Iced Almond Thumbprint Cookies

In my humble opinion, these Iced Almond Thumbprint Cookies are one of the easiest and most delicious of all the Christmas Cookie Recipes. Why spend hours on tedious cookies when these are simple and a huge crowd-pleaser? 

Iced Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

These Almond Thumbprint Cookies from my grandmother and the Snowball Cookies also a recipe from my grandma are on the blog and are the easiest cookies in my holiday cookie recipes.

You also might like another passed-down cookie recipes like Christmas Cut Out Cookies, or here is where you can find Over 21 Christmas Cookies to try

Table of contents

iced almond thumbprint cookies

These delicious cookies can be adapted to any holiday just by changing the icing color.

iced almond thumbprint cookies

Here is the printable recipe:

thumbprint cookie recipe

Thumbprint Cookies With Almond Flavored Icing Center

Easy, Beautiful, and Delicious! A sure crowd pleaser at your Holiday Functions!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
decorating: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 30 servings
Calories: 108cal
Author: Melissa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter – melted unsalted or margarine
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 2 tsp. milk I used 2%
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 cups flour all-purpose
  • optional – 1 cup of finely chopped nuts almonds

Filling – For Easch Color

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 2 – 3 Tbsp. water
  • food coloring colors of your choice. I used red and green

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Melt the butter until it is warm enough to dissolve the sugar (I usually microwave the 1 lb. for about 30 seconds) If it is only partially melted, that’s fine. It will probably have a warm, and creamy texture)
  • In a large bowl mix melted margarine or unsalted butter and sugar together until sugar is dissolved
  • Add extract and milk – stir in
  • In a small bowl mix the salt, flour, and nuts
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together
  • Roll into balls about 1 inch in diameter
  • Push the center down with your thumb or the back of a Tbsp. measuring spoon that has been greased
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes
  • While that is baking – stir the ingredients for the icing together adding the water 1 Tbsp. at a time, and stopping when the icing is a nice smooth consistency but not too runny
  • If it gets too runny…just add a little more powdered sugar
  • After the cookies are done and cooled – add a spoonful of icing to each center

Notes

nutrition facts are only an estimate 
updates to recipe explained:
The addition of milk is a new ingredient. Feel free to omit this ingredient. Your cookie will still turn out delicious, but it will have a more dense texture. The original version from my mom’s generation did not have the milk. The milk binds the dough with more moisture so it is not so crumbly, it adds fat and flavor, and it even contributes to color.
Almond extracts in place of vanilla – these 2 extracts are completely interchangeable in this recipe. I happened to like the almond flavor over the vanilla, but it is entirely a personal preference
*Also, I have discovered that it is not necessary to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking which gives us one less step to worry about. 🙂

Nutrition

Calories: 108cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg

thumbprint cookie recipe
~ Melissa – KidFriendlyThingsToDo.com

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Dorothy Boucher

    These look amazing, and i love how easy they are to make , definitely something I could have my grandchildren help me with.. Thanks for sharing

  2. Shawn Morgan

    Is the margarine suppose to be melted? Hard to cream melted margarine with sugar and my final product doesn’t look like yours

    1. Melissa

      Thanks for asking…We actually just had our cookie baking day, yesterday and made these cookies.Yes. The margarine or unsalted butter is supposed to be melted. It’s an old recipe, and it’s one that I grew up with. My mom always used margarine. I now use unsalted butter, but the result is always the same. I guess cream is not the right terminology. It’s how it was written a long time ago. Mix until sugar is dissolved might be a better way of phrasing it. I’ll change the wording in the recipe. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I hope the cookies work out for you. Happy Holidays!

    2. Melissa

      Hi again, Shawn! As you can tell it really bothers me when someone’s recipe does not live up to expectations. I have been experimenting in the kitchen and have made some slight adjustments to hopefully make the recipe the perfect texture and even took a step out to make it easier. I’ve even had the kids participate in a blindfold cookie tasting! 🙂 I’m sure the original version is still delicious and I hope you liked the flavor, but I think you’ll like the new improved version even better. Merry Christmas to you and yours!