Easy Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies Recipe with Raspberry Jam
These cream cheese thumbprint cookies are an extra-soft, tender shortbread made with cream cheese in the dough, filled with bright raspberry jam. They take about 50 minutes start to finish including a chill, make 24 cookies, and the cream cheese is what keeps the wells from cracking even on the first bake.
Cream cheese does something a plain butter dough just can’t: it makes the cookie soft enough to take a deep thumbprint in one bake, no double-baking or re-pressing required. The dough comes together fast, chills once to firm up, and bakes with the jam already in place.
The cream cheese is also what trips people up the most if it isn’t handled right, so I’ll walk through exactly what to look for.
If your dough feels sticky right out of the mixer, that’s completely normal and an easy fix before you shape anything.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Extra-soft, tender texture from the cream cheese in the dough
- One bake only, no re-pressing or double-baking needed
- Deep, clean wells that hold the jam without cracking
- Simple pantry ingredients plus one block of cream cheese
- Freezes well as shaped, unbaked dough
- A softer, richer alternative to a classic butter thumbprint
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 oz (85g) full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam, stirred smooth
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Cream cheese: Use full-fat block-style cream cheese, not the whipped tub kind — the extra moisture in whipped cream cheese makes the dough too soft to shape cleanly. Let it soften fully alongside the butter so it creams in smoothly instead of leaving streaks.
Jam: Raspberry is the classic pairing here, but apricot or strawberry jam both work well as a swap. Stir whichever jam you use until smooth so it spoons into the wells evenly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cream the Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar
Beat the softened butter, cream cheese, and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure both the butter and cream cheese are fully softened first — any cold streaks of cream cheese will leave lumps that never fully smooth out.
Step 2: Add the Egg Yolk and Vanilla
Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until combined. Using just the yolk instead of a whole egg is what keeps this dough rich without making it too wet to shape.
Step 3: Mix in the Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour and salt together, then fold it into the wet mixture just until combined. The dough will look soft and slightly sticky at this stage, which is normal for a cream cheese dough — it firms up in the fridge.
Step 4: Chill the Dough
Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes. This chill is what makes the dough easy to roll and keeps the shaped cookies from spreading flat in the oven; skipping it is the most common reason this cookie turns out thin.
Step 5: Roll and Fill
Scoop the chilled dough into 1-tablespoon balls, roll smooth, and press a deep well into the center of each with your thumb or a rounded teaspoon — the cream cheese keeps the dough pliable enough that the edges rarely crack. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of smooth jam into each well.
Step 6: Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are just set and very lightly golden. This dough stays pale compared to a butter-only cookie, so don’t wait for deep color. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan before moving them.
Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Whisk flour and salt; fold into wet ingredients until just combined.
- Chill dough 20-30 minutes.
- Roll into 1-tablespoon balls, press a deep well into each, and fill with 1/2 tsp smooth jam.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 12-14 minutes, until edges are just set and lightly golden.
- Cool completely on the pan before serving.
Notes
- Use block-style full-fat cream cheese, not whipped — whipped cream cheese makes the dough too soft to shape.
- The dough looks soft and slightly sticky before chilling; that’s normal and firms up in the fridge.
- Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients and will vary with brands and portion size.
A Softer Take on a Classic Cookie
Once you’ve tried a cream cheese thumbprint, it’s hard to go back to a plain butter one — the texture is just that much more tender. And since there’s no re-pressing or second bake, this one comes together faster too.
These freeze beautifully as shaped, unfilled dough balls, so it’s worth doubling the batch and keeping half ready to bake later. If you make these, I’d love to hear how your jam filling turned out — leave a comment and a star rating below.
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