Today’s Best Recipe is Gummie Bear Thumbprint Cookies.
These easy gummy bear cookies are so much fun to make.
The addition of the gummy bear to the thumbprint makes for a festive treat!
It’s like magic watching the gummy candy morph.
The gummy bears melt, forming a beautiful, chewy treat in the delicious cookie.
We recommend Haribo Gummies–check the label and get the package where they are made in Turkey.
Select an assortment of colors of gummies for a fun, festive batch–or use the color of candy for themes (red/green for Christmas, Red for Valentine’s).
Gummy Bear Cookies are a festive addition to your holiday baking cookie platter.
At one time, they were my then four-year-old’s favorite Christmas cookies.
You may also enjoy other great recipes from our Pinterest Christmas Board, like these easy gummy thumbprint cookies.
Ingredients for Gummy Bear Thumbprint Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 light brown sugar, packed
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 dozen gummy bears, one per cookie
How to Make Gummy Bear Thumbprint Cookies
You can stir the dough by hand with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer.
Prepare the Pan:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the cookie dough:
In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
Add egg yolk, one at a time.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Mix in flour and salt, stirring until completely combined.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in the freezer for 10 minutes. (This is will help prevent cracks when you make the center cavity.)
Make the Cookies:
Remove the cookie dough from the freezer.
Using a small cookie scoop, roll cookies into tablespoon-sized balls.
You can roll the dough into sprinkles or colored sugar if you like.
Arrange cookies 1-1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheet; I line mine with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Press a deep hole in the middle of the cookie using your thumb.
Make it deep and wide enough so the gummy bears don’t spill out, but not so deep that you crack the sides of the cookie too much.
Bake the Cookies:
Place the cookie sheet with cookies in the preheated oven.
Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies look almost done.
Remove the cookie sheet from the oven or open the oven and pull the cookie sheet out enough to be able to reach the back row of cookies.
Place a single gummy bear in each cookie cavity.
Return the cookie sheet back to the oven and bake until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.
The gummy bears will melt completely in about two minutes!
Cool the Cookies:
Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
For Valentine’s Day Cookies, Make Gummy Bear Heart Cookies
- Follow the original recipe above, except instead of making a round cavity, roll the dough into one-inch balls and place them on prepared baking sheets. Use your finger to press down twice on each ball, making a heart-shaped indent. Place two gummy bear halves into each indent in a v shape.

Easy Gummy Bear Thumbprint Cookies
These easy gummy bear thumbprint cookies are fun to make. The addition of the gummy bear to the thumbprint makes for a festive treat!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 light brown sugar, packed
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 dozen gummy bears, one per cookie
Instructions
Prepare the Pan:
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the cookie dough:
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
- Add egg yolks, one at a time.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- Mix in flour and salt, stirring until completely combined.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Make the Cookies:
- Remove the cookie dough from the freezer.
- Using a small cookie scoop, roll cookies into tablespoon-sized balls.
- You can roll the dough into sprinkles or colored sugar if you like.
- Arrange cookies 1-1 1/2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
- Using your thumb, press a deep hole in the middle of the cookie.
- Make it deep and wide enough so the gummy bears don’t spill out, but not so deep that you crack the sides of the cookie too much.
Bake the Cookies:
- Place cookie sheet with cookies in the preheated oven.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies look almost done.
- Removed the cookie sheet from the oven.
- Place a single gummy bear in each cookie cavity.
- Return cookie sheet back to the oven and bake until the bottoms are golden brown.
- The gummy bears will melt completely in about two minutes!
Cool the Cookies:
- Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Harbo Gummy Bears (made in Turkey) are our favorite.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 89Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g
The Nutritional Information may not be accurate.
More Great Cookie Recipes:
Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies (From a Cake Mix)
Melted Snowman Cookies
Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies
Peanut Butter Spider Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies (the best ever!) Recipe
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
4 Ingredient Butterfinger Cookie Bars