Perfectly soft, chewy delicious vegan almond thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry chia jam. A delicious holiday cookie, gorgeous and tasty for your annual cookie swap and ready in just 30-minutes. They’re also gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free so wrap them up and bring them to the holiday party as a fabulously healthy hostess gift!
This post has been updated from the original posted December 20, 2017.
Almond Thumbprint Cookies are delicious, nutritious, easy to make and also stunning…yup, everything on your cookie wish list….just a few swaps away from a traditional thumbprint cookie, in all the best ways!!
- They’re perfectly chewy, jammy and satisfying. Amazingly sweet with no refined sugar plus the nutty taste and texture is just right.
- These gorgeous cookies will be the star of holiday dessert table. A fierce competitor for the top spot with my Vegan Ginger Cookies.
- Be a superstar when you make these for your annual cookie swap. Bonus points if you’re willing to share and wrap these up as gifts!
- I make these cookies filled with raspberry chia jam all year round and cranberry chia jam when fresh cranberries in season. They’re exactly what I want in the evening with a cup of tea and healthy enough for a grab and go breakfast too.
Ingredient Notes
- Almond Flour: Widely available at grocery stores and online. First choice: souper fine ground blanched almond flour. You can find it reasonably priced Trader Joe’s and Costco.
- Arrowroot powder: a less refined choice over cornstarch.
- Ground Flax: Rich in fiber, high in Omega-3s and perfect for vegan and grain-free baking.
- Almond Butter: Use creamy almond butter, with only almonds, no additional ingredients. Substitute with peanut butter, sun butter or tahini to accommodate allergies.
- Almond Extract: I like the extra almond flavor. OK to omit if you don’t have, or substitute with vanilla extract.
- Sea Salt: Omit, if your almond butter contains salt, or if you’re on a low sodium diet, skip the salt. I like the way salt brings out the nutty flavor of the flax, and almonds, so I appreciate the little bit in this recipe.
How to make them
Preheat oven to 350 and prepare large cookie sheet with unbleached parchment.
Step 1: Mix wet ingredients. Combine almond butter, maple syrup and almond extract in a medium sized bowl.
Step 2: Add dry ingredients, almond meal, ground flax, arrowroot, baking powder, sea salt to the bowl. Mix thoroughly, until
Step 3: Roll batter into 1″ balls and place on rimmed baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Use your thumb, or the back of a spoon to make an indent into each cookie ball, to put the filling.
Step 4: Fill with jam. Use two teaspoons to drop 1 teaspoon of jam into each cookie indent. I used Homemade Cranberry Chia Jam.
Step 5: Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are set and beginning to brown. It is OK for cookies to be soft, they will firm up a bit more as they cool.
Step 6: Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack before transferring for storage.
Debra’s Pro Tips
- Make the jam ahead, or even use store bought jam to save time.
- Make the cranberry chia jam yourself to save money.
- Let the cookies cool completely before storing or freezing.
- A dollop of melted chocolate is a great filling option too.
- If you’re packaging these up for the annual cookie exchange, use a small piece of unbleached parchment paper between layers to avoid the jam shmearing.
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-free Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond meal
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder
- ¼ cup ground flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup smooth almond butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup no sugar jam*
Instructions
Make Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 and line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine almond butter, maple syrup and almond extract. Mix until smooth.
- Add almond meal, arrowroot powder, ground flax, baking powder and salt and mix well. It will be kinda crumbly, but you should be able to press together between your fingers.
- Roll the dough into golf ball sized rounds. You will have 18-24, depending on size.
- Use the back of a teaspoon or your thumb to make an indent in each. Fill with 1 teaspoon jam.
- Bake for 13 minutes, until cookies are set and beginning to brown.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely before storing.
- Store cookies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Raspberry Chia Jam Recipe:
- 1 cup frozen raspberries
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Tartan Fish And Chips
I love food blogs. Thanks for taking out your precious time for collecting the best food blogs around the world in one place.
Thats really helpful for all the foodies in the world.
Сarolyn Wong
Cookies made with a rich almond paste and topped with a sweet jam, these cookies are sure to please. Best of all, they’re incredibly easy to make. Just cook up a batch of dough, form into balls, and press your thumb into the center. Then fill with jam and bake. In no time at all, you’ll have a tray full of delicious cookies that are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. So go ahead and give them a try – you won’t be disappointed!
Debra Klein
Thanks Carolyn. I totally agree!