Sugar Plum Thumbprint Cookies
These festive sugar plum thumbprint cookies are the perfect cookie to leave out for Santa. The sweet butter cookies are made without eggs and topped with a dollop of frosting, a gumdrop, and then a light dusting of powdered sugar. They will also be the highlight of your holiday cookie trays.
Finally getting to post my last Christmas cookie recipe for 2019. I just love this cookie. It’s a sweet butter cookie that has been taken over the top with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and a gumdrop; then dusted with powdered sugar.
It’s been a few years since I have made these cookies and I have to say, I’ve missed them! I’m a big fan of easy cookie recipes and this one is just that. Just a handful of ingredients go into the cookie dough.
While Sugar Plum Thumbprint Cookies do not have plums in them, they are sweet and delicious. I love the name as it reminds me of the Christmas poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Tips to Make Sugar Plum Thumbprint Cookies:
I’ve mentioned that this recipe just has a few ingredients, so that makes the mixing of the batter super easy. You do have to chill the dough for about 30 minutes.
Roll the dough into about 3/4 -inch balls and then use your thumb or the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indentation in the dough balls.
Bake and allow to cool completely before adding the frosting and gumdrops. I like to use a pastry bag to add the dollop of frosting to each cookie. Less messy than just using a spoon. If you don’t have a pastry bag, use a resealable plastic bag, fill with frosting, and snip a little piece of corner off and fill the cookies that way.
Santa would love to nibble on a plate of these cookies, especially on a plate made just for him.
Sugar Plum Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup POWDERED sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 container of cream cheese frosting
- red, green, and white candy gumdrops
- extra powdered sugar to dust the tops of cookies
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy. An electric hand mixer can be used as well.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until incorporated and creamy.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter. Mix until combined.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet.
- Roll dough into about 3/4-inch balls, and on prepared baking sheet.
- Lightly press thumb in center of each cookie to make an indention. You can also use the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon.
- Bake at for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on edges. Remove cookies from baking sheet and cool completely on wire racks.
- Using a pastry bag, add a dollop of the cream cheese frosting into cookie indentations and top each cookie with a gumdrop. Dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
“Blogghetti” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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Enjoy!
Can these be made in advanced before Christmas?
So sorry I didn’t reply before this. You can bake the cookies in advance and they will keep fresh up to 5 days in an airtight container. However, I do not recommend to fill them or dust them with powdered sugar until you are ready to serve them.
Due to the frosting requiring refrigeration after opening, won’t these need to be refrigerated?
I don’t mention refrigeration but yes, leftover frosting should refrigerated. The cookies can be at room temperature chilled. I recommended room temperature for serving. Depending how warm your kitchen is, they can be left on the counter in airtight container. I do that with frosted cakes sometimes.