I can’t think of anything cuter than a plate of jam filled heart thumbprint cookies for Valentine’s Day!

These cute little heart thumbprint cookies were such a joy to make ~ very few ingredients, quick prep, with just enough going on to keep things interesting. It would be a perfect project to bake with kids. And though they look very simple, the flavor is actually sophisticated enough for any cookie-snob who appreciates a buttery, almond-scented shortbread cookie accented with tart jam (any flavor you like.) I know you won’t be disappointed.
Don’t save these fun cookies just for Valentine’s Day, they’re great for Mother’s Day, wedding showers, or any time you want to show someone a little love.

how to make heart thumbprint cookies
Good news, it’s easy!! Follow these simple steps and you’ll have perfect little heart-shaped wells for filling with jam.
- Roll your cookie dough into a round smooth ball (I used 1 Tbsp of dough per cookie) and place on your lined baking sheet.
- Find a kitchen utensil with a rectangular end to the handle – something like a spatula, larger serving utensil, or anything else you can find should work, you just don’t want it to be too small.
- Gently press the end of your utensil into the dough making a “V.” The “V” will expand as the cookie bakes into a heart shape.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, I like to use a similar tool to very gently make the wells a bit deeper where the cookie might have puffed up a bit during baking, but be careful and don’t over do it.
- Wait for the cookies to cool before filling them with jam.

tips for ensuring these cookies keep their shape
Experiment with a ball of dough to find the right implement for making your ‘v’ shaped impressions. I used the bottom of a silicone spoonula.
Make your impressions in the freshly made soft dough ~ it helps to have a nice soft dough when forming the cookies and the heart imprints – a chilled or stiffer dough can crack on the edges.
Make your impressions deep enough to survive the baking process, refer to above photo for visuals.
Chilling the dough after forming the cookies helps them keep their shape in the oven.
Make sure your oven is preheated and up to temperature before sliding your heart thumbprint cookies in.

choosing jam for heart thumbprint cookies
Sure you can pick up the store brand, but there are lots of delicious new red jams on the market that would be perfect for these cookies.
Shelburne Farms Strawberry Rhubarb
Stonewall Kitchen Cherry Berry Jam or Strawberry Champagne Jelly
Bon Maman Raspberry Intense
Mountain Fruit Company Rhubarb Razz

the secret to a perfectly set jam-filling
At first glance, it might look as if these heart thumbprint cookies were made by just plopping some jam straight out of the jar into the heart-shaped wells. But actually, the jam is briefly cooked and strained before filling. Here’s why:
- Cooking the jam liquifies it a bit, allowing us to strain pieces of fruit that would make it difficult to neatly fill the small heart-shaped wells.
- Bringing the jam to a boil also means that once filled, the jam will “set” in the cookie which makes for a slightly neater cookie and a better texture. It won’t set enough that I’d recommend stacking these cookies for transport or anything, but they won’t be dripping jam all over the place like they might if we filled them with jam straight out of the jar.
- The partially set jam also has a pleasing , jelly-like texture that works very well with this cookie.
- Expect the jam filling to be soft ~ I wouldn’t stack these cookies on top of each other for packing.


Heart Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup strawberry jam, or jam of your choice (note: this will be more jam than you need to fill the cookies but it will be much easier to fill them if you have a little extra)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar until well combined, 1-2 minutes. Note: we're not going for "light and fluffy" here, just enough to get things well mixed. You actually don't want a lot of extra air incorporated into this dough so that the cookies keep their shape as they bake.
- Briefly mix in the salt and almond extract.
- Add the flour, and mix slowly until the ingredients are just combined, don't over mix. The dough will be fairly soft.
- Take 1 Tbsp of dough, and roll it into a ball. Place on one of the prepared baking sheets, and using the rectangular end of a kitchen implement like a spatula, serving spoon, or whatever you have available, make a small "v" in the center of the ball, pressing down about 1/3 of an inch or so.
- Repeat for the rest of the dough (you should make somewhere around 20 cookies), spacing them a couple inches apart on the pan.
- Chill the formed cookies in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes before baking.
- Bake the cookies (straight from the fridge) for about 15-17 minutes. They will be pale, but light golden on the bottom.
- You may want to re-press your divets gently when the cookies come out of the oven for a little more definition and depth, but be careful not to press too hard because they will be delicate when warm.
- Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool before you prepare the jam filling.
- Once the cookies are pretty much cool (it's okay if they are just slightly warm still), bring the jam to a boil in a small saucepan. Then, pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
- Working fairly quickly (before the jam starts to set too much) spoon a very small amount of jam into the heart-shaped wells of the cookies. If you have a small spoon like an espresso spoon or a teaspoon that would be helpful for this step. You can nudge the jam around a bit while it is still warm to fill the well nicely.
- Allow the cookies to cool and the jam to set before moving. The jam centers will still be soft and somewhat sticky, but they will partially set and will be less messy and delicate than if you filled them with jam straight out of the jar.
Notes
Nutrition
more valentine-worthy recipes
- Easy Chocolate Soufflé
- Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
- Strawberry Panna Cotta
- Chocolate Pot de Crème
- Chocolate Ganache Tart





It is crazy you posted this recipe today- I just made thumbprint cookies yesterday. I am curious as to why you fill the cookies after baking them, rather than before, which helps set the jam. Thank you!
Hi Jolene ~ mainly I do it this way because the heart shape opens up as the ball of dough bakes, so then you can fill it. Before baking it’s just not ready to be filled, if that makes sense.
I contacted Bonn Mamann and they dont have a flavor: “Raspberry Intense”. Wheb=n and where did you find that? We love raspberries so I want a punched up one. Thanks so much!
I just checked and I think it may have been discontinued ~ you’ll have to experiment to find the right one!
I made these today and they’re tasty little morsels. The cookie is buttery and not very sweet which then balances perfectly with the addition of the jam. I had a devil of a time finding the right tool with which to make the indents/Vs, and they looked a lot like pig snouts, LOL, but I fussed around with them, pinching the bottom end a bit to create the heart shape. Once the jam is in, the heart shape becomes more obvious. I like these; they’re a bit fussy to shape, but the dough is easy to make, they’re delicious and really cute.
I haven’t tried this–YET–but here’s something that might help in packaging. I make a lemon cookie that has a dollop of lemon curd in the centre. Packaging them at Christmas was a challenge w/the filling, and then I came up w/the idea of putting the UNFILLED cookie in a cupcake liner, then use the icing gun I have to pipe the curd in. I then cut up a manilla file folder to the size of the container, the cookies set low enough in and the liners are sturdy enough I could get two more layers on top using the folder material betwixt with no problem!!
Thanks for the tip!