A little well in the middle leaves plenty of room for a favorite filling. These four thumbprint cookie recipes go from gingerbread with an eggnog center to raspberry jam, chocolate peppermint, and lemon curd. Pick one for a baking afternoon, or let everyone choose a flavor for a shared holiday plate.
Each recipe belongs to its original creator. You'll find their full ingredients, directions, and baking notes through the links below. This guide helps you choose which cookie earns a place beside your mug. If you're planning a bigger baking day, our pumpkin sugar cookie feature has another decorated-cookie idea to add to the list.
Eggnog Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies
Recipe by Jenn Davis of Two Cups Flour.
Gingerbread and eggnog get to share a cookie here. Jenn's dough has molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The brown cookie rim is rolled in sugar, while the pale center brings together eggnog and white chocolate. A little spice on top finishes the contrast.
Choose this one when the gingerbread flavor is the part you look forward to most. The filling adds a second holiday flavor without hiding that brown cookie edge. Jenn's recipe calls for alcohol-free eggnog, so keep that choice with the original recipe when you shop.
This is also a good place to start if you're putting together a plate with several colors. The ivory centers look lovely beside red raspberry jam and dark chocolate. Give the filled cookies time to set as Jenn directs before arranging or packing them.
Get the full eggnog gingerbread thumbprint recipe from Two Cups Flour.
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Recipe by John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen.
Golden butter cookies with red jam centers are a classic holiday-plate choice. John's recipe uses egg yolks and vanilla in the dough, then offers a choice of fruit jams for the middle. Raspberry is the pick here, with its deep red color and little fruit seeds.
These suit the person who always reaches for the jam-filled cookie first. The plain golden rim leaves the filling in view, so there's plenty of color without extra icing. John also includes tips for dough that cracks when you shape the wells. Keep his full page nearby for those baking details.
Raspberry gives this group a fruity choice alongside the spice and chocolate. You could make it the one batch you bring to a friend's cookie night, or set a few beside the lemon cookies for a red-and-yellow plate.
Get the full thumbprint cookie recipe from John Kanell at Preppy Kitchen.
Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprints
Recipe by Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking.
Chocolate cookies, chocolate peppermint ganache, and crushed candy canes make this the chocolate pick of the group. Sally's cookies have thick rims with small cracks and a sugar coating. The dark filling holds a few red-and-white candy pieces on top.
If candy canes are one of your favorite parts of Christmas baking, start here. Peppermint appears in both the dough and the filling, while cocoa gives the cookie its brown color. The little candy pieces add a different finish from the smooth jam and curd centers in the other choices.
Sally chills the shaped cookies before baking and fills them after they cool. Her page has the full timing and ganache notes. For another chocolate cookie idea, our hot cocoa cookie feature pairs cocoa cookies with a marshmallow top.
Get the full chocolate peppermint thumbprint recipe from Sally's Baking.
Double Lemon Thumbprints
Recipe by the King Arthur Test Kitchen.
Lemon in the cookie and lemon curd in the well give this recipe its name. The butter-cookie base has lemon zest or lemon oil, and the yellow center keeps the citrus theme going. King Arthur also shares an optional lemon glaze for a few thin lines across the top.
Choose these when you'd like a citrus cookie on the holiday plate. The pale golden edges and yellow centers bring another color to the mix, especially beside the darker gingerbread and chocolate choices. A small drizzle can be pretty, and the curd can also be the whole decoration.
The original recipe offers raspberry jam as another filling. For this four-cookie group, the lemon-curd option gives each recipe its own flavor. Follow King Arthur's directions for filling the cooled cookies, and keep the glaze optional as the recipe does.
Get the full double lemon thumbprint recipe from King Arthur Baking.
Choose Your Cookie Plate
For gingerbread spice and an ivory center, go with Jenn's eggnog thumbprints. For a golden cookie with fruit jam, choose John's raspberry option. Sally's is the chocolate-and-candy-cane pick, and King Arthur's brings the lemon.
A small plate with one kind of cookie can be a lovely baking-day result. If friends are bringing different batches, give each recipe its own spot and share the creator's link with it. Everyone gets the recipe they came back for.
