Y’all, Cherry Pie Cookies are just plain delicious! They’re soft and buttery like a homemade cookie should be, with a sweet and tangy cherry pie filling right in the middle that’ll make your taste buds do a happy dance. Go ahead and whip up a batch—you’ll feel like you’ve got a little bite of cherry pie in every cookie!

Cherry Pie Cookies

When I was a kid, I loved making thumbprint cookies with my MawMaw.

She always let me use my thumb to press the little wells into the dough, and I thought that was just the best thing ever.

We’d laugh and talk while we worked, and she’d let me sneak a taste of the cookie dough every now and then.

Those sweet, buttery cookies were always my favorite, but the time spent with my MawMaw made them even more special.

Every time I bake thumbprint cookies now, I think of her!

If you love cherries and cookies (or cherry pie), you’re in for a real treat. These Cherry Pie Cookies are like bite-sized mini cherry pies, but even easier to make.

They’ve got a soft, buttery cookie base, a sweet dollop of cherry pie filling, and a drizzle of chocolate to finish them off.

You’re going to love them as much as we do!

What Are Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint cookies are buttery cookies that have a small indentation in the center—and just like the name says, it’s often made with your thumb!

From fruit fillings to chocolate, thumbprint cookies are fun to make and tasty to eat!

They’re also really pretty—there’s nothing like a golden brown cookie with a heaping filling to get you rave reviews!

If you like thumbprint cookies, you should also check out my Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookies and my Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.

Why You’ll Love These Cherry Pie Cookies

They’re Easy & Fun to Make: This is one of those easy recipes you’ll love whipping up. From rolling the cookie dough balls to making that cute little thumbprint for the cherry filling, it’s simple and fun.
Beautiful and Delicious: With a buttery cookie base and a dollop of bright, sweet cherry filling on top, these cookies are so pretty! A drizzle of melted chocolate takes them over the top, making them the perfect treat for holidays, parties, or just because.
Perfect for Any Occasion: These cookies are a hit at cookie swaps, Valentine’s Day parties, or even Fourth of July picnics.
Customize Flavors: Want to try something new next time? Swap the cherry filling for apple, blueberry, or even homemade cherry pie filling. Or experiment with white or dark melted chocolate for the drizzle.

Ingredients for Cherry Pie Cookies

We’ve got super simple ingredients for these cookies. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

Flour: Just keeping it simple, use all-purpose flour for the base of the cookies.
Salted Butter: Butter adds richness and makes the cookies taste amazing. Using it at room temperature helps it blend smoothly with the other ingredients, creating a soft, tender cookie base.
Margarine: Margarine works with the butter to give the cookies their soft and slightly chewy texture.
Powdered Sugar: This adds sweetness without making the cookies too dense. It helps create a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture, like a cross between sugar cookies and buttery shortbread bites.
Vanilla Extract: A little bit of vanilla extract adds nice flavor to the cookies.
Cherry Pie Filling: Using a can of cherry pie filling helps keep this recipe easy to make!
Chocolate Melting Wafers: I like to use Ghirardelli’s Melting Wafers for this recipe, but If you don’t have melting wafers, you can use chocolate chips—just be careful not to burn them when melting.

How To Make Cherry Pie Cookies

Preheat the Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper so your cookies don’t stick.
Cream the Butter and Margarine: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to cream the salted butter and margarine together on medium speed until it’s light and fluffy.
Add Vanilla Extract: Drop the mixer speed to low, and blend in the vanilla extract for about 30 seconds.
Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and powdered sugar. Slowly add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until the dough forms; don’t overdo it. Overmixing can make the cookies tough instead of soft and tender.
Shape the Cookie Dough Balls: Using a cookie scoop, measure out about 1 tablespoon of dough. Roll each scoop between your hands to form cookie dough balls and place them on the cookie sheet, about two inches apart.
Create the Thumbprint: Use your thumb or the back of a small spoon to press into the center of each cookie ball, making a little well for the filling.
Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until the sides puff up and the bottoms turn a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the baked cookies cool on a wire rack.
Add the Cherry Filling: Once the cookies are cooled, spoon some canned cherry pie filling into the center of each cookie. If you prefer, you can make your own cherry pie filling, but the canned version works perfectly here.
Drizzle with Melted Chocolate: Melt the chocolate melting wafers (or white chocolate) as directed on the package. Using a spoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over each cookie in a pretty pattern.

Recipe Tips

Don’t overmix the cookie dough! Mix as much as needed to combine the ingredients, and scrape down the bowl a time or two.
The cookies will spread a bit, so don’t overcrowd your baking sheet. Bake the cookies in batches if you need to, but cool the baking sheet down before adding more cookie balls to it.
If the cherries from the can are large, cut them up a bit to fit into the indentation in the cookie.

Thumbprint Cookie Fillings

Classic Jam Thumbprints: Fill the centers with your favorite jam—strawberry, raspberry, or apricot are all great.
Chocolate Lovers’ Thumbprints: Spoon a little melted chocolate or a dollop of chocolate ganache into the center.
Lemon Flavors: Use lemon curd for a bright, tangy filling. Add a little powdered sugar on top for a sweet finish. This one’s perfect for springtime or tea parties.
Salted Caramel: Fill the wells with gooey caramel sauce and sprinkle on a little sea salt.
Nutella Dreams: You can’t go wrong with this one—everyone loves Nutella!
Peppermint: For the holidays, fill the cookies with melted white chocolate and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top.
Apple Pie Thumbprints: I love making apple pie cookies! Fill the centers with apple pie filling instead of cherry pie filling.
Cheesecake: Spoon a little cream cheese frosting into the centers.

How Do You Know When The Cookies Are Done?

It can be hard to tell when a cookie is fully cooked. With these cherry thumbprint cookies, I look for slightly puffed sides and lightly golden brown bottoms.

You can also touch the top of the cookie lightly – if it springs back, it is cooked. If it is gooey or stays depressed if you push lightly, then they need a bit more time.

Storage

You can store these delicious cherry pie cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days, or freeze the unfilled cookies and fill them as needed!

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