Torticas de Guayaba (Guava Jam Thumbprint Cookies)
This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to all the readers of A Sassy Spoon for all your support! xo
If you’re looking for rich, buttery, sweet cookies, I’ve got you covered! These classic thumbprint cookies filled with guava jam are super easy to make and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Let me show you how to make these guava jam thumbprint cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just 6 ingredients! These thumbprint cookies are so easy to make and you’ll be able to enjoy them in less than 30 minutes. Win-win!
- Buttery, Soft Texture. Just like classic shortbread cookies, they thumbprint cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious with a sweet, tart, and fruity center.
- Scalable Recipe. You can easily double this recipe and serve them during the holidays, at parties, family gatherings, take them to a potluck, or give them as a gift!
Want to pair this recipe with another one of my guava recipes for gift-giving, make almond butter & guava jelly muffins!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter. Make sure it’s not too cold and not too melted. Softened at room temperature is best!
- Granulated sugar.
- Egg yolk.
- Vanilla extract.
- Salt.
- Bob’s Red Mill’s Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. This flour is a premium baking flour freshly milled from certified organic, hard red wheat. You can use this high-quality wheat flour product for baked goods, including yeast breads, quick breads, biscuits, muffins, cookies, and cakes. It’s unbleached and unenriched, with no potassium bromate added. Bob’s Red Mill is one of my favorite brands of all time for baking. It’s all I use in my kitchen!
- Guava jam. You can use any jam you want as long as it’s thick (not runny). If you can’t find guava jam (or guava preserves), you can also use guava paste. Just boil it down with water or lime juice until you get a jam-like consistency.
If you’re looking for more homemade recipes using guava, try my guava jam bars!
Recommended For This Recipe
Cookie Scoop
The easiest way to get perfectly uniform cookies! It’s also dishwasher safe, making clean up a breeze.
Step By Step Instructions
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until combined then add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Slowly add the flour and mix until no longer crumbly.
- Form the dough balls. Using a tablespoon or medium cookie scoop, roll the dough into balls then place on the baking sheet.
- Make the thumbprint. Gently and carefully make an indentation into each ball of cookie dough using the back of a teaspoon. Be careful not to press all the way through.
- Chill the cookie dough balls for 1 hour in the fridge. This will solidify the ingredients and will prevent them from spreading or cracking while baking. This is key!
- Spoon the jam. Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the guava jam into the indentation in each one. Using room temperature jam will make it easier to add the jam into each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown. These cookies can burn quickly so keep an eye on them! Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. The jam filling may be hot so be careful.
What else can I fill these cookies with?
You can fill them with melted chocolate, Nutella, mango jam, or salted caramel.
Do you fill these cookies before or after baking?
I would recommend filling them before baking so they set as they bake.
Why did my thumbprint cookies spread?
If your ingredients are not at room temperature, this may cause the cookies to spread while baking. Make sure your butter is softened, not too cold nor melted, and that will help the cookies spread less.
Recipe Tips
- Prep ahead of time. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. This will help them mix well together and help the cookies spread less.
- Use a teaspoon, not your thumb. If you press on the dough ball too deep or too harsh, you risk the cookies cracking in the oven. This is why I recommend using the back of a teaspoon to make the indentation.
- Warm up the guava jam. Bringing the jam to room temperature or warming it up will make the guava jam easier to add the jam into each cookie indentation.
Storage Tips
Once baked, these cookies will last 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature. No need to refrigerate!
You can also freeze them before baking and adding the jam. Just make the cookie dough until Step 5 of the recipe then transfer the indented cookies into a freezer bag. Freeze the cookies for up to 1 month.
Torticas de Guayaba (Guava Jam Thumbprint Cookies)
Classic buttery shortbread thumbprint cookies made with 6 ingredients and filled with sweet and tart guava jam. Just 25 minutes from start to finish! These Torticas de Guayaba (Guava Jam Thumbprint Cookies) are similar to my torticas de moron with the exception of the guava. They're great for gift giving too!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup guava jam (or guava preserves), room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until combined then add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. Slowly add the flour and mix until no longer crumbly.
- Using a tablespoon or medium cookie scoop, roll the dough into balls then place on the baking sheet.
- Gently and carefully make an indentation into each ball of cookie dough using the back of a teaspoon. Be careful not to press all the way through.
- Chill the cookie dough balls for 1 hour in the fridge. This will solidify the ingredients and to prevent them from spreading or cracking while baking. This is key!
- Remove the baking sheet from the fridge and spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the guava jam into the indentation in each one. Using room temperature jam will make it easier to add the jam into each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown. These cookies can burn quickly so keep an eye on them!
- Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. The jam filling may be hot so be careful. Serve and enjoy!
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 144kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 28mg, Potassium: 20mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 247IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This?I want to know! Leave a comment & recipe rating below or tag @asassyspoon on social media!
Delicious cookies. I made them as per your recipe. Tomorrow, I’m playing canasta with Cuban friends from my preteen years. They will undoubtedly love these cookies. Thank you so much for helping us continue with our Cuban heritage through your authentic recipes!
You’re so welcome, Idi! It’s truly an honor!
Would it be possible to add white chocolate chips to this recipe?
Hi! I’ve never done that so I’m not sure how it will turn out.
Does bleached flour work as substitute or must it be unbleached?
Yes, you can use regular flour too. :)
These cookies were excellent! They are unique and fancy enough to take to a potluck which I did. I used guava paste (hard like cheese) so diluted it with lime juice and water as suggested. Very easy to make!
Thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing.
A friend just handed me a jar of guava jam.
Dont know where to use it.
Im not a fan of spreading it on a bread.
Asked google and found your yummy blog.
Wanna try it this evening.
Yay! Let me know how it turns out! :)