Brown butter and peppermint come together in an irresistible shortbread cookie! Add a white chocolate candy cane kiss on top and you have a festive holiday cookie perfect for Christmas.

Disclosure | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

What is it about brown butter that just makes food SO much better??

This recipe brings a simple shortbread cookie to a whole other level with the addition of browned butter and a white chocolate peppermint kiss.

I absolutely love Christmas baking! What I don't love is how involved so many of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes are. I've been making a version of this cookie for many years now. In previous years I would roll out and cut the shortbread, bake it, dip it in white chocolate and then crushed candy canes. The cookies are amazing, but time consuming to create.

This year I set out to make the recipe easier. I mean it is the Christmas season. We are all busy and frankly, we all need easy in our lives. The flavor is still all brown butter, white chocolate and peppermint, but is much faster to complete.

It took me five different tries to be happy with the result on this recipe. The first three didn't have enough flour and spread too much. I experimented with just scooping the dough onto the baking sheet and rolling them into balls. I tested scooping the just made dough and chilling the dough prior to scooping. Needless to say, every result came out delicious even if they didn't look the way I wanted them to.

WHY CALL IT A PEPPERMINT BLOSSOM?

Peanut butter blossoms are a well recognized cookie. The cookie had it's debut in 1957 at the Pillsbury Bake-Off (click here for the iconic recipe). They grace everything from bake sales to holiday cookie trays. Comprised of a soft peanut butter cookie topped with a Hershey's Kisses.

I call this recipe a peppermint blossom since the brown butter shortbread is topped with a Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane Kiss. You get the same iconic look, but a new flavor combination.

WHAT IS BROWN BUTTER?

Brown butter or beurre noisette is a French classic. It can be used in savory dishes and sauces or in baking and pastry. Brown butter has a deep yellow to brown color and adds a wonderful nutty flavor. The brown bits that form are the toasted milk solids and they hold a lot of the flavor. Make sure to scrape all those bits out of your pan!

The whole process to create brown butter is quick. In 10 minutes or less the butter will melt, foam up, then brown. It can go from browned to burned quickly, so stay with it!

MAKING BROWN BUTTER PEPPERMINT BLOSSOMS

First brown the butter and set it aside. For detailed instructions and photos of browning butter see this post. The brown butter needs at least an hour to cool and firm up before proceeding.

Once the brown butter is ready; beat the brown butter, room temperature butter and brown sugar in either a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. It takes 1-2 minutes until the mixture is creamy and well combined.

Add the flour and salt and mix on low until combined. The mixture will be very sandy and may not form a thick ball of dough. Grab a handful and squeeze the dough, if it sticks together in a ball it is ready. Press the dough together into a ball, cover, flatten to about 1 inch and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After the dough has chilled, scoop 1 tablespoon portions of dough. You can either lay the flat side of the dough scoops onto the prepared baking sheet or you can roll each portion into a ball first. I prefer the look of the cookies when they are rolled into a ball, but the taste is the same whichever method you chose.

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes. Then allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before placing a candy cane kiss into each cookie. The cookies may split a little as you place the kiss. Move the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. If you notice the kisses melting too much you can place the cookies in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to prevent melting.

I also experimented with placing a kiss point side down into the cookie, letting it melt a little and then pressing it in further and allowing it to melt. I think they look kind of fun that way too!

MORE FESTIVE COOKIES YOU MAY ENJOY

• Coconut Jam Thumbprint Cookies
• Always Perfect Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Confetti Cookies

To pin this recipe, you can use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of the page. Come follow me on Pinterest and Instagram to see all the things that inspire me. Thank you for being here and happy baking!

Recipe shared with Meal Plan Monday - Holiday Treats and Miz Helen's Holiday Cookie Exchange

Yield: 30 cookies

Brown Butter Peppermint Blossoms

Print

Browned butter and brown sugar come together to make the most irresistible shortbread cookies! Add a white chocolate peppermint kiss on top and you have a festive holiday cookie perfect for Christmas.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature and divided
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 30 Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

Instructions

1. Brown ½ cup of the butter. To brown your butter, place the unsalted butter over low heat and let it cook until small brown flakes form. You will want to stir or swirl the pan frequently to keep it from burning. The butter will foam and bubble up during the process, just keep stirring/swirling and move the foam aside from time to time to check the color. The butter will turn an amber/brown color and will smell nutty and toasted when it’s ready. Pour melted butter and all the browned bits into a glass bowl to cool and solidify. It needs about 1 hour at room temperature to be cool and solid.
2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the browned butter, room temperature butter and brown sugar for about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix on low until combined. The mixture will be very sandy and may not form a thick ball of dough. Grab a handful and squeeze the dough, if it sticks together in a ball it is ready. Press the dough together into a ball, cover, flatten to about 1 inch and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
5. Once chilled, scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Place on the prepared sheet pan about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.
7. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes, then place one white chocolate peppermint kiss into each cookie. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-⅝" x 16-½"
• 
  USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan, Warp Resistant Nonstick Baking Pan, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel
• 
  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 125Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 37mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g

The nutrition information is an estimate and may not be entirely accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please make my day and PIN to Pinterest and share a photo on Instagram ~ making sure to tag @twosugarbugs! THANK YOU!!

Coconut jam thumbprint cookies are a buttery shortbread cookie; coated in shredded coconut, filled with jam and baked to create an addicting cookie. You'll want to add these to all your cookie trays!

We've officially entered my favorite time of the year, holiday baking season! I must admit that I tend to get a little carried away with the amount of cookies I make every year. I just can't help myself!!

Over the next several weeks, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite holiday cookie recipes. Some of the recipes have been altered by me over the years, but several of them are recipes I have gotten from others. Santa Surprises, Shortbread Peppermint Bark and Brown Butter Peppermint Blossoms will be coming soon.

Disclosure | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

First up are coconut jam thumbprint cookies. This is a slightly adapted version from Ina Garten's Jam Thumbprint Cookies. The cookies are my mom and my favorite and Big E is quite fond of them too. The cookie has a buttery shortbread base, which is dipped in an egg wash and shredded coconut. Then you make an indentation or thumbprint and fill it with your favorite jam. They bake up perfectly to be a soft shortbread cookie that isn't overly sweet, but is amazingly addictive.

LET'S MAKE THE COOKIES!

Start by sifting the all purpose flour into a bowl. This ensures that no lumps are in your flour and gives the cookie the best texture. Could you skip this step? I suppose you could, but I've been making this recipe for at least 14 years now and I always sift the flour.

I always use kosher salt and I find it is too coarse to be sifted with the flour. It all just ends up at the bottom of the sifter! I sift the flour, then add the salt and give it a quick whisk to distribute the salt through the flour.

Next, cream the butter and sugar using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand held mixer. You just want to cream the two together until combined, which takes about 1-2 minutes. Then add the vanilla extract. Finally, slowly add in the flour mixture until the dough just starts to come together. Gather the dough in a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, flatten the dough to a 1 inch disk and chill for about 30 minutes.

PUTTING THE COCONUT JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES TOGETHER

After the dough has chilled, portion the dough into 30 cookies, using a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop (this is the one I have). Then roll each portion into a ball.

Dip each cookie dough ball into an egg wash and then shredded coconut. Place the dipped and coated dough onto a prepared baking sheet. The cookies do not spread much so they can be placed fairly close together.

Next, using your (clean) thumb, the end of a spatula or a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon, create an indentation in the middle of each dough ball. If you find that the cookie splits a little bit you can just press the dough back together.

Finally, fill each indentation with your favorite flavor of jam. Come to think of it, they would probably taste amazing with Nutella or salted caramel in the thumbprint too! If you choose to use one of these alternatives, I would bake the cookies without the filling and add it when the cookies have come out of the oven.

Bake the coconut jam thumbprints for about 20 minutes until the cookies and coconut are light to golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• The butter is a key ingredient in this recipe so use real butter and make sure it is at room temperature before starting.
• Chill the dough for 30 minutes. This allows the butter to firm back up and solidify, which helps to prevent the cookies from spreading.
• Use a fresh bag of coconut. An old bag in the back of your pantry isn't going to yield as nice of a texture or flavor. Did you know that an open bag of coconut should be stored in the refrigerator??
• When making the thumbprint, it's better to have it deep rather than wide.
• Do not over bake them. The cookie will still be light in color on top, but be golden on the underside. The coconut will have toasted to a golden color as well.

CAN I FREEZE COCONUT JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES?

Yes! This recipe freezes beautifully!! Bake the cookies and allow them to cool completely. Then place in an airtight container or zip top bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To pin this recipe, you can use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of the page. Come follow me on Pinterest and Instagram to see all the things that inspire me. Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more Christmas cookie recipes

• Creme Brûlée Cookies
• Brownie Crinkle Cookies
• Iced Molasses Cookies
• Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies
• Pie Cookies
• Chocolate Shortbread

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating.  I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!

Yield: 30 cookies

Coconut Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Print

This buttery shortbread cookie recipe is coated in shredded coconut, filled with jam and baked to create an addicting thumbprint cookie. You'll want to add these to all your cookie trays!

I highly recommend using weight {metric} measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (438g)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature (339g)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water (for egg wash)
• 6 ounces sweetened flaked coconut (170g)
• Jam of your choice (approximately ¼ cup)

Instructions

1. Sift the flour (3 ½ cups/438g) into a bowl and whisk in the salt. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter (1 ½ cups/339g) and sugar (1 cup/200g) until combined about 1-2 minutes. Then add the vanilla (2 teaspoons).
3. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter, sugar and vanilla. Mix until the dough starts coming together in large clumps.
4. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into about a 1-inch disk. Chill for about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
6. Portion the dough into 30 cookies, using a 1 ½ inch cookie scoop. Then roll each portion into a ball.
7. Dip each cookie ball into the egg wash (1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water) and then roll in coconut (6 ounces/170g) and place on prepared baking sheets. The cookies don't really spread so you can place them about an inch apart.
8. Use your thumb (or the end of a spatula) to make a "thumbprint" impression in the middle of each cookie and fill with the jam of your choice.
9. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until the cookies and coconut are light to golden brown. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking pan for 2 minutes then remove to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Notes

If the dough chills longer than 30 minutes, it may need to warm on the counter for 15 minutes or so. If the dough feels crumbly after chilling, allow the heat of your hands to bring it together.

Some readers have had difficulty with the dough being crumbly initially. Make sure you are measuring your flour correctly, weighing will give you the most accurate results. If you don't have a scale, spoon and level the flour. If the dough doesn't want to come together, add some egg white to the dough; I would start with 1 tablespoon and add a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The baked cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months.

Recipe slightly adapted from Ina Garten.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
• 
  OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop
• 
  Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-⅝" x 16-½"
• 
  USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan, Warp Resistant Nonstick Baking Pan, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel
• 
  Ultra Cuisine 100% Stainless Steel Wire Cooling Rack for Baking fits Half Sheet Pans Cool Cookies, Cakes, Breads - Oven Safe for Cooking, Roasting, Grilling - Heavy Duty Commercial Quality

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 54mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.

Did you make this recipe?

Please make my day and PIN to Pinterest and share a photo on Instagram ~ making sure to tag @twosugarbugs! THANK YOU!!

Recipe shared with Meal Plan Monday - Holiday Treats and Miz Helen's Holiday Cookie Exchange