Thumbprints are little cookies that are made using the thumb indentation onto the cookie, and the cookie is filled with jam of sorts or I have even used a praline paste as a filling, or even a curd for that matter. They are super cute to make and eat.
My inspiration for these Pina Colada Thumbprints
Being born in the heart of the tropics, tropical flavors have my heart. I was inspired by my favorite tropical drink – Pina Colada. Pina Colada is essentially a rum based alcoholic drink, with flavors of coconut cream and fresh pineapple. The cocktail originated on the island of San Juan in Puerto Rico.
It is my drink of choice when we go on beachy vacations.
How did I develop the cookie?
The cookie starts off with the filling – pineapple jam. I wanted to give it a floral note, so I used saffron to make the pineapple jam.
- Pineapple and Saffron Jam of the Pina Colada Thumbprint
The ingredients of the pineapple and saffron jam are:- Canned pineapple: I use canned pineapple such as the Del Monte brand, but if you have access to fresh pineapple, feel free to use fresh. It’s about 14 oz of pineapple that is used in the jam. I finely chop the pineapple before using it in the jam.
- Granulated sugar
- Fruit Pectin: I use the MCP brand of fruit pectin to make jam.
- Juice of limes: Lime and pineapple goes really well together hence the use of lime.
- Saffron: I get my saffron from India or the Indian store. Saffron is easily available on Amazon as well.
The jam comes together very easily within 15-ish minutes. The jam is SO good and I can imagine how good it would be on toast as well.
- Pina Colada Thumbprints
The ingredients of the pina colada thumbprints are:- Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter at room temperature, so that the dough itself is flakey and the cookie has a nice bite to it. Also I can control the amount of salt in the cookie.
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened shredded coconut : I am a Bob’s Red Mill fan and love the unsweetened shredded coconut from them.
- Almond flour: adds a great nutty flavor to the cookie
- Vanilla extract : I use vanilla bean paste but either is OK. I use less paste since it is quite potent.
- Rum extract: You can use this one from Amazon from McCormick but there are other brands available too.
I have used unsweetened shredded coconut in the dough itself, which is pretty easy to make. I also use rum extract in addition to the vanilla extract for that pina colada flavor. The rum flavor is mild and is a great compliment to the overall flavors.
Once the dough is made, I use a 1 tablespoon scoop to scoop out all the balls. Then they are rolled into a round shape, dunked in egg wash, and then in unsweetened shredded coconut to adhere to the dough.
The balls are placed on a baking sheet with parchment paper. The parchment paper that I use is linked here. I freeze them for 15 minutes before baking them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. This helps to retain it’s shape.
Some tips during and after baking
You want to bake the cookies until the coconut starts turning brown in some parts. If the cookies lose their shape during baking, you can scoot them using a round cookie cutter, to bring them into a round shape.
You want to scoot the cookies fast since they start solidifying as soon as the baking sheet is out of the oven.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight container. You can keep a teaspoon or two of rice in the container to keep the cookies slightly crisp on the outside.
Are these cookies shippable?
Yes! These cookies are shippable, and you can stack them in 2’s in a baking paper cup, before placing them in a box.
How long do they last?
These cookies will last for about a week or 10 days. If you want to revive them, bake them at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, cool completely and they are ready to eat. This will help crisp up the outside and make it slightly crunchy (with that coconut).
Other recipes on your blog
The other recipes that I have published recently on my blog are:
- Cranberry Rosemary Mimosa Cookie
- Black Sesame and Orange Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Matcha Sakura Wicked Sugar Cookie
If you make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Pina Colada Thumbprints
Pineapple and Saffron Jam:
- 1 can (20 oz) of pineapple slices, drain all the syrup, and finely chop the pineapple slices
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons of fruit pectin
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 pinches of saffron
Thumbprints:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (270 grams) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (28 grams) almond flour
- ⅓ cup (26 grams) unsweetened coconut
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 eggs + 1 teaspoon water (whisk vigorously with a fork to form the egg wash)
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method
Pineapple and Saffron Jam:
- Add all the ingredients in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Let the mixture come to a boil and stir occasionally. Boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The color will change to a deeper orange from the saffron.
- Lower the heat to medium. Using an immersion blender, blender the pieces to form a jammier texture. You do not want chunks. Boil for another 2 minutes and switch off the stove.
- Pour the jam into a glass container with a lid. Let cool completely. Store in the fridge for upto 2 weeks.
Thumbprints:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Start slow and increase the speed to high, and whip the butter and sugar for 2 to 2 ½ minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Using a rubber spatula, scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl and bring the mixture into the middle of the bowl.
- Add the rum and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Add the all purpose flour, almond flour and unsweetened coconut, along with the salt and mix until well incorporated.
- Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a one tablespoon scoop, scoop out the dough and distribute evenly onto the baking sheets.
- Prepare two bowls, one with the egg wash and one with the unsweetened coconut and set them near the baking sheets.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll each dough ball between the palm of your hands to form a perfect ball. Dip it into the egg mixture, and remove it out with a fork, letting the excess drip off into the bowl.
- Now place it into the bowl of unsweetened coconut and cover with your clean hands, and place it back onto the baking sheet.
- Repeat for all the balls.
- Using a one teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in all the cookies.
- Add about a teaspoon of the pineapple and saffron jam into the middle of each cookie.
- Place one sheet into the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the first sheet from the freezer, place the second sheet into the freezer and place the first sheet into the lower rack of the oven and bake for about 17-18 minutes, until the coconut is golden brown in color.
- If the cookies are spread a bit, use a round cookie cutter to scoot each of the cookies back into a perfect round shape. You will have to do this process quickly with all the cookies on the sheet, because they start setting as soon as you remove them from out of the oven.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Place in an airtight container for upto a week. If the cookies feel a bit soft, you can zap them into the toaster oven on the Bake setting for 5 minutes.
Notes
Some tips during and after baking
You want to bake the cookies until the coconut starts turning brown in some parts. If the cookies lose their shape during baking, you can scoot them using a round cookie cutter, to bring them into a round shape.
You want to scoot the cookies fast since they start solidifying as soon as the baking sheet is out of the oven.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight container. You can keep a teaspoon or two of rice in the container to keep the cookies slightly crisp on the outside.
Are these cookies shippable?
Yes! These cookies are shippable, and you can stack them in 2’s in a baking paper cup, before placing them in a box.
How long do they last?
These cookies will last for about a week or 10 days. If you want to revive them, bake them at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, cool completely and they are ready to eat. This will help crisp up the outside and make it slightly crunchy (with that coconut).
