’t think they make this flavor anymore but they still have strawberry preserves AND guava preserves if you want to mix the two together. Otherwise, feel free to use your favorite jam. I recommend something sweet and tart for extra depth of flavor rather than just a sweet sweet jam.
How to make it + tips
Follow along visually as we make these sourdough discard thumbprint cookies. Or you can skip ahead, detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
1. Cream butter with sugar, vanilla and salt
You only need about an hour to soften butter, but sometimes I leave it out all day which tend to make it too soft, but that’s okay, you can still use it for this recipe if your butter is over-softened. And if you forgot to soften it, you can slice it into thin pats to speed up the process.
2. Incorporate sourdough discard
Beat sourdough discard with the butter/sugar mixture until creamy and fluffy.
3. Add dry ingredients
Since I’m only adding 2 dry ingredients: flour and cornstarch, I sift them directly into the wet mixture to save an extra dirty bowl. Now, mix it just enough so a dough is formed and no trace of flour is left, but make sure you don’t overmix it.
4. Scoop and chill
I like to divide the dough immediately while it is still soft, roll into balls, and then chill the dough balls in the fridge. This way, if something comes up and I can’t get to them within the hour, I don’t have to worry about the dough getting too hard to scoop later.
5. Roll in sugar
Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar just before baking.
6. Create thumbprints
I find my ½-teaspoon measuring spoon creates the perfect size thumbprint for these cookies.
7. Fill with jam
1 teaspoon of jam is the perfect amount to fill the thumbprint indentations.
8. Bake
You can bake a dozen on a half-sheet baking tray. I baked a full dozen for about 17 minutes and they came out with perfect slightly golden crisp edges. But for the remaining 3 cookies in this batch, I had to lower baking time to 13 minutes so they don’t brown too much.
Tips for making ahead
Most of my other sourdough cookie recipes are fairly straightforward when it comes to making ahead, you simply make the dough, freeze and bake them later. But these come with a little bit of complication since you need to roll them in sugar and press them out and then fill them with jam…
My best suggestion is to roll them into balls, skip the granulated sugar topping, create the thumbprints, and then freeze the dough with the indentation already pressed. I would freeze them on a baking sheet in one layer until solid before storing them in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Now to bake them, just take out the frozen dough, no need to thaw, fill with jam, and bake per the instructions. I suggest increasing bake time slightly but watch the coloring for cues of doneness. For these, I recommend serving them with a dusting of powdered sugar since they’re missing the granulated sugar topping.
I hope these tips are helpful for when you want to make a big batch for Christmas baking!
Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies with Jam
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- 1-½ Tbsp Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- 113 grams (4 oz) unsalted butter
- 75 grams (6 tablespoon) granulated sugar
- 1 grams (⅛ teaspoon) kosher salt
- 8 grams (1 ½ teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- 40 grams sourdough starter discard 100% hydration
- 130 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 25 grams (3 tablespoon) cornstarch
- Extra granulated sugar for topping
- 100 grams (5 tablespoon) strawberry guava jam
Instructions
- Cream butter with sugar – Add softened butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated and creamy.113 grams unsalted butter, 75 grams granulated sugar, 1 grams kosher salt, 8 grams pure vanilla extract
- Incorporate sourdough starter – Add sourdough starter and continue beating until fluffy and creamy.40 grams sourdough starter discard
- Add dry ingredients – Sift flour and cornstarch directly into the stand mixer bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir to combine, then increase the mixer speed and beat until no trace of flour remains and the dough is formed. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.130 grams all-purpose flour, 25 grams cornstarch
- Scoop and chill – Portion the cookie dough with a 1 ½-tablespoon cookie scoop and place them on a lined baking sheet. Roll into balls. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Fill with jam – Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar, place 12 on a half sheet baking sheet. Create an indentation in the middle of each dough ball using the back of a ½-teaspoon measuring spoon. Fill each “thumbprint” with 1 teaspoon of strawberry guava jam.Extra granulated sugar for topping, 100 grams strawberry guava jam
- Bake – Bake in the preheated oven for about 17 minutes, until the bottom edges are golden brown. The second batch with the 3 remaining cookies takes only 13 minutes to finish baking.
- Cool – Remove the baking sheet from the oven, but allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet to finish baking from the residual heat for 5-10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
