Raspberry and Fig Thumbprint Cookies

Published September 21, 2019

For me, autumn signifies the start of the holiday season. I love this time of year for the cultural and celebratory traditions. Most of my family traditions center around food — whether that’s making pierogi and babka with my Uncle Anthony, planning Thanksgiving dinner with my dad, or brainstorming the Christmas entrees with my siblings.

One of my favorite desserts from this time of year, are the Polish jam-filled cookies called kolaczki. We usually have these cookies for Thanksgiving breakfast with our coffee, or for Christmas dessert.

Kolaczski (or sometimes called kolacky or kolaches (as the Hungarians and Czechs do) — are filled with apricot, raspberry, or cream cheese, usually folded in the middle to create an angular shaped cookie.

I’ve had it on my “to-bake” list to try and make these delicious treats. So when I found an easy 5-ingredient Pinterest recipe with the same ingredients as kolaczki, I decided to try it!

This Pinterest recipe is an easy version, since the cookies are circular and the jam is centered in the middle. They’re not 100% identical to Polish kolaczki, but they are close (and just as delicious!).

Raspberry and Fig Thumbprint Cookies

The ingredient list for these thumbprint cookies is so easy! If you bake often, then you probably have everything you’ll need.

I went to the market to get the jam / preserves. I knew I wanted to have the classic raspberry filling. But I also saw dark fig, and thought that would be a tasty filling to try. I would also recommend blackberry, but you can put any fruit preserve or flavor that you enjoy.

How to Make Raspberry and Fig Thumbprint Cookies

The only part of the instructions that you need to plan for is the time that the dough needs to chill.

I tend to bake spur-of-the-moment, which is a challenge when you need to refrigerate the dough for two hours. I had to plan to make the dough in the morning, allow it to chill for the afternoon, and bake it early in the evening to have for dessert.

Other than that, as you can see from the amount of ingredients, these cookies are easy to make!

Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature. Using a standing mixer is easier than a hand-mixer, as you can use a larger attachment to form the dough. You can see in my recipe video that I switch to folding the dough by hand. I prefer baking this way, so I didn’t mind the extra time it took to form the dough. If you have a stand-mixer, your dough will come together quickly.

The rest of the time I spent waiting for the dough to chill. I prepped my oven and cookie sheets. When the dough was cold, I used a tablespoon to measure the dough.

My first batch of cookies were the size of half-dollars. You could also make quarter-sized or mini thumbprint cookies too. Remember to keep an eye on them while baking, as the smaller cookies won’t need as much time.

The Final Product

Overall Thoughts

Flavor

Slightly warm from the oven, these cookies reminded me of a cross between a sugar cookie and a shortbread cookie. They were light and not too sweet.

I’m happy that the jam didn’t bubble over and coat the cookie. The jam had its distinct flavor and added sweetness.

My sister said she would eat the cookies plain; they were so good. The raspberry filling was my favorite. I probably could’ve indented the cookie further, so I could have more jam, but that’s my own preference.

Portions and Storage

This recipe made around 20 cookies — some with the tablespoon portion and some that were miniature. They were best when cooled from the oven, though the next morning they were still soft. I covered them with plastic wrap and left them on my kitchen island.

Recipe Score

I give the Raspberry and Fig Thumbprint Cookies a 12/10 for the following:

• Recipe Level

  • Beginner: Whether you’re mixing by hand or using a stand-mixer, this recipe is very easy. If your ingredients are at room temperature, the recipe will come together easily. You can even have younger children help you mix and shape them.

• Ingredients

  • 5-ingredients — probably items you already have on hand, makes this recipe cost-effective and delicious. I haven’t tried doubling the recipe, but considering the ingredient list, it would probably be easy to do so.

• Prep

  • Passive prep is involved with these thumbprint cookies. Let your butter and cream cheese soften on the counter before you get started. Also plan the two hours of chilling for the dough, before you start baking.

• Flavor

  • 12/10: I am so happy with how these cookies turned out. The cream cheese is the special ingredient which creates the texture and flavor. These cookies aren’t too sweet, and the jam that you use for the filling gets to shine.

K. Martinelli Makes Raspberry and Fig Thumbprint Cookies

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