Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies are filled with your favorite jam, for an easy gluten-free cookie. They couldn’t be easier to make!
Why You’ll Love Them
They’re easy to prepare. This recipe calls for just one type of flour, and you can stir the cookie dough together in one bowl. They will be baking in the oven before you know it!
You can make multiple flavors. If you love variety, you can use a mix of jam flavors to make several different options. Try apricot jam, strawberry or raspberry jam, or you could even use melted chocolate in the center for a non-fruit Christmas cookie.
They’re gluten-free & vegan. If you need a dairy-free, egg-free, or grain-free option to serve during the holiday season, this recipe checks all of those boxes!
They taste amazing. The combination of tender almond cookies and tart jam make this dessert just as delicious as the traditional version made with white flour.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What do you need for thumbprint cookies?
- Blanched almond flour
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Salt
- Jam
What I love about this recipe, is you don’t need multiple gluten-free flours to make it. All you need is almond flour!
To keep this recipe naturally sweetened, you can use homemade chia seed jam, or your favorite store-bought option. Raspberry jam pairs perfectly with the almond flavor!
How to Make Thumbprint Cookies
1. Mix the dough.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Stir well, until the dough looks thick and slightly sticky.
2. Shape the cookies.
Use a tablespoon or 1-ounce cookie scoop to scoop the dough, and roll each one between your hands. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
Press your thumb into the center of each ball, creating an indentation for the jam to go into. Add a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of jam into the center of each cookie.
3. Bake.
Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottom edges of the cookies start to look lightly golden brown.
The paleo thumbprint cookies will be very soft when you remove them from the oven, but they will firm up as they cool.
Let them cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes, then you can transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. They will have a slightly crisp outside, and a soft, tender texture in the center under the jam.
Serve the cookies at room temperature once they are cool, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gluten-free flours all work differently, so if you need to use a different flour, I would recommend starting off with a recipe that calls for the type of flour you want to use. Coconut flour requires a totally different ratio of ingredients compared to almond flour, and so does oat flour, and a gluten-free flour blend. Browse my gluten-free cookie recipes for more options.
You could use butter instead of the oil, if you don’t need this recipe to be dairy-free.
If you don’t want to use jelly as the filling, you can also use melted chocolate, or try pressing a pecan into the center for a crunchy alternative.
Looking for more almond flour cookie recipes? Try Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vegan Gingerbread Cookies, and Almond Flour Sugar Cookies.
Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
These thumbprint cookies are made with gluten-free almond flour and taste just as delicious as the traditional version! Make several flavors at once by using more than one variety of jam.
Servings:
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder, and salt. Stir well, until the dough looks thick and slightly sticky.
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Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough then roll it between your hands to form a ball. Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining dough forming 18 balls. Arrange them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
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Press your thumb into the center of each ball, creating an indentation. Add a ½ teaspoon of jam into the center of each cookie. Bake at 350ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottom edges of the cookie start to look golden.
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The cookies will feel very soft to the touch when you remove them from the oven, but they will firm up as they cool on the pan. Let them cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Serve the cookies right away, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Update Note: The recipe was updated in December 2022. The original recipe called for a homemade cherry jam made with a 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, a 1/4 cup water, and 1 tablespoon chia seeds. Blend those ingredients together to make a quick homemade jam in a pinch, adding more water, if needed for blending. (I also added a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to the cookie recipe, but the original didn’t call for that if you don’t have it on hand.)
Nutrition
Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Sodium: 34mg, Potassium: 13mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin C: 0.3mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 0.5mg
If you try these gluten-free thumbprint cookies, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them!