Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
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These pecan thumbprint cookies are a scrumptious shortbread cookie recipe bursting with pecan flavor, with sweet Christmas-inspired icing added to the thumbprint.
I fell in love with these little gems when I was a child. They have the taste of a pecan sandy cookie with just a little extra oomph provided by the icing. Traditionally, the icing was tinted pastel when my mama bought them from the store, but today I decided to use paste food coloring for a deeper color for the holidays.
These pecan thumbprint cookies are very simple to make. In fact, I bet you already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. You need flour, sugar, vanilla, butter, salt, and pecans. Then for the icing, we need confectioner’s sugar, food coloring, and sprinkles. To make the cookies, we cream together the butter and sugar and stir in the remaining ingredients. Then we add our thumbprint and bake. The final step is to mix together the Christmas-themed green and red icing, add it to the thumbprints and top it with some sprinkles.
These pecan thumbprint cookies have a buttery shortbread texture so you know they’re just going to melt in your mouth. The sweet icing is the cherry on top! But I’ve included other ideas below of what you can add to the indents rather than icing. I hope you try these little gems and please let me know if your family loves them as much as mine. I just bet they will.
What You’ll Need to Make Pecan Thumbprint Cookies:
Cookies
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Pecans
- Unsalted butter (soften at room temperature for 30 minutes).
- Vanilla extract
Icing
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Almond extract (or vanilla)
- Water
- Food coloring
- Sprinkles (optional)
How to Make Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
Cream butter and sugar together with a handheld or electric mixer until fluffy.
Mix in flour, salt, and vanilla until well combined.
Chop pecans in a chopper or food processor until very finely chopped. Mix chopped pecans into the flour mixture.
Drop cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls.
If you have a small cookie dough scoop, it will cut your time in half. If not, do it like I have every other year but this one and just measure out a teaspoonful and roll it into balls before putting it on the cookie sheet.
For authentic thumbprint cookies, dip your thumb into flour and press it into the center of each cookie before baking.
Here is a pan of thumbprint cookies ready to go into the oven.
Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until lightly brown.
Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes to cool and then remove them to wire racks to cool completely before icing.
Now make the icing! Mix together the confectioner’s sugar, extract, and enough water to make a nice consistency for icing.
Divide icing into two parts for adding coloring.
Spread a small amount of icing on each cookie in the thumbprint indention. Then add sprinkles of your choice.
Aren’t they the cutest little things? They are the most delicious cookies I have ever come across and are really quick and easy to make while looking very impressive.
Storage
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- You can freeze cookies with or without icing and the unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving/baking.
Recipe Notes
- My main tip is to use a small scoop like I am showing so that they are all uniform in size.
- The other tip is to dip your thumb in flour before pressing it into each cookie. Otherwise, they stick to your thumb and won’t leave an indention.
- However, instead of your thumb, you can use the end of a wooden spoon or a thimble to avoid the cookie dough sticking to your thumb.
- If you don’t like or have almond extract, feel free to replace it with vanilla. In my opinion, the almond is divine in these cookies but Christy doesn’t like the taste of it so sometimes I switch it up.
- You can also use whichever color you want for the cookies. They are really pretty in pastel colors for baby or wedding showers.
- Speaking of the icing, an easier way to disperse it is to add it to a ziplock bag, snip off the end, and squeeze the frosting into the indent this way.
- If you like, substitute the white sugar for brown sugar.
Pecan Thumbprint Cookies: Recipe FAQs
What else can I add to the indent in my thumbprint cookies?
There are so many different varieties of thumbprint cookies, so here are some suggestions:
- A dollop of jam or preserves (check out our recipe here). I recommend raspberry jam, strawberry jam, or apricot jam.
- A dollop of pecan pie filling to make pecan pie thumbprint cookies.
- Chocolate frosting, chocolate ganache, or melted chocolate.
- Lemon or lime curd.
- Cherry pie filling (or the pie filling of your choice).
- Homemade dulce de leche caramel sauce to make caramel pecan thumbprint cookies.
What can I substitute for the pecans?
Walnuts are always an easy substitute for pecans. However, if there’s a nut allergy involved and you want nut-free thumbprint cookies, simply omit the pecans. This will make the cookies basically taste like buttery shortbread cookies.
You may also like these cookie recipes:
Southern Plate’s Must-Make Christmas Cookies
Butter Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Pecan Lace Cookies Recipe
Thumbprint Cookies with Jam or Preserves
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter or margarine
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Icing
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- red and green food coloring
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar with a handheld or electric mixer.2 sticks unsalted butter or margarine, 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Mix in flour, salt, and vanilla.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stir in nuts.1 cup finely chopped pecans
- Drop teaspoonsful of the cookie dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Make an indent in each cookie with your thumb (dip your thumb in flour before pressing into the cookie so that it doesn't stick).
- Bake at 300 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Cool for 2 minutes and then remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Icing
- Mix the confectioner's sugar, almond extract, and enough water (approximately 1 teaspoon) to make a glaze in a bowl.1 cup confectioner's sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Divide into 2 equal parts and place in separate bowls.
- Add 2 drops of red food coloring or the color of your choice to the first bowl of glaze.red and green food coloring
- Add 2 drops of green food coloring to the second bowl of glaze.red and green food coloring
- Mix the glaze well until food coloring is incorporated.
- Spoon a small amount of glaze into the center of each cookie and add sprinkles if desired.
Nutrition
“Sometimes me think, ‘What is friend?’.
And then me say ‘Friend is someone who share last cookie with you.'”
~Cookie Monster
I love both Christy & Janice’s recipes! One question please……. I love the red pitcher in this thumbprint cookie, is it made of red glass or is it plastic?
Thank you
Hey! That is a little glass I got at Dollar General just last week. I believe it was $1.50! They have several different styles but I thought that was the perfect milk glass for Christmas cookies. Fortunately, Mama agreed.
Wow! I love Dollar General myself, so I’ll go next week and see if these Florida stores have them. Thanks so much for sharing Christy, you & Miss Janice are just wonderful. I feel like I’m back in Gadsden every day when I look up your post. I have to keep my Alabama ties strong to stay sane here, LOL!
I LOVE thumbprint cookies! Would get them sometime at “Peggy Ann Bakery.
Such a pretty picture ^ up there of the presentation of these cookies!
Hello Angela, That is the same bakery that we got them at when we lived closer to Huntsville. We also love their little petit fours. They are both to die for. Thanks for the comment on the picture. I am still learning. Mama
Thanks for another great recipe!!! I’ll be taking this recipe to Texas with me to make with my granddaughters – they can do the thumb prints and sprinkles!!
Oh how fun Susan, I hope you have a wonderful trip!!! Safe travels!
Hello Susan, I am sure they will have a great time making memories with you. Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the granddaughters! Mama
Oh yeah! I’m so excited! I just bought your books from Amazon this week. I can’t wait to get them. 🙂
Thank you so much Sherry, I hope you like them!!
My son is allergic to all nuts and tree nuts. I’m wondering if this recipe would work with pretzels like the faux pecan pie. I’m already planning to bake that pie next week for Thanksgiving. If you have any thoughts about the pretzels, please let me know. Thank you both.
Mama said she isn’t sure if it will work or not. The first concern would be the salt from the pretzels and then would the pretzels just dissolve into the dough? You could certainly try it and see what happens, just know they may not turn out right at all, but if you do try it…we would love to hear!
Christy I don’t know if this would work but would toasted coconut give the crunch of nuts or toffee bits but not sure if they have a nut in them. But I have made brittle without nuts for a friend that has allergies which becomes a wonderful buttery candy. I know someone mentioned they had ate them with peppermint so how about broken up pieces of hard candy. I don’t know if any of these would work just trying to think of an option.
My brother is dangerously allergic to peanuts, pecans, and walnuts (nuts from trees in the hickory family), but has no problem with almonds or pine nuts. In years of adapting recipes for him, I’ve substituted toasted grated unsweetened coconut (good for a sandy texture), sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and toasted graham cracker crumbs. Maybe one of those would work here. Be careful and read the labels, though. Some graham crackers/crumbs are processed in a facility that also processes tree nuts or peanuts. Some toffee bits and almond butters too. Betty Crocker Butter Pecan cake mix contains NO pecans or other nuts. Neither do the nut flavored oils by Loran. Go figure.
Not applicable to this recipe, but as an fyi for those allergic to peanuts, I just tried something new, to me anyway, called “No-Nut Butter”. Publix carries it here. It’s made from peas, in a dedicated facility, so it’s safe for those with nut and peanut allergies. Best of all, it’s the closest thing I have found yet to the taste and texture of peanut butter. It substitutes very well in recipes calling for peanut butter.
I have made these cookies and they do freeze well. It has been a while, but after reading all these posts, I am remembering how good these are. Will definitely make some soon!
Enjoy!!!
Mama Janice, do these freeze well? Would love to make these ahead of time. Thanks,
They do freeze well Peg!!
Hello Peg, I have never had them long enough to freeze them but I am sure they will. I have frozen similar cookies and they were great. Mama