Recipes
Almond Marmalade Thumbprint Cookies
A spoonful of bright, tangy orange preserves transforms rich, nutty shortbread into an even more compelling treat.
- Makes
About 24 cookies
- Time
30 minutes, plus chilling and cooling
Buttery, crumbly, and faintly bitter, these salty-sweet shortbread cookies bridge the Spanish-British divide with crunchy Marcona almonds and a proper English marmalade. For an extra hit of puckering orange, top the cookies with additional marmalade after baking. Salted or toasted almonds can be used; simply halve the kosher salt for the former.
Featured in the Fall/Winter 2025 issue. See more recipes and stories from Issue 205.
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Marcona almonds, preferably raw and unsalted, finely ground
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- ½ cup marmalade
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Instructions
Step 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, and salt.
Step 2
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn the speed to low and gradually add the flour-almond mixture, mixing just until no white streaks remain. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes, or up to 7 days.
Step 3
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Roll the dough into 1-tablespoon balls and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Using your thumb or the back of a round measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each ball. (Use your fingers to smooth any cracked edges.) Fill each cookie with 1 teaspoon of the marmalade.
Step 4
Bake, switching racks and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until light golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. (The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, and salt.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn the speed to low and gradually add the flour-almond mixture, mixing just until no white streaks remain. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes, or up to 7 days.
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Roll the dough into 1-tablespoon balls and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Using your thumb or the back of a round measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each ball. (Use your fingers to smooth any cracked edges.) Fill each cookie with 1 teaspoon of the marmalade.
- Bake, switching racks and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until light golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. (The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
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