When I was a little girl I would get so excited to bake cookies at Christmas time with my mom and my sister. I would roll up my sleeves, put on my little apron, get covered in flour and in sugar and have the best time. For me, these vegan thumbprint cookies with raspberry jam embody those memories.
We would blast my mom’s Amy Grant A Christmas Album cassette as loud as we could. We would dance and laugh and sing around the house like no one else in the world was watching. These are truly some of my fondest childhood memories.
We’d also make what seemed like hundreds of cookies. Rum balls and snowballs, and sugar cookies and gingerbread men were amongst the lineup. We would also make my favorite, raspberry jam thumbprint cookies. So this recipe is really near and dear to my heart.
Even though I loved making Christmas cookies as a child, I really don’t enjoy baking much now as an adult. All of the measuring and preciseness really stresses me out. But I do look forward to baking a batch of these simplified, vegan thumbprint cookies with just seven ingredients.
How to make the best vegan thumbprint cookies.
This vegan thumbprint cookie recipe is simple and easy. It calls for just seven ingredients. The first, blanched almond flour, which makes them naturally grain and gluten-free. And six more ingredients. Baking soda, salt, vanilla, oil, maple syrup and raspberry jam.
It requires twenty minutes of time, and one bowl, a sifter, a whisk, a tablespoon and a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. First you will sift the dry ingredients, then you will add in the liquid ingredients and then you roll them into tiny balls with jam on top and bake.
Both maple syrup and honey work well in this recipe, so you can use whichever one you prefer. I prefer to use maple syrup because it is a slightly less sweet than honey. And both olive oil and coconut oil work really well in this recipe, so you can use whichever one you prefer. I prefer to use olive oil because I like the flavor better.
Though whichever you choose, these chewy vegan thumbprint cookies are tried and true and a total hit every time. And they’re entirely free of grains, gluten, coconut, soy, dairy, eggs and refined sugar.
Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies with Flake Salt
Naturally grain and gluten-free, vegan thumbprint cookies made with a touch of maple syrup, flake salt and almond flour.
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil or coconut oil (melted)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons raspberry jam
- flake salt (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Sift the almond flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Then stir in the olive oil (or coconut) oil, maple syrup (or honey) and vanilla until it forms into a thick batter.
- Roll tablespoon sized portions into balls. Tip: if the batter is sticking on your hands, lightly grease your palms with a few drops of oil.
- Place the balls on the lined sheet pan and with your finger lightly press the middle to leave a small indentation in the center of the cookie. Distribute the jam into the cavities of the cookies.
- Bake for 13 minutes. The cookies will be soft when you remove the pan from the oven. Leave them on the tray undisturbed and they can take form as they cool.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of flake salt if desired.
Notes
Store at room temperature for up to three days. They can also be made ahead of time and frozen. Remove them from the freezer an hour before you would like to serve them.
Emily says
Oh my goodness. I am making these tomorrow. They look so amazing! Currently I’m battling morning sickness and NOTHING looks amazing, but these do. Well done.
Brandy says
These cookies look so cute and delicious! The photos are gorgeous!
Sylvie says
I’ve always loved jam thumbprints, they are the best! I’m going to make a batch of these before the holidays are over.
Alli says
These look yummy! I am going to make some today.
Mary says
Me and the husband wanted something sweet last night after dinner and had nothing in the house so I searched for a simple quick (healthy) recipe and these were GREAT. Thank you!
Sher says
Yes! I’m so happy you loved these Mary.
Amanda Kerns says
Can’t wait to try this one! Trying to go paleo while starting a home bakery business. Needless to say, it’s imperative that I have paleo dessert alternatives on hand at all times!
Sher says
Happy to provide you grain-free goodness Amanda.
Tami says
I just made these cookies. They are perfect. I love them and will keep baking them. Wonderful. Thank you for the recipe.
Sher says
Awesome – this makes me so happy Tami!
Sara says
I recently went grain-free and was really sad that I wouldn’t be enjoying my ‘normal’ favorite Christmas cookies. So these are back on my list to love! Thank you.
Lyndsey says
OMG these are one of my most fave cookies to bake at Christmas time, so happy I came across this healthier version, they sound delicious!
Theresa says
I wonder would it work to substitute a portion (maybe half?) of the almond flour with coconut flour? I would love to make a big batch of these but only have one small (and expensive) bag of almond flour.
Sher says
Hi Theresa – baking with alternative flour can be tricky, so I’m not sure if I can recommend changing the recipe in that way. If you end up doing it, please let me know how it turns out.
Paola says
These cookies were a great success! Perfect for those with very restrictive food diets like me. They took me less than five minutes to mix (no joke) and were quick to bake. I used Trader Joe’s juice-sweetened jam. Result was soft, savory, very little sweetened (just sweet enough for those who don’t regularly eat sugar) cookies. Will make again!
Sher says
Oh so happy to hear this Paola, your feedback made my day!
Michelle says
I just printed these to make for Christmas. They look so good!
Jessica says
I was looking for a nice Christmas treat for my brother’s vegan girlfriend and these were perfect! Even better that they’re gluten-free since my brother has celiac disease. They turned out wonderful. We sprinkled them with powdered sugar instead of almond flour for some extra sweetness!
Erin says
We are allergic to almonds and coconut. Could we substitute oat flour or GF all purpose flour? Would any oil work as a substitute?
Sher says
Hi Erin – grain-free baking is tricky, and I wouldn’t recommend that.
Cathy says
I am wondering if these cookies freeze well? I would like to make them for a baking exchange. I need to make 12 dozen, so making them in advance and then freezing would be a time saver for me.
Sher says
Hi Cathy – yes they freeze great!
Nicole says
We love these cookies! We have made them for Christmas for the past couple years. So thank you! Yes, we froze them and they were great afterwards.
Liz says
Thank you so much for the recipe. I have not been able to find blanched almond flour anywhere and want to check if you know whether or not using all purpose flour would be an acceptable substitute?
Sher says
Hi Liz – blanched almond flour is the same as fine almond flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes it! Hope this helps as ap flour would not substitute.
Leigh says
Wow! Made these cookies yesterday and words can’t describe how good they are. They are just perfect. I’ll definitely be making them again and again – thank you!
Sher says
You’re welcome Leigh! I’m so glad they were a hit.
Dawn says
Did you maybe forget an ingredient, possibly an egg? These didn’t hold together.
Sher says
Hi Dawn – I didn’t. The recipe is tried and true. I’m not sure what happened on your end. Did you make any substitutions?
Robyn says
Made these last night! I found that I had to bake them a tad longer, maybe 15 minute, but it could have just been my oven. We love them. I am so happy to find a delicious vegan, refined sugar-free recipe for my favourite thumbprint cookies.
Sher says
Hi Robyn – I’m so glad you found these and that you loved them!
Jocelyn says
I cannot wait to make these tomorrow for a Christmas Eve party! Thank you for transforming my favorite childhood cookie into grain-free goodness!
Sabine says
Just made these with my seven year old son and his best friend. So easy to make!
Sher says
I love that so much, Sabine. They are so easy!
Sylvia says
I can’t wait to make these cookies! I have an unbleached almond meal in my pantry. Will that work or do I need super fine almond flour? Thank you!
Sher says
Hi Sylvia – using unbleached almond meal should work just fine. It might change the texture slightly, but it is usable.
Alex says
I used 1 1/2 cups almond meal, 1/4 cup oat flour and upped the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon. And they were amazing! I had to lick the bowl to clean up – delicious!
Sandra says
Can I use regular white baking flour?
Sher says
Hi Sandra – this recipe is developed with almond flour in mind. I wouldn’t recommend substituting in ap flour.
Cassie says
I made these last night and they were so easy and turned out so well. I used sunflower seed flour as the store was out of almond flour, but it still worked perfectly! I can’t wait to try these again with almond flour – thanks for a great recipe!
Adrienne says
When substituting the honey for the maple syrup do I add the same amount?
Sher says
Hi Adrienne – honey is a little sweeter than maple syrup, but I would still use the same amount. 1/4 cup should work great.
Nicole says
I cannot use almond flour due to a nut allergy, but would really like to make these for my aunt who cannot eat gluten or dairy. Do you have another gluten free flour suggestion that may work in this recipe?
Sher says
Hi Nicole – baking with alternative flours is a little complicated, so substituting the almond flour is tricky. But one reader reported back that sunflower seed flour worked in place of almond flour for them. If you try this, please let me know how it works out.
Maureen says
Made these for Christmas Eve. Who doesn’t love raspberry thumbprint cookies. These were SO easy to make and wish I’d made more because they were devoured quickly. They were so yummy. I followed the recipe exactly and they did turn out VERY soft but oh so good and I’ll be making more soon. Thank you for this wonderful and healthy recipe! – Maureen
Yamina says
These cookies are waaaay too easy and so so good. I made them a couple of days ago and added blood orange olive oil and orange zest. That was good. But the best so far are the ones I made last night. I used lemon extract instead of vanilla and added poppy seeds. The texture was perfect. Has anyone used apple sauce instead of oil? I think i’m going to try that next. This recipe is very easy to modify if you want to play around with flavors.
Lily says
I’ve made this recipe several times over the past year. They’re my favorite “healthier” cookie I’ve had. I love that they’re so fatty, after having just one or two I feel satiated unlike with regular flour cookies. Sometimes I add a half teaspoon of cinnamon, it works really well with the raspberry in my opinion.
Emma says
Just made these and they are delicious, thank you!
Lily says
I am anaphylactic to nuts and my wee one is gluten sensitive. Do you think I could sub Bobs 1:1 for the almond flour with success?
Sher says
Hi Lily – this recipe was developed specifically for almond flour. Unfortunately all-purpose flour (or a gluten-free equivalent) would not work.
Kate says
I made these with a piece of vegan chocolate in the center, just made the thumbprint and put the chocolate in once they came out and allowed them the cookie to cool while the chocolate melted a touch. It was the perfect combo and reminded me of those peanut butter with chocolate kisses cookies I loved as a child!
Renuka says
Could I use a powdered sweetener instead? Perhaps erythritol or sifted coconut sugar?
Sher says
Hi Reunka – honey or maple syrup provides a vital moisture in the recipe, and replacing that with a powder sugar form would not be a sufficient swap.