These orange marmalade thumbprint cookies are a bright, flavorful, and unexpected little treat to pair with tea and coffee or to include on a dessert tray.
I love an interesting thumbprint cookie variation and these orange marmalade thumbprint cookies definitely fit the bill. I get so much satisfaction out of finding a way to use some of the beautiful jams and jellies I come across in new recipes and since I’ve been on a bit of a marmalade kick lately, I thought another baking experiment was in order. These spiced cookies are not for the faint of heart, but if you have a group to serve who loves a culinary adventure, this is just the baked good for you. If you’re just making these for yourself like I did, they freeze beautifully, and you can keep them in the freezer for several months, taking them out to enjoy with a hot beverage whenever the mood strikes. I’d love to see these cute orange cookies on an Easter dessert table.
Another buttery thumbprint recipe perfect for Easter or for Christmas: Strawberry Almond Thumbprints
Ingredients Needed for the Orange Marmalade Cookies
You’ll need:
- A jar of good quality orange marmalade. I used Bonne Maman.
- Powdered ginger
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Softened, room-temperature unsalted butter (or a vegan substitute, if preferred)
- Salt
- Eggs (or a plant-based substitute)
- Ginger glaze topping for drizzling
I would normally say that the confectioner’s sugar glaze is optional in a cookie recipe like this, but in this case, I think it really adds a necessary punch of flavor and nicely complements the delicate and subtle orange flavoring. I should also note that a little bit of marmalade goes a long way, so you won’t need the entire jar of marmalade, if you have a small jar already open in the refrigerator, this is a great way to use up about 1/3 of it.
Essential bakery-worthy cookie recipes: Soft and Chewy Plant-Based Chocolate Chip Cookies
Method for Preparing the Marmalade Thumbprints
To prepare the cookie dough, start out by combining the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until the two ingredients are creamed together into a smooth mixture. Reduce the mixer speed and add in the eggs, continuing to mix the creamed mixture until everything is evenly combined.
Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl, then slowly add them to the butter mixture with the stand mixer running on low. Keep stirring until everything comes together as a smooth ball of dough. The dough ball should be quite soft but still easy to work with and not sticky.
These orange cookies work best as a smaller treat, so use a small cookie scoop or even a melon baller to scoop out the dough. Form it into a round ball and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick Silpat baking mat. Repeat until your cooking sheet is full.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon or your thumb, create an indent in the middle of each cookie ball and fill it with about 1/2 teaspoon of the orange marmalade. Allow the cookies to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking if you’re concerned about spreading. Bake cookies, let them sit on the baking tray for a few minutes when they’re right out of the oven, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula. Allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before moving on to the glaze drizzle stage.
Whisk your glaze up just before you need to use it as it will begin to set immediately. Allow the glaze to harden before serving or before storing your cookies in an airtight container to refrigerate with sheets of wax paper between each layer. Dusting with a bit of powdered sugar is an option as well and will result in a much more subtle orange ginger flavor.
Pair these cookies on a dessert tray: Orange Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Here’s the full printable recipe.
These orange marmalade thumbprint cookies are a bright, flavorful, and unexpected little treat to pair with tea and coffee or to include on a dessert tray.
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tsp Ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 3/4 cup Granulated white sugar
- 1 cup Butter or plant-based substitute
- 1 Egg or plant-based substitute
- 1/2 cup Good quality orange marmalade
- 1 recipe Spicy ginger glaze for drizzling
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and continue mixing until everything is well combined.
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In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, ginger powder, and baking soda and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, a little at a time, with the mixer running on low. Continue mixing until everything is combined into a smooth dough ball.
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With a small cookie scoop, scoop out the dough, roll it into little dough balls, and place them on a parchment-lined baking pan. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or your thumb, create a small indent in the top of each cookie dough ball, then fill it with about 1/2 teaspoon of marmalade.
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Refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes to prevent spreading or bake immediately. Bake the cookies at 350° for 12 minutes, turning the cookie-sheet halfway through the baking time.
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Allow the cookie to cool completely on wire racks, then prepare the ginger glaze topping and drizzle over the cookies in a zig-zag pattern. Allow the icing glaze to set before serving or storing in an airtight container.
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.