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These spiced quince thumbprint cookies are the perfect winter treat and something a little bit different than what you might normally make.
I made these cookies with my kids a few weeks ago and they came with a little lesson in lesser-known fruits. Neither of them had ever tried or heard of quince, and since I had recently come across this delightful quince jam, I thought it would be a great opportunity to expand their horizons a bit, at least when it comes to fruit. If you’ve never tried quince, they’re a fragrant, golden-skinned member of the apple/pear family. They can technically be eaten raw, but they’re most popular when they’re cooked down into pies, jams, and jellies. Quince jam has a very sweet, caramelized flavor, almost like a very aromatic date paste and pairs well with strong cheeses, herbs like rosemary and thyme, and sweet spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. I can see this jam working beautifully on a charcuterie board with nuts, cheese, cured meats, and crackers.
Another inspired jam cookie to try: Cardamom Fig Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients Needed for the Quince Cookies
You’ll need:
- Good quality quince jam
- Ground cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, and ground cloves
- All purpose flour (or a gluten-free 1:1 alternative)
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter (or a non-dairy substitute)
- Granulated white sugar
- Vanilla extract
- An egg (or a plant-based substitute)
- Confectioner’s sugar and milk (for the optional glaze)
These cookies make use of a clove-spiced glaze for a little extra pop of sweetness and added visual appeal but you may find that you don’t need it with the jam centre. I made these cookies with gluten free flour, which I find results in a cookie that looks a little more crackled, as the cookies pictured here show.
Baking recipe to try next: Orange Marmalade Thumbprints With a Spicy Ginger Glaze
Method for Preparing the Jam Thumbprint Cookies
These cookies are quick and easy to make, and the dough can be prepared a day or two ahead of time if you’d like to bake them a little later.
Start by combining the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set it aside. Next, soften your butter slightly in the microwave, then add it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, along with the granulated white sugar. Cream them together on high speed until you have s smooth, fluffy mixture.
Add the egg and vanilla to the creamed mixture and stir again until everything just comes together evenly. With the mixer running on the lowest speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, and keep mixing until everything is well incorporated and you have a smooth cookie dough ball.
Scoop the dough out with a small cookie scoop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Use your thumb or the end of a spoon to make a small indent in the middle of each cookie dough ball. Fill each cookie with about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of jam.
Bake the cookies at 350° for 12-14 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to come down to room temperature. When the cookies have cooled completely, mix the optional clove spiced glaze to drizzle over each cookie. Allow the glaze to set for at least 20-30 minutes before storing the cookies in an airtight container.
Enjoy these cookies within three to four days for optimal freshness, or freeze them to save for later.
Here’s the full printable recipe. Use it on your phone or iPad, or print it off to keep in your recipe binder.
These spiced quince thumbprint cookies are the perfect winter treat and something a little bit different than what you might normally make.
- 2 cups All-purpose flour (or a gluten-free 1:1 blend)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1 cup Butter (softened) or a dairy-free substitute
- 3/4 cup Granulated white sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Egg or a prepared plant-based alternative
- 1/2 cup Good quality quince jam
- 1 cup Icing sugar for the glaze
- 2-3 tbsp Milk or non-dairy milk for the glaze
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract for the glaze
- 1/4 tsp Ground cloves for the glaze
- 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon for the glaze
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar and the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and continue mixing until everything is combined.
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In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices, and mix to distribute all ingredients evenly. With the mixer running on low, add in the flour mixture a little at a time and continue mixing until a smooth dough comes together.
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Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough out and roll it into a smooth ball. Place on a silpat-lined baking sheet. Continue scooping and rolling until your cookie sheet is filled. Press your thumb or the handle of a spoon into the centre of each cookie. Fill the thumbprint in each cookie with about 1/2 teaspoon of the jam.
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Bake the cookies for 14 minutes at 350°, rotating your cookie tray halfway through the baking time. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be very soft after baking, but will firm up as they cool.
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Once the cookies are completely cooled, prepare the optional clove-spice glaze. In a small bowl or a glass measuring cup, combine the icing sugar, ground cloves, and second amount of ground cinnamon. Add the vanilla and milk and mix vigorously until all lumps have disappeared and you have a smooth glaze. Add more milk or icing sugar as necessary to make the glaze thicker or thinner. Drizzle over the cooled cookies in a zig zag motion and allow them to set for at least 20 minutes before serving.
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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.