Mint thumbprint cookies are buttery and crunchy with a spot of peppermint icing that melts in your mouth. A unique option for holiday cookie swaps or dessert platters!
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2020 update: Since I originally posted this mint thumbprint cookie recipe, I’ve baked them more times than I can count, and so have many of you. This recipe has consistently been one of our most-pinned since 2016. I love reading your comments on this cookie, and I really love that it resonates with you for the same reasons it resonates with me — it’s colorful, it’s fun, it’s different! In a sea of cookies, it stands out. I’ve tweaked the recipe over the last four years, adjusting amounts and instructions based on your feedback. This year I’ve added helpful ingredient links and a video!
There is also a variation now for those who don’t love mint — our Almond Thumbprint Cookies. Now without further ado, the background on this cookie…
In my hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, there is an old-school bakery named Liger’s that has been baking many of the same recipes since 1943. Though I’ve visited many a bakery since graduating high school and moving away, there is one delicious treat that I look for in every place and can never find: the mint thumbprint cookie.
These shortbread cookies are buttery, crunchy and soft all at once. The mint glaze is just enough flavor, and the color on these cookies is truly delightful. They are so fun and festive to bring to parties, which is probably why I can’t remember a single family Christmas party without Liger’s mint thumbprint cookies in attendance.
Around this time of year, I always crave these cookies and wish I had them close by. So this year I did what any girl with a desperate craving might do. I googled and googled until I found a recipe that looked encouragingly similar and gave it a try. I switched out the sprinkle type and added mint extract to the icing, but the bulk of my recipe below is based on this simple recipe from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen.
Lo and behold, the cookies emerged from the oven tasting just like the ones of my Christmas dreams! Now, if you’re in the area, of course I encourage you to stop by Liger’s and experience the charm (and the petit fours!) for yourself. I’m all about supporting small businesses, and you will find plenty of other delicious baked goods there as well. But if you’re like me, far from home and missing that same ole’ familiar feeling, today is a good day. You can have the next best thing, right out of your own oven!
What You’ll Need:
Most of the items in this recipe are pantry staples. Butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, salt, powdered sugar, and milk. The ingredients you may not have at the ready are..
- Rainbow (or seasonal) nonpareils – links to these below!
- Peppermint Extract
- Meringue Powder
- Food Coloring or Food Coloring Gel
If you’re not a fan of peppermint extract, you can sub almond extract or lemon extract. Just add one drop at a time until you’re happy with the flavor. Don’t have meringue powder? It’s not absolutely necessary. Without it, you may find that the icing on top never fully hardens, but that’s no problem for most people. Just don’t try to stack them into a cookie tin! I use this meringue powder
Gel Food Coloring?
I prefer to use gel food coloring because it lends a much more rich, vibrant color without having to use the whole bottle. It costs more up front, but will last you longer. This is a great Gel Food Color Pack
A note on the sprinkles:
You can use any type of sprinkle that you like, whether it be a jimmy or a nonpareil. I prefer nonpairels because of the wonderful crunch they add to the cookies. These are a few I have tried and know are great for this recipe:
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes in the comments below, and tag us in your photos on instagram @fridgetofork!
Mint Thumbprint Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hr, 20 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr, 30 mins
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
Mint thumbprint cookies are buttery and crunchy with a spot of peppermint icing that melts in your mouth. A unique option for holiday cookie swaps or dessert platters!
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 4 oz rainbow (or seasonal) nonpairels
For the Icing:
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon meringue powder
- 1–2 tablespoons milk (or milk alternative)
- 1–2 drops of peppermint extract
- food coloring or gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Using a stand or hand-held mixer, mix the room temperature butter and sugar together on high until light and whipped (for about 3 minutes), stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture a bit at a time until a dough is formed. (Adding the flour slowly will prevent it from flying all over your kitchen!)
- Use your hands to roll the dough into roughly 24 balls. They’ll be 1 – 1.5 inch balls.
- Pour the nonpairels into a small bowl. Roll the balls one by one in the nonpairels, coating all sides.
- Space the balls about 2 inches apart on your lined cookie sheet. Press your thumb firmly into the center of each cookie to create a well. If the dough cracks, just pinch it back together.
- Once all wells have been formed, cover the entire baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to firm up for at least 1 hour, and up to overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F. Transfer the baking sheet from the fridge to the oven, removing plastic wrap. Bake for 12-16 minutes, until bottom edges are just turning golden.
To Ice:
- Allow cookies to cool completely before icing.
- Whisk powdered sugar and meringue powder together in a small bowl. Stir in milk and mint extract, adding additional milk in .5 tablespoon increments until the consistency is very thick – as thick as possible while still sliding off your spoon.
- If you would like to color your icing, divide it into bowls accordingly and stir in your food coloring.
- Using a small spoon (like a soup spoon), spoon the icing into the wells of each cookie, being careful not to overfill. Let harden for 2 hours.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last that long!)
Notes
Sprinkles: You can use any variety of sprinkle that you like! I choose to stick to nonpareils because I love the crunch that they provide this cookie.
Almond Variation: Not a fan of peppermint? Check out our Almond Thumbprint Cookies.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Keywords: thumbprints, shortbread, cookies, dessert, holidays
These were such a hit with my family! I think i may have added a little too much flour by accident and I may add a dash more salt for a little sweet and salty! The cookies are not overly sweet though which is perfect when you add the sprinkles and icing! Thanks Ellen!
I’m so glad your family enjoyed them! Let us know how they turn out when you add more salt 🙂
This is too funny! I’ve been searching Pinterest for a certain mint thumbprint cookie and bam I see this post. As my phone leaves Pinterest for the Fridge to Fork page I caught a glimpse of the post. I am from Montgomery and my craving for Liger’s mint thumbprint cookies are what drove me to Printrest in the first place! Thanks!!
I love that you found the recipe you were looking for, Amanda! Let us know how they turn out 🙂 Happy Baking!
This is exactly why I came to Pinterest is well! I’m another Montgomery girl searching for a hometown favorite! So excited to try this recipe. I miss being close to Liger’s!!
I am so glad you found what you were looking for, Kendal! I will be in Richmond, VA for Easter this year and am thinking of making a batch with pastel colored icing!
This is terrific! My daughter lives in NYC and her favorite treats are Ligers mint thumbprint cookies and petit fours (neither of which is available in the Big Apple). Would you now work on Ligers petit fours and their onion roll recipes, please?
So great to hear that, Fern! I’m glad we can provide your daughter with a little feeling of home. I would love to work on the petit fours and onion rolls. We are up to the challenge!
Hi. I live in Montgomery and love these cookies too. I tried to make but the icing did not get hard like at Ligers. What am I doing wrong? I too wish you could tackle the petit four recipe. Thank you in advance for the advice
Hi Carol! They are the best cookies! I’m sorry to hear that your icing didn’t turn out. In my experience, you want the icing to be as thick as possible while still sliding off the spoon. Sometimes, that means you need to add more powdered sugar to thicken it up. My icing usually forms a hard shell on the top but does not harden all the way through!
I can’t wait to bake these cookies!!. Have you ever used different flavoring in the icing……like almond or lemon? Do you think just a couple of drops would work?
Hi Cornelia! Great question 🙂 We actually do have a recipe for these cookies using almond extract! You can find it here. I have wondered about lemon extract myself and am sure it would be delicious! The number of drops will depend on the strength of the extract, so I would just start with 2 drops and taste the icing as you go, adding until you’ve reached the desired flavor you’re looking for. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try out a lemon version!
So happy to find this recipe! Thanks for posting it. I grew up in Montgomery over near Moringview but moved to south Alabama 20 years ago. Every Christmas I long for these delicious cookies…now I can make them! Thanks again! Margaret
So happy to hear that, Margaret! I live away as well, so I had to try to recreate them. They are the BEST! And oh so fun!
I’m so excited to make these today with my sprinkle loving 3 year old daughter! Thanks, Ellen!