Best 5 Thumbprint Cookie Bars Recipes

THUMBPRINT COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, mix cookie mix, softened butter, cream cheese and egg with spoon until soft dough forms. Spread dough evenly in bottom of pan; sprinkle sugar over top.
• Bake 19 to 23 minutes or until light golden brown. Using end of wooden spoon, immediately make 40 (1/2-inch) indentations in baked bar (8 rows by 5 rows) without going through to bottom of pan. Clean off end of wooden spoon with paper towel as needed. Fill each opening with 1/4 teaspoon jam. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Cut bars into 8 rows by 5 rows so jam is in center of each piece. Remove bars from pan. Store covered in airtight container in single layer.

BAKE AND SLICE THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
• Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and flatten into a disk. Divide into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a cylinder about 10 inches long and 1-inch wide. Transfer the cylinders to the prepared baking sheets. Lightly press the tops of the cylinders with your fingers to flatten.
• Press the handle of wooden spoon with a 1/2-inch thick handle into the center of each cylinder to create a long trough about 1/2-inch deep, leaving a small border all around. (The cylinders will spread to about 1 1/2 inches wide.) (See Cook's Note.)
• Put the raspberry jam in a small piping bag and pipe it into the indentations of 2 of the cylinders. Repeat with the apricot jam and the remaining 2 cylinders.
• Bake until the edges of the cylinders are golden, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom halfway through. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Carefully transfer each cylinder to a cutting board and cut them on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack and cool completely.

THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Mix brown sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla and egg yolk in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white. Roll in nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb deeply in center of each.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Fill thumbprints with jelly.

PERFECT THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix butter and powdered sugar together with a rubber spatula until creamy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and egg yolk. Mix with the spatula. Add flour and blend until just combined.
• Use a sorbet scoop to portion dough into 1/2-ounce (1-tablespoon) balls. Roll balls in a plate of white sugar to coat; roll again between your palms. Place several inches apart on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Flatten balls lightly with your fingers.
• To make shortbread cookies with a little jam, poke a well into each cookie using the end of a thick wooden spoon dusted with powdered sugar or using one of your fingers. Fill cookies with fruit jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter to let jam settle.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops are barely blonde and bottoms are slightly golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before icing.
• Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar with a little milk until you have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. Pipe icing on top of cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
• For a more jam-forward cookie, press your thumb into the cookies to make large, shallow indentations. Spoon in jam. Tap baking sheet against the counter.
• Bake until not quite golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes before transferring a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar.

PBJ THUMBPRINT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC Fan) 350ºF, Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease your 23 x 33cm (9 x 13in) baking tin and line with a strip of parchment paper that overhangs the long sides, securing it in place with metal clips.
• Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.
• Place the butter, sugars and peanut butter in a separate large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat briefly to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour mixture and beat on a low speed until evenly combined.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Using a small spoon, or the handle of a wooden spoon, make lots of little holes over the surface of the dough, then fill them with jam. Sprinkle over the chopped peanuts, trying to avoid the jam.
• Bake for about 35 minutes, or until set and firm around the edges. Set aside to cool completely in the tin. Use the parchment paper to carefully lift the bars from the tin, then use a sharp knife to cut into pieces.
• For the topping, mix together the white chocolate and peanut butter and drizzle over the bars, using a spoon or a piping bag.
• Stored in a sealed container, these will keep for 3-4 days.