Baklava Thumbprint Cookies

How to make

These are super easy to make. It’s a simple cookie dough that you roll into balls, press a dent in the center, and fill with a honey nut mixture. Then bake, that’s it. I have some helpful tips and photos in the post, or scroll on down to the printable recipe card below for ingredient amounts and instructions.

Make dough:

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add honey, egg yolks, and vanilla, and mix in.

Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt, mixing until no white spots of flour remain. The dough will be stiff and mixing with your clean hands may be necessary. Set the dough aside.

Make filling:

In a small mixing bowl, combine chopped walnuts, honey, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla extract, stirring until thoroughly combined.

A note on the walnuts: you can buy chopped walnuts at the grocery store. I prefer to buy walnut halves and chop them myself because I often find walnut shells in the chopped ones, and you really don’t want to bite into a walnut shell. The walnut halves do not seem to have as many shells, and I feel like they are better quality.

Shape and bake the cookies:

I like to shape the cookies assembly line style. Roll all the dough balls, then, make all the indentations, then fill them all.

Roll the dough into small, ½ tablespoon-sized balls (a small cookie scoop works great for this). Place balls 1″ apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or greased.

The cookies don’t spread very much when they bake, so they don’t need too much room on the cookie sheet.

Create a deep, round indentation in the center of each ball using a fingertip or the back of a teaspoon. Doing this will flatten the balls slightly.

Fill each hole with a rounded ½ teaspoon of filling (filling should be mounded up a bit). You’ll most likely have some extra filling leftover; I like to stir it into some yogurt for a snack.

Bake cookies until light golden brown and the filling will be bubbling.

Only bake as long as directed in the recipe. The cookies keep cooking while cooling on the pan. Remove from the oven, leaving the cookies on the baking sheet to cool for five minutes, then place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

The recipe is easily cut in half if you don’t want as big a batch. Or, if you want lots of cookies, double or triple the recipe. These calculations are easily done using the recipe card below.

Do you fill thumbprint cookies before baking or after?

Most thumbprint cookies have you fill them before baking so the filling settles into the hole. This recipe is no different, and the filling actually bakes in a little and runs out any cracks in the side, which look so pretty!

Storage and make ahead

These cookies can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For longer storage, freeze them in an airtight container for up to three months. Remove and thaw at room temperature before serving.

Changes to the recipe

These cookies use the traditional flavors of baklava in an easy to make way. Feel free to mix them up a bit with pistachios, orange zest (I think the addition of orange would be particularly nice), coffee extract, rose water, or orange blossom water.  

Finish them off with a honey glaze or a drizzle of icing.

You could roll each cookie dough ball in cinnamon sugar before pressing and baking for a pretty crackled appearance.