Butterfly Thumbprint Cookies

These adorable butterfly cookies are perfect for Mother’s Day, a garden party or a springtime treat any day! Kids have a blast helping because thumbprints and fingerprints are used to make the butterfly shape. Recipe developer and cookbook author Cathryn Wood of Adorable Animal Bakes always uses strawberry jam, but recommends choosing your favorite flavor.

Place the flour, butter and sugar in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a dough forms. This can take a few minutes. Then place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour, or in the freezer for 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Roll the dough to 1/2-inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out 18 rounds. Push your thumb or finger into each cookie four times to create a butterfly shape. Carefully fill the shape with jam. Don’t overfill or the jam will spill out while cookies bake.

Place the cookies onto lined baking trays and freeze for 10 minutes. Bake for 10–12 mins. until edges turn golden brown. Cool completely at room temperature, then remove cookies from trays.

Makes

18 cookies

1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough

2/3 cup butter, chilled

1/3 cup jam

One batch white piping icing

Pipe white icing to create butterfly bodies, antennae and spots. Let set at room temperature for 30 mins. before serving.

Recipe and photo printed with permission from Adorable Animal Bakes by Cathryn Wood. Page Street Publishing Co. 2025. For author’s Perfect Piping Icing recipe, see page 183 of her cookbook.