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    Home » Recipes » Plain Culture

    Amish Thimble Cookies

    Published: Dec 5, 2020 · Updated: Dec 9, 2020 by Kevin Williams | 11 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    By Kevin Williams

    These  Amish thimble cookies remind me vaguely of the very first thing I ever baked. I was living the United Arab Emirates at the time (regulars of my email newsletter know that I once lived there was a child when the company my Dad worked for transferred us all over there).  I remember, I think it was kindergarten, the teacher having all of us children make a cookie called "jam tarts."  They were delicious. I was going to a British school and that was a favorite cookie of the teacher's.

    So, fast-foward to today and we are talking about Amish thimble cookies, which a perfect, festive holiday cookie! These are still popular, especially among Amish old-timers.  The actual use of a thimble has tended to fall out of favor, but some old-timers still do.   Now these cookies are going to be great however you make them but with a dollop of homemade jam, wow, these cookies will sing.

    amish thimble cookies
    Amish Thimble Cookies

    I'd love to try making these and filling them with blueberry filling, or perhaps even pear.

    Thimble cookies
    You can use any flavor jam...yumm, blueberry, anyone?

    If you want to have a cookie that isn't too sweet, this is a good choice. They're called thimble cookies because Amish women will use a thimble to make the tiny holes in the center for filling with jam, but if you don't have a thimble, the back of a small spoon or your thumb works.

    Jump to:
    • 🍪Cookie Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳Cookie Instructions
    • 🍪More Amish Christmas Cookies
    • 🖨️Printer-Friendly Amish Thimble Cookies
    • 🍪Other Amish Christmas Cookies

    🍪Cookie Ingredients

    • 1 c butter, softened
    • ½ c sugar
    • 4 lg eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 c all-purpose flour
    • ½ c jam, any flavor of your choice

    👨‍🍳Cookie Instructions

    1. CREAM the butter and sugar until well blended in a large bowl.
    2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Work in the flour until a firm dough forms.
    3. If the dough seems too sticky, let it chill for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.
    4. FORM the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
    5. Use a clean thimble to press a hole in each one.
    6. Fill the hole with a small amount of jam.
    7. Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the jam begins to bubble, about 25 minutes.
    8. COOL the cookies on a wire rack or a plate and then put into sealed containers.
    9. These cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

    🍪More Amish Christmas Cookies

    Grandma's Christmas Cut-Outs

    Buckeye Cookies

    🖨️Printer-Friendly Amish Thimble Cookies

    amish thimble cookies

    Amish Thimble Cookies

    Old-Fashioned Holiday Favorites
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup butter softened
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup jam any flavor

    Instructions
     

    • Cream the butter and sugar until well blended in a largebowl.
    • Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Work in the flour until afirm dough forms.
    • If the dough seems too sticky, let it chill for a coupleof hours in the refrigerator.
    • Form the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches aparton ungreased baking sheets.
    • Use a clean thimble to press a hole in each one.
    • Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the jam begins to bubble, about 25 minutes.
    • These cookies will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    🍪Other Amish Christmas Cookies

    « Weekly Blogroll: Blackberry Cobbler, Cheryl McNulty Amish Art, Katie Troyer, Home Joys, and More!
    The Amish Cook: Amish White Chocolate and Lemon Cheesecake »

    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rae Ann ander

      February 08, 2017 at 7:55 pm

      At what temp do I bake the cookies?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 08, 2017 at 8:10 pm

        350, sorry for the omission!

        Reply
        • Rae Ann Ander

          February 09, 2017 at 9:52 am

          Thanks!! Making them today! I make something like those too but i call them thumbprint cookies!

        • Kevin

          February 09, 2017 at 9:53 am

          Good luck with the cookies, Rae Ann, they are pretty much a variation of a the classic thumbprint cookie!

    2. Carolyn

      February 08, 2017 at 8:32 pm

      I make a very similar cookie. The difference is my recipe calls for powdered sugar, and of course I use various flavors of my homemade jam. I take them to church socials and such.
      I have had many complements . My recipe is from Fields cookies. By the way for the lady who was asking about the temperature. I bake mine 15 to 20 min. at 350 degrees. Probably the same as recipe above.

      Reply
    3. Carolyn

      February 08, 2017 at 8:35 pm

      Sorry Keven. We must have written our post at the same time. I did not see yours until after I finished mine.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 08, 2017 at 9:21 pm

        That is OK, Carolyn, great minds think alike!:)

        Reply
    4. Rae Ann

      February 09, 2017 at 3:32 pm

      I made these cookies and I have one word for them..addicting!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!!

      Reply
    5. Mary

      September 08, 2018 at 9:26 pm

      How about a Hershey kiss instead of jam?

      Reply
      • Kevin

        September 10, 2018 at 9:22 am

        Good suggestion, Mary!

        Reply
    6. Steve

      September 08, 2018 at 10:08 pm

      Thanks for the resend, Kevin! Sure gotta try these now!

      Reply

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    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

    More about me →

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