Easy Thumbprint Cookies With Icing

Thumbprint cookies with icing that's red and green on a wire rack.

4.50 from 100 votes

My easy thumbprint cookies with icing are made with a shortbread cookie and topped with red and green icing. They are festive for Christmas and can be made for any holiday by changing the color!

Prep Time10

Cook Time16

Additional Time1

Total Time1 26

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 91kcal

Author: Samantha Erb

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt

For the Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Red or green food coloring optional

Instructions

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour and salt and mix until incorporated.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Roll the dough into 1 ½-inch balls, and place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use your thumb or the back of a round measuring spoon to press a small hole in the center of each ball.
Bake them for 10 minutes, until slightly firm, then remove the baking sheets from the oven. Use the spoon to press into the indentations in each cookie again, then return to the oven and bake them for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla together in a small bowl until smooth. Divide the icing in half and add a few drops of food coloring to each, whisking to incorporate. Add more milk if needed, but not so much that it becomes runny. Pour icing into plastic zipper bags, snip off a corner, and fill the center of each cookie. Allow to dry and set overnight.

Video

Notes

Use soft, room temperature butter because it creams smoothly with the sugar.
Chill the cookie dough for at least an hour so the cookies won’t spread too much in the oven, and for softer cookies
Lining the baking sheet with parchment keeps the bottoms from browning too quickly, and makes cleanup easier.
Always let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack before adding the icing so it doesn’t melt.
If the icing seems too thick in the piping bag, add more milk very slowly to make sure it doesn’t end up getting runny.
Let the cookies set overnight so the icing centers can completely harden.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Nutrition