These peach thumbprint cookies start with a rich cream cheese dough that bakes up soft, tender, and slightly tangy. Each cookie is filled with sweet peach preserves and finished with just a sliver of fresh peach on top. The result is a summery, fruit-forward cookie that’s both buttery and bright—perfect for warm weather gatherings or a quiet afternoon treat.
My local stores are starting to put out really nice looking peaches with both the choice of the yellow or white varieties. My personal favorite is the white peach for this cookie. I have a couple of reasons but the two most important reasons for me are that they’re firmer and contain less juice.
Curious about the differences and when to use each type? Food & Wine’s guide breaks it all down—covering yellow vs. white, clingstone vs. freestone, and seasonal uses in baking or fresh prep.
Ingredients
- Butter unsalted
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Peach Preservers
- White peach
- Lemon juice
- Powdered sugar
Ingredient Note: What about Salt?
You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t call for salt and that’s on purpose! The buttery tangy dough and sweet preserves shine on their own.
But if you prefer a bit of contrast, adding a small amount of Kosher Salt or using salted butter instead of unsalted butter can subtly enhance the peach flavor and balance the sweetness. Totally optional—just go with your taste.
How to Make Fresh Peach Thumbprint Cookies
Most thumbprint cookies use jam or preserves alone, but this version adds in diced fresh peaches for an extra burst of flavor.
Prep the Peaches and Dry Ingredients
1. Weigh or measure the sugar into a small bowl. Next weigh or measure the flour into another bowl and set both of these aside.
I prep the peach early so it has time to release some of its juice.
Take the skin off and get rid of the pit. I cut the peach into small pieces. Add them to a bowl and add the sugar. I take half a lemon and squirt some of the juice onto the cut up peach and stir. This helps to stop the browning.
Lay the peach pieces onto a couple of paper towels. Then I gently press another paper towel on top. The goal is to get as much juice absorbed into the paper towels. I do change the paper towels a couple of times while I am mixing and chilling the cookie dough.
Mix and Chill the Dough
2. Cube the butter and add it to a mixer bowl. Add the block of cream cheese right on top of the butter. Mix on a medium mixer speed until they have been combined (about 2 minutes).
3. The butter-cream cheese mixture will look lumpy but this is normal. Add the sugar and mix on a medium mixer speed for at least 3 to 4 minutes.
4. This is how your butter-cream cheese-sugar mixture should look, creamy and billowy. Scrape down the sides.
5. Add about ⅓ of the flour at a time until incorporated. Try not to over mix.
6. Cover and chill for an hour. Check to see how the cut up peach is doing. It may need new paper towels.
Shape the Cookies and Add Preserves
You will need a medium cookie scooper, for same size balls. A sheet pan lined with parchment paper. You might want to have a wet paper towel handy, this is so your thumb doesn't stick to the cookie when making the hole.
7. I scoop out about the same amount of cookie dough for each cookie, roll into 12 balls. Putting all 12 of them on the prepared pan. Take your thumb and go right down the middle and move your thumb around. Don't go the whole way through the bottom. I use the wet towel on my thumb between each hole.
8. Using my finger, I shape the sides and widen the center a bit so I can add more preserves. Then I take one of those long-handled spoons you use for iced tea and scoop about half a spoonful into each hole.
Preserves vs. Jelly vs. Jam
💡If you’ve ever wondered what makes a preserve different from jam or jelly… Here is a great short read from Bon Appétit.
Bake and Cool
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Bake for 12-14 minutes
10. Once out of the oven, move them to a cooling rack. Give the preserves a minute or two to cool before adding a piece of the cut up fresh peach. Press down gently or you will have peach juice from the preserves running down the sides of your cookie.
As the preserves cool, the peach piece will stick nicely. Let them cool completely before sprinkling them with powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
FAQs
Store them in an open container after your fresh peach and preserve thumbprint cookies have cooled. There is always some juice from fresh fruit, and closing them in a container allows the cookie to absorb the fluid. Letting them out on a plate or open container gives the cookies the ability to evaporate the liquid.
I would stick with the fresh. Can and frozen peaches contain a lot of moisture can make your cookies soggy after a day or two.
More Thumbprint Cookies to Try
Recipe
Fresh Peach and Preserve Thumbprint Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
COOKIE
- 1 cup (227 g) room temperature Butter unsalted
- 8 ounces softened Cream Cheese
- 1 cup (200 g) white Sugar
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
- 8 ounces Peach Preservers
TOPPING (optional)
- 1 White peach cut into small pieces
- ⅛ teaspoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Sugar white
- Powdered sugar Sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the sugar into a small bowl and set it aside. In a separate bowl, weigh or measure the flour. Cut the peach into small pieces and place them in another small bowl. Sprinkle the sugar and lemon juice over the diced peach. Then, lay the pieces out on a paper towel. The goal is to draw out as much juice as possible without smashing them. Change the paper towel a couple of times to help absorb more of the excess moisture.
- Using a hand-held or stand mixer, blend the cream cheese and butter on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the sugar and continue mixing for another 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The mixture should look billowy and creamy. Scrape down the bowl again and reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour in thirds, mixing just until incorporated. Try not to overmix. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. For these cookies, I used a medium cookie scoop. Scoop the dough, then roll it into a ball using your hands and place it on the prepared baking sheet. I fit 12 dough balls per pan.
- Use your thumb to press down into the center of each dough ball to create a well, but be careful not to press all the way through. I gently rotate my thumb in a circular motion to shape the hole, then use a wet paper towel to wipe my thumb between each cookie. You can also use your finger to widen the well slightly so it holds more of the preserves. Once shaped, fill each hole with peach preserves. I used a long handled spoon that is used for ice tea with about ½ a spoonful.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. After about a minute, gently press a small piece of the cut-up peach into the center—the sticky preserves will help hold it in place. Once the cookies are completely cool, sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops to finish them off. I do not store in a closed container because of fresh fruit moisture.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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