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Red White and Blue Thumbprint Cookies with a Cake Mix

Red white and blue thumbprint cookies with a cake mix are soft, buttery cookies with jam-filled centers. This quick bake uses melted butter and eggs to form a tender dough, then you spoon strawberry and blueberry jam into the thumb wells.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 140
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake mix dough base
  • 1 box white or vanilla cake mix Use the whole 15.25 oz box.
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Melted, then cooled slightly if very hot.
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Red and blue jam filling
  • 0.33 cup strawberry jam For half the cookies.
  • 0.33 cup blueberry jam For the other half the cookies.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the cake mix, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until a soft dough forms.
Shape and fill
  1. Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan.
  2. Press your thumb gently into the center of each ball to create a well.
  3. Fill half of the cookie wells with strawberry jam.
  4. Fill the remaining wells with blueberry jam.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just set.
  2. Cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For neat thumb wells, press straight down without pushing through the bottom, and aim for the same depth on each ball so the jam bakes evenly. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies up to 2 months. For a dietary swap, use egg substitute for baking (follow package directions) to make them egg-free while keeping the same bake time range.