Iced Almond Thumbprint Cookies for Springtime

These colorful Cookies for Springtime are soft, buttery, and delicious. They are easy to make and fun to decorate with the kids, perfect for your Easter celebration.

thumbprint cookies for spring

Almond Thumbprint Cookies for Springtime

iced almond thumbprint cookies for spring

I usually make these cookies at Christmastime. They are so easy to make, that I don’t mind rolling out a few batches.

thumbprint cookies for spring

While they are beautiful in red and green, I love them so much better in pastel colors.

colorful pastel cookies for spring

Do you put icing on cookies before or after baking?

  • You should put icing on cookies after baking and cookies have completely cooled

How do I keep my Thumbprint Cookies from spreading?

  • Chill the dough. Warm batter will spread more
  • Don’t over beat the sugar and butter step. Just mix until well blended
  • Use parchment paper or silicone sheets in place of greasing the pan
springtime iced thumbprint cookies

Iced Almond Thumbprint Cookies for Springtime Recipe Ingredients:

Ready to bake? Make sure you have all of the ingredients handy…

    margarine melted – melted butter leads to chewier cookies

    sugar

    vanilla extract – or almond extract – I used only to use vanilla, but now I prefer the taste of almond in these cookies. They are almond thumbprint cookies, after all

    salt – this sharpens the buttery flavor

    flour – all-purpose

    optional – finely chopped nuts (almonds) – I love the nutty flavor that the almonds lend to the cookie, but the kids don’t like the texture. This is completely optional Filling

Filling

powdered sugar – this thickens and sweets your icing

almond extract – the best flavor for this icing

water – be sparing. Add less water at first and more to thin the batter, if necessary

Gel food coloring – this is just to not oversaturate the icing with more liquid. If you only have liquid, then just use less water to thin the icing

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

thumbprint cookies for spring

Iced Almond Thumbprint Cookies for Springtime

Delicious springtime cookies
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
decorating: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 161cal
Author: Melissa
Cost: $10

Ingredients

  • 1 cup margarine melted
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. milk -I used 2%
  • 2 cups flour all-purpose
  • 1 cup chopped almonds optional

Filling – for each color

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 2 – 3 Tbsp. water
  • 2-3 drops Gel food coloring I used neon colors *you can use liquid food coloring but you'll want to use less water so your icing isn't too runny

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 *optional 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 extract 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: 161cal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 0.05mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 339IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

 

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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