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Home » Recipes » Dessert

Cranberry Bliss Thumbprint Cookies

Published: Jan 11, 2021 · Modified: Jan 31, 2023 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Cranberry Bliss Thumbprint Cookies were my surprise recipe this year.  They were super easy to make, and they were outstanding! I didn’t know what to think about making the jam with cranberries, but loved the sweet and tart combo!

sheet pan with thumbprint cookies coving is icing.
Delicious Cranberry Bliss Thumbprint Cookies!
Contents hide
1 🍪 Ingredients
2 👍 Instructions
3 📝 Expert Tips
4 Recipe FAQ
5 🔖 Related Recipes
6 Cranberry Bliss Thumbprint Cookies

This recipe was first out on our Christmas in July Day 20 celebration in 2019. It was a lot of fun sharing all of these ideas with you without all the pressure of the holidays actually being here! Silly as that seems, it is true! 

Full disclosure, Christmas in July showed us I am a “wee-bit” obsessed with infusing Cranberry Bliss into as many treats as I can! I know!  See how many recipes I posted? What can I say? I love the taste that comes from the mixture of lemon, orange, cranberries, and white chocolate. 

🍪 Ingredients

Frozen Cranberries – We used frozen here as you can get these in the freezer department at the grocery store all year long.

Lemon and Orange Zest – This is a big part of the flavor of these cookies that our favorite coffee shop uses. If you’ve never used zest before, it’s really easy to do using a zester and gently rubbing the outer skin of the fruit. Just be careful to not get the white section called, pith, that is between the skin and the fruit as it’s a little bitter.

👍 Instructions

six process shots showing how to make the cranberry jam, form the cookies, baking and drizzling icing.
Simple Steps to Make a Classic Holiday Cookie

Cranberry Jam

Step One: Combine one bag of frozen cranberries, one half cup of sugar, and one half cup of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Step Two: Boil for about 8-18 minutes stirring constantly. The cranberries will start to pop and the sugar water will thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. 

You have the option to leave the compote/jam rustic with the peels exposed or put the entire mixture in a blender or food processor for a couple of pulses to smooth it. It makes it more consistent texture and the presentation is really a bit nicer. I have done both and the taste is the same, obviously. 

Cookie Dough

Step One: Combine the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix well. Add in the vanilla extract and continue to mix.

Step Two: Add in the flour and lemon/orange zest and mix well. Wrap the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill. 

⚠️ Word of caution: Don’t leave the dough in longer as it dries out and hardens. If you remove the dough from the refrigerator and it feels drier than you think it should be, take a one inch ball of dough at a time and work it in your hands. The heat from your hands will soften it. 

Step Three: Form the dough into one inch balls, place them on the cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in the center of the cookie.

Step Four: Add a small teaspoon of Cranberry Jam to the thumbprint. 

Step Five: Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. Watch them closely starting at about the 9 minute mark as each oven is different. You want them to come out golden brown, not burnt and hard. Don’t over-bake!

Step Six: Once cooled, heat up a little bit of the Candi Quik melting chocolate and gently drizzle on top and allow to cool.

📝 Expert Tips

  • If you are making a lot of these, your hands will get tired. I used a wooden mini-tart shaper, which is a small wooden tool with rounded ends that made the thumbprints for me.
  • If you have kids, put them to work making the thumbprints and adding the dollops of jam. They will love to help out and bake cookies with you!
  • Mix up the jams to make a rainbow of colors. This makes a phenomenal presentation.
baked cranberry thumbprint cookies with icing being added.
Drizzle on Icing After Baking!

Recipe FAQ

What other Jams Can I Substitute? 

If you want to keep the lemon and orange zest flavoring, use orange marmalade in the center.  If you want to double up on lemon zest and take out the orange, use blueberry jam for a delicious Blueberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookie. 

Don’t Thumbprint Cookies Normally Have Nuts on the Dough? 

A lot of thumbprint cookies have nuts sprinkled on the dough, but the Cranberry Bliss Bars at Starbucks don’t have them, so I excluded them here.  Traditionalists should add crushed walnuts.

Can I Freeze These Cookies?

Yes, you can. I would flash freeze these. Lay the cookies out on a sheet pan and freeze for 6-8 hours. Remove from them from the freezer and then layer them in a bag or container dividing it with parchment. Remove the day before you want to serve. If the icing breaks off, reapply it with no problem. If you know you are going to freeze these cookies, I would suggest adding the little big chocolate icing the day after you remove from the freezer so they have a fresh, crisp look to them.

🔖 Related Recipes

  • Coconut Flour Shortbread Cookie Bars
  • Cranberry Bliss Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
  • No Bake Cranberry Bliss Truffles Recipe

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Cranberry Bliss Thumbprint Cookies will have you craving the sweet and tangy mix for this year's Christmas Cookie Exchange #Cranberry #Cookie #Christmas #ChristmasCookie #Thumbprint #ThumbprintCookie

Cranberry Bliss Thumbprint Cookies

Delicious little cookies that have an incredible tart kick to them. The chocolate drizzle is a perfect combination.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Christmas, Holiday
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 228kcal
Author: Ginny

Ingredients

Cranberry Jam

  • 12 oz Cranberries frozen
  • ½ cup Sugar
  • ½ cup Water

Sugar Cookie Thumbprint

  • 3 sticks Butter softened
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 3 ½ cups Flour
  • 1 tsp Lemon Zest
  • 1 tsp Orange Zest
  • 3-5 tbsp Candi Quik melting chocolate, melted

Instructions

Sugar Cookie Thumbprint

  • Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix together.
  • Add vanilla extract, lemon zest and orange zest and mix.
  • Add the flour, a little at a time, and mix well.
  • Wrap up the dough into a ball and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
  • Once the cookies have been in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, remove and working with your hands, roll the dough into 1 inch balls. If the dough feels dry to the touch, gently work it in your hands for a moment and it will warm up and soften.
  • Place balls on cookie sheet and with your thumb, press a little indentation into the center being careful to not push all the way through.
  • Add about ½ – 1 tsp of cranberry compote to the center of each cookie.
  • Bake for 13-15 minutes or until slightly brown. Don't overbake.
  • Once cooled, drizzle the white chocolate on top and allow to harden.

Cranberry Jam

  • Combine the cranberries, sugar and water in a small 2 qt pan and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-20 minutes until the cranberries have popped.
  • Allow to cool and blend in a food processor or blender to make smooth.

Notes

As desired, substitute the cranberry compote with a different jam. Blueberry jam would be incredible since there is a lemon zest in the dough the two complement each other very well. 
Use a gallon ziplock bag to drizzle your chocolate. I have use the thinner sandwich bags and the heat and the thinner bags don’t work as well. Only cut the smallest hole off the end as you want the drizzle to be very thin. 
Substitute a different chocolate to drizzle. I love the Candi Quik brand that you can find at Walmart as it melts so nice and hardens quickly. You don’t need much for this recipe. 
Sugar cookie adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Freezer Instructions: I would flash freeze these ones. Lay cookies out on a sheet pan and freeze for 6-8 hours. Remove from them from the freezer and then layer them in a bag or container dividing it with parchment. Remove the day before you want to serve. If the chocolate breaks off as it’s fragile, you can reapply with no problem. If you know you are going to freeze these cookies, I would suggest adding the little big chocolate the day after you remove from the freezer so they have a fresh, crisp look to them. 
If Cookie Dough Gets Hard From Refrigerator: If you remove the dough from the refrigerator and it feels drier than you think it should be, take a one inch ball of dough at a time and work it in your hands. The heat from your hands will soften it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 6.7mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @savorandsavvy or tag #savorandsavvy!
Cranberry Bliss Thumbprint CookiesCranberry Bliss Thumbprint Cookies
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About Ginny

Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for my family that is always on the go!

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