Plum Cardamom Thumbprint Cookies
I’m all about fun and unique flavor combinations in the bake lab, so when a book I was reading mentioned a plum cardamom cookie I had to make one of my own! I thought a traditional thumbprint style cookie would be a great way to try out this combo. The floral notes of cardamom pair wonderfully with the fruity tartness of plum preserves. I added a simple light icing drizzle for just a pop of sweetness to round everything out.
Make the Cookie Dough
The base of these thumbprint cookies is a sugar cookie with some added ground cardamom. The cookie dough has less butter than a traditional sugar cookie so that they maintain their thumbprint shape when baking. It is especially important to allow time for chilling the dough to prevent spreading, as well.
To make the dough, follow these steps:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter on medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.
Form the Cookies
Once the dough has chilled, roll it into ~1 Tbsp sized balls. Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar so that they are fully coated. Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. When baking, you will want to make sure the cookies are at least 1 inch apart, but you can do all this prep work on one pan since to save room in your refrigerator for the upcoming chilling phase.
Next, make the thumbprints by pressing your thumb into each dough ball to make an indent. Smooth out any cracks that form the best you can.
Finally, put 1/2 teaspoon of plum preserves or jam in each indent.
Put the cookies back in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
Bake the Cookies
Bake the chilled cookies at 350°F for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Icing
The final component of these cookies is a light drizzle of simple icing. To make the icing, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, a splash of milk, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Add more milk a little at a time if you would like a thinner icing.
Drizzle or pipe the icing over the cooled cookies. You want to keep a light touch here to add just a pop of sweetness. A little goes a long way in keeping the flavor balance!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Plum Cardamom Thumbprint Cookies
Cardamom spiced sugar cookies with plum preserves and a light icing drizzle.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 14 Tbsp (1 and 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup plum preserves or jam
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- splash of milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Once chilled, divide out ~1 Tbsp portions of dough and roll into balls. Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar to fully coat. Place on the prepared baking sheets at least 1 inch apart.
- Press down with your thumb to make an indent in the center of each cookie. Smooth out any cracks in the sides the best you can.
- Spoon 1/2 tsp of plum preserves or jam into the thumbprint indents you just made. Refrigerate the prepared cookies for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the chilled cookies for 13-15 minutes until the edges just begin to turn a golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, splash of milk, and pinch of salt until smooth. Add more milk a little at a time if you would like a thinner icing.
- Pipe or drizzle the icing over the cookies and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
