White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The dough is soft, buttery and easy to work with, and it holds its shape beautifully after a short chill
• Raspberry jelly powder gives the cookies a lovely pink colour and a fruity flavour, all in one ingredient
• The white chocolate ganache is silky and creamy, and it sets at room temperature with no fuss
• Those little heart-shaped dips make them look far fancier than the effort involved
• They’re easy to customise with sprinkles, a dark chocolate drizzle, edible gold dust or dusted edges
• You’ll have a batch of 18 to 22 cookies in about an hour, which makes them great for last-minute gifts or parties

Ingredients Breakdown

You’ll need these ingredients to make these raspberry white chocolate thumbprint cookies. Be sure to check the recipe card below for full details including quantities.

White chocolate – the base of the ganache that fills the hearts. White chocolate chips or a chopped bar both work, though a good quality bar usually melts the smoothest.

Double cream – heated and poured over the white chocolate to make a smooth, glossy ganache. Heavy cream is the US equivalent, and whipping cream will also work.

Salted butter – gives the cookies their rich, buttery flavour. If you only have unsalted butter, that works too, just increase the added salt to ½ teaspoon in total.

Caster sugar – for sweetness and a tender texture. Granulated sugar works just as well if that’s what you have in the cupboard.

Egg – binds the dough together and adds richness. One large egg is all you need.

Vanilla extract – adds warmth and rounds out the white chocolate and raspberry flavours.

Raspberry jelly powder – the clever bit. It gives the cookies their raspberry flavour and soft pink colour, and it’s what the recipe was developed with (a 3 oz box of raspberry Jell-O). In the UK, you can buy jelly powder from Waitrose. Alternatively, you can use freeze-dried raspberries for the flavour hit and colour.

Plain flour – gives the cookies their structure so they hold their shape. All-purpose flour is the US equivalent.

Baking powder – helps the cookies stay soft and lightly puffed, without spreading too much.

Salt – balances out the sweetness and brings out the buttery, creamy flavours.

Valentine sprinkles, dark chocolate, edible gold dust and icing sugar – all optional finishing touches. Pick one or mix and match, depending on how fancy you want to go.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Make the ganache first. Heat the double cream in a small pan until it’s just steaming, but don’t let it boil. Pour it over the white chocolate and leave it to sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth.
2. Let it thicken. Leave the ganache at room temperature while you make the cookies. It will thicken up nicely as it cools.
3. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, which should take 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
5. Add the raspberry jelly powder. Mix in the dry jelly powder until it’s evenly blended through.
6. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
7. Bring the dough together. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stopping as soon as everything is just combined.
8. Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 to 45 minutes, which makes the dough much easier to shape.
9. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 175°C (155°C fan, gas mark 4) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
10. Shape the cookies. Roll the dough into balls, about 1½ tablespoons each, and place them on the lined baking sheets.
11. Press the hearts. Use your thumb and pinky finger, or a small heart-shaped spoon, to press a heart-shaped dip into the middle of each cookie. Smooth over any cracks around the edges.
12. Bake. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, just until the cookies are set. Try not to let them brown, as these should stay soft and pale pink.
13. Re-press if needed. As soon as they come out of the oven, gently re-press the hearts if they’ve puffed up a little.
14. Cool completely. Leave the cookies to cool fully before filling them.
15. Fill the hearts. Spoon or pipe the ganache into the centre of each cookie.
16. Let them set. Leave the cookies at room temperature to set, or pop them in the fridge for 15 minutes if you want them firm faster.
17. Add your finishing touches. Top with Valentine sprinkles, a light drizzle of dark chocolate, a dusting of edible gold, or a sprinkle of icing sugar around the edges, if you like.

Tips for Success

• Don’t skip the chilling time. It helps the cookies keep their shape, and the heart-shaped dips stay much cleaner.
• Take the cookies out as soon as they’re set. They shouldn’t brown, as that will take away from the soft texture and pretty pink colour.
• Re-press the hearts straight after baking if they’ve puffed up, while the cookies are still soft enough to shape.
• Let the cookies cool completely before adding the ganache, otherwise it will melt and slide off.
• Make the ganache first so it has time to thicken while you make the cookies. If it’s too runny when it’s time to fill them, give it a few more minutes.
• Stir the jelly powder into the dough properly so the flavour and colour are even throughout.

FAQ

Can I skip the chilling step? You can, but I wouldn’t – the cookies will spread more and the heart shape won’t hold as cleanly. Chilling helps with both the shape and the texture.

Can I use unsalted butter instead of salted? Yes, just increase the added salt to ½ teaspoon in total.

Can I use food colouring instead of jelly powder? You can if you only want the colour, but you’ll lose the raspberry flavour, as the jelly powder provides both. You could also use freeze dried raspberries and crush them up.

How should I store these cookies? Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze these cookies? Yes, freeze the unfilled cookies for up to 2 months. For the best texture, add the ganache after they’ve thawed.

Does the ganache need to be refrigerated to set? Not necessarily. It will set at room temperature, but chilling for 15 minutes speeds things up.