Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies

These Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies are soft, buttery, and filled with a cozy blend of cinnamon and sweet apple butter that tastes just like fall. With a texture that's part sugar cookie and part shortbread, they're the kind of easy fall cookies everyone will ask for again and again. You'll learn how to make Apple Butter Cookies that are simple to bake yet look beautiful on any Christmas cookie tray. Pin this recipe now so you can bake a batch anytime you're craving something warm, cozy, and unique!

Pin

Why is this the best Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookie recipe

These are the perfect apple cookies for any family gathering! They are simple to make and appeal to almost everyone.

These cookies are easy to make. Create a quick cookie dough with a few ingredients, then top with store-bought apple butter. That's it! Cookie recipes don't get any easier than this: mix the dough, top with apple butter, and bake.

The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in almost every grocery store or on Amazon.

Pin

These cookies taste amazing! Combine a buttery, rich shortbread cookie with a sweet burst of apple butter. These are going to be your new favorite cookie!

These cookies are the perfect size!  Each cookie is just about two bites, and they don't fall apart when you bite into them.

What you'll need to make apple butter cookies

Equipment

• Electric mixer - You can probably make cookies with a whisk and spatula, but it is much easier with a mixer.
• Scoop set - I always use a medium scoop to measure out cookie dough. You can do this with two spoons, but you'll have to be careful to get them all the same size.
• Baking sheet - I like a baking sheet with a raised edge, but a plain cookie sheet without an edge will also be fine. I line mine with parchment paper.
• Wire rack - You will need to remove the cookies from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. If you leave them on the baking sheet, they will over bake and be hard.

Ingredients 

Pin

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Salted butter - This should be softened but not melted. You can use unsalted butter if that's all you have. Don't add extra salt to the dough.
• Brown sugar - This should be packed tightly in the measuring cup.
• White sugar - I don't recommend using an alternate sweetener. Stick to brown and white sugar.
• Egg - This is what will bind the ingredients together to form a dough.
• All-purpose flour - Flour is the building block of cookie dough.
• Baking powder - This makes the dough puff up a little during baking.
• Baking soda - This makes the cookies spread out during baking.
• Ground cinnamon - This is for flavor. If you would like a more spiced flavor, you can use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
• Apple butter - This is the star of the show! If you want to make these cookies without apple butter (then why are you using this recipe???), you can use any kind of jam, jelly, fruit preserves, or fruit butter.

How to make Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to cream the ingredients together for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is completely smooth and fluffy.
   Pin
3. Beat in the egg for about a minute or until the mixture is light and fluffy.
   Pin
4. Reduce the speed of the hand mixer and gently beat in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Scrape along the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula to ensure the wet and dry ingredients are fully combined.
   Pin
5. Use a medium cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Space the cookies about 1½ inches apart to account for spreading. Bake for 9 minutes.
6. Remove the cookies from the oven and top each one with a small spoonful of apple butter. Create a small indent in the center of each cookie to help contain the apple butter. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for 2 more minutes.
   Pin
7. Let your cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
   Pin

Baker's Tips

Adding the apple butter when the cookies are not quite done baking does a few things. First, the cookies will be less stable, so the weight of the apple butter will press into the cookie and help keep it from running over the sides of your cookies. Second, it allows us to cook off some of the apple butter's moisture off in the oven. This will make storing the leftover cookies a lot easier.

Make sure the cookie dough has a fluffy texture and light color after beating in the egg. You want to beat a little bit of air into the mixture, so don't rush through that step.

Adding a little bit of cinnamon helps tie together the apple butter and cookie base. If you are a big fan of fall spice then replace the cinnamon with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice instead.

Apple butter can be found at most grocery stores all year long, usually in the same aisle as peanut butter and jellies.

We used a #40 cookie scoop for this recipe. Your cookie dough balls should be about 1½ tablespoons in size.

Substitutions & variations

If you're feeling fearless, you can make your own homemade apple butter with fresh apples! All you need to do is put the apples, sugar, and cinnamon in a CrockPot and cook it for a few hours. Here's an easy CrockPot apple butter recipe. (It's not my recipe, and I haven't made apple butter using that recipe, but it looks like it should work.)

Swap the apple butter for pumpkin, fig, peach, or pear butter, or use a fruit preserve, jam, or jelly.

Add a cinnamon-sugar coating by rolling the uncooked cookie dough balls in a mixture of 2 tablespoons cinnamon in a ½ cup of white sugar.

You can add chopped pecans or almonds to the cookie dough, right before rolling the dough balls.

Pin

Storing leftovers

You can store these cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. You can also store them in the fridge for the same length of time, but they will dry out and get stale more quickly.

You can enjoy these cookies at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. It is also important to note that the apple butter will thicken up more if you store your cookies in the fridge.

Pin

Check out more delicious cookie recipes

• Cherry Pie Cookies
• Easy Monster Cookies
• Lemon Sugar Cookies
• Brownie Mix Crinkle Cookies
• Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies
• Secret Hershey Kiss Sugar Cookies
• Christmas Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles
• Double Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies
• Christmas Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
• Perfect Soft Sugar Cookies for Christmas

Recipe