Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 10/24/2020 - Last updated on 02/23/2023
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These easy almond flour thumbprint cookies are healthy vegan, gluten-free cookies made with almond flour.
They are soft, chewy, moist cookies with a sweet raspberry jam center, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free!
No need for butter and sugar in this recipe, only 8 wholesome ingredients!
What Are Thumbprint Cookies?
Thumbprint Cookies are classic holiday cookies that have a filling of raspberry jam in the middle.
They are made with a buttery texture and a delicious fruity taste from the jam.
Are Thumbprint Cookies Vegan?
The classic thumbprint cookie recipe is not vegan because it contains butter, egg yolks full eggs, and sometimes honey to sweeten.
For a vegan version, you need a dedicated plant-based thumbprint cookie recipe.
How To Make Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
It is very easy to make thumbprint cookies with almond flour.
This is a healthy thumbprint cookie version made with no refined sugar, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Ingredients
Let’s see the ingredients you need to make these delicious vegan Christmas cookies.
- Almond Flour – you need ultra-fine blanched almond flour for the best result. I am using ultra-fine almond flour from Bob’s red mill. It’s a grain-free and gluten-free flour perfect for baking these cookies. Also, note that almond meal will work too, but it is a coarse ground of almonds, making cookies grainy. I don’t recommend this option if you expect smooth, soft, white/golden almond flour raspberry thumbprint cookies.
- Maple Syrup – or agave syrup, but they will have a sweeter taste.
- Melted Coconut Oil – use refined coconut oil if you don’t like the flavor of coconut oil. However, don’t use other oil. It won’t come out great. In fact, coconut oil solidifies under 74°F (23°C) and provides a chewy soft texture to the cookies. Other liquid oils will make the cookie spread, and they won’t form up. I didn’t try vegan butter in this recipe, so I am unsure how it will come out with it.
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract – or almond extract to enhance the almond flavor of these cookies.
- Baking Powder
- Apple Cider Vinegar or lemon juice – the combination of acid ingredients with baking powder gives a little raise to the cookie, just what you need for a soft vegan gluten-free thumbprint cookie.
Making The Thumbprint Cookies With Almond Flour Batter
First, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Then prepare the cookie dough.
Add all the ingredients together into a medium bowl and combine with a spoon.
It means you add: almond flour, baking powder, salt, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and mix until the cookie dough forms.
The dough is sticky but shouldn’t be too wet.
Forming Thumbprint Cookies
Scoop the batter with a measuring spoon. I am using 1/2 tablespoon to make these small healthy thumbprint cookies.
But, if you want to make larger cookies scoop 1 tablespoon of cookie dough.
Then, roll the dough in your hands to form a ball and place each ball onto the cookie sheet.
Press each cookie dough ball in the center with the back of a measuring spoon or your thumb.
If you choose to make small gluten-free almond flour thumbprint cookies like the one in my picture, your thumb will be too large to press the dough.
That’s why I recommend using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to create the ‘cave’ in the center of each cookie.
Baking Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
Fill each cookie with raspberry jam or the jam you love. Almond flour jam thumbprint cookies bake really quickly.
Usually, 12 minutes are enough.
You know they are cooked through when the sides of the cookies are golden brown.
Baking Tips
Almond flour cookies bake faster and brown fast. That’s why I recommend watching the oven often between 10 minutes and 14 minutes.
As soon as the cookies’ sides are turning golden brown, take out the baking sheet from the oven.
Don’t expect the cookies to be hard and crunchy. They will be very soft and firm up after they cool completely.
First, cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
Then, gently transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack and wait for 30 minutes to appreciate their texture.
Storage Instructions
These are egg-free thumbprint cookies, and therefore they store very well at room temperature in a sealed jar for 1 week.
Make sure you store your cookies in a dry place. In fact, almond flour absorbs moisture quickly, and the cookies become sticky if stored in a humid area.
Same, if you store these dairy-free thumbprint cookies in the fridge, they tend to soften and get sticky.
Cookies Filling Options
There is so many delicious filling you can add to these thumbprint cookies. My favorite fillings are below:
- Chia seed jam – for a healthy thumbprint cookie recipe, use homemade chia seed jam as a filling. Plus, if you use refined sugar-free chia jam, these will be paleo thumbprint cookies approved too! The best flavors to go with almonds are raspberry, apricot, and strawberry.
- Peanut butter and jam – add half peanut butter and half jam to make peanut butter jam thumbprint cookies.
- Melted dark chocolate – melt vegan chocolate chips.
Troubleshooting
If it’s your first time baking cookies with almond flour, there are a few things that could surprise you.
Below I listed the most common issue you can encounter and how to fix them.
- Cookie side cracks – this happens all the time when you press the cookie dough to form the thumbprint shape. If you don’t like the cracked aspect, wet your fingers and rub them around the cookie to smooth the surface.
- The dough is too moist – it can happen if you used coarse almond flour or almond meal. Add more almond flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the cookie dough is easy to shape into small cookie balls.
- Jam fade after baking – depending on the fruits used in your jam, the color may fade in the oven. Add more fresh jam to the thumbprint hole after the cookies cool completely. It will pop out the color on top.
- Cookies are browning too fast – tent the cookie tray with a piece of foil halfway through baking or decrease the oven to 325°F (160°C).
More Vegan Gluten-Free Cookies
If you love vegan, gluten-free cookies, I have plenty more recipes for you to try. These cookies are delicious Christmas cookies or simply everyday snacks.
Made these almond thumbprint cookies with almond flour? Share a review below or save it for later on Pinterest.
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Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond Flour
- ¼ cup Melted Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar - or lemon juice
To fill the cookies
- ¼ -1/3 cup Raspberry Jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients: almond flour, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, baking powder, salt, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Stir with a spoon to form the cookie dough batter. It should be sticky but easy to roll into a cookie ball, not wet or runny – see the picture above in my post. If it is too wet, add more almond flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- To make 32 small thumbprint cookies, scoop 1/2 tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie otherwise, to make 16 large cookies, scoop 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie.
- Roll the cookie dough in your hand to form a small cookie dough ball and place the ball on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat to form 32 cookie balls, leaving a 1-inch (2cm) space between each cookie ball.
- For small cookies, place the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon in the center of the cookie dough ball. Press gently to form a hole in the center of the cookie, the sides of the cookie may crack slightly, and that's ok. If you made larger cookies, use your thumb to press down each cookie dough ball.
- Fill each thumbprint cookie up to the 3/4 of the hole – not up to the top, or it may overflow in the oven.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the sides of the cookies are slightly golden brown. They will be soft when you take them out of the oven, and that's fine.
- Cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then slide a spatula under each cookie to transfer onto a cooling rack.
- If some jam evaporates or fades in color during the baking process, you can add a little more after they completely cool down.
Storage
- Store in a dry place, sealed cookie jar at room temperature are the best, for up to 1 week. They can get sticky if stored in a humid place or in the fridge.
These are so so delicious!! I use avocado oil in place of coconut oil as I feel coconut oil takes over the taste. With avocado oil, these taste so similar to the thumbprints I remember from childhood.
Question: Can these be pressed into mini cupcake pan with liner to serve at a wedding? Wanting some gluten free treats for guests. Thank you!
Yes, it will bake very well this way
Thanks for your quick response Carine! Will get back to you on how they turned out in the mini liners!
Hesitant to use recipe b/c coconut oil measurement is unclear. ‘X amount melted coconut oil’ should mean measure after melting. The other way would read ‘X amount of coconut oil, melted’ – meaning I measure out solid coconut oil and then melt it for use in recipe.
One recipe (already) ruined by unclear instructions is enough for me.
The amount seen in all my recipes is the amount of liquid coconut oil.
Came out delicious I used a cherry almond jelly that I got from Etsy Perfect combination did however need to add a little extra flour. Soooooo delish.
If there are more stars, you deserve all those.
Thanks so much for the recipe. It was a grant success.
Happened to bake it with my 9 year old son.
Used almond flour+ coconut oil+ vanilla essence+ lemon juice+ salt+ original maple syrup+ baking powder.
It took 18 minutes to see brown on sides at 350 deg F.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I shared with all my friends too.
Any substitute for the coconut oil? I’m allergic and I miss sweets while trying to eat healthy since most contain coconut oil.
The recipe should work with avocado oil, melted plant-based butter or light olive oil. As soon as the recipe is baked, you can swap coconut oil for something else. Cocontu oil is a must in no bake recipes where it solidify the recipe under 23C.
Love this easy recipe. Can eat my cookies with no guilt snd great ingredients! Always a staple in my home now. Thank you!
Okay, I was skeptical, but these are fantastic! I’m eating low carb, and these are a delicious treat. I found ‘skinny girl’ jam at Walmart. Used that to further reduce sugar. These are better than using butter recipe (shhh, don’t tell my mom who says everything is better with butter)
I’ve been craving baked goods since having recently become Celiac. I also have Type 2 Diabetes so need to watch carb and sugar intake. These cookies are just the thing! They’re richer and more decadent than the thumb print cookies I used to make at Christmas for years. I rolled them in finely chopped walnuts before I put the thumb print on. Easy and quick to make – I’ll make these lots. Thanks.
What! These are SO GOOD, so much better than they have a right to be with such few ingredients! I’ll definitely make these again.. I used jam for some of the centers and then switched it up and did a piece of chocolate and a mini PB cup in the center for a few of them as well. They all tasted amazing. Thank you for the recipe!
I’ve often made Thumbprint cookies, but not this recipe. They are now my FAVOURITE recipe – delicious. So easy to make, as you combine all ingredients in one go. I’d suppose I’d better same a couple of cookies for my husband !!
Wow, these are amazing! I had bought some vegan thumbprint cookies at a farmers’ market and when I saw this recipe I had hoped they would taste like those. They did! These are melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Thank you!
I am new to the Fodmap diet and have been dying for something sweet. This recipe was a life saver and super easy to make with daughter! I didn’t have coconut oil so I swapped that with kerrygold unsalted butter and had no spreading. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Fun and easy to make with kids. They were so good they exceeded my expectations. I’m so glad I bought almond extract recently- so flavorful. After we mixed a batch we decided to double it and adding all of the ingredients again worked perfectly.
What about freezing the Almond Flour Thumbprint Jam Filled Cookies in preparation for the Holidays?
How will they do?
Please advise .
Thank you
Cherise
Yes sure you can freeze them up to 3 month in airtight container and thaw at room temperature the day before serving.
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes sure
I am so glad to have found your website. The recipes are excellent and so easy to prepare. We have decided to be gluten and dairy free and one of our grandchildren has to be this way, so your recipes are favourites of his. I really enjoy making the recipes by hand so thanks again for all your hard work*****
Thank you Jill!
These are delicious! Very easy to make.
These were surprisingly good, easy and pretty. This recipe is going in my permanent file! I even found a brand of raspberry jam that was sweetened with fruit juice, so these were healthy all around. Thank you for sharing this delectable recipe.
Wow. These were great.
These were amazing!! I substituted the maple for agave, and after baking sprinkled coconut sugar on them. Taste like a coconut macaroon, so yummy!!
Love these cookies! I’ve made these three times now and use hot pepper jelly to fill in the thumbprints..,sooo good!
Thank you for the recipe!
Sounds yum! Thanks for sharing with me !
Hi CARINE & DAMIEN!
I made these cookies for my sister’s 71 birthday. Everyone got two cookies on a piece of parchment paper with their name printed on it. They then filled their cookies with their choice of jam/chocolate. It made for a fun and festive party ;)These cookies are exceptionally delicious! Everyone loved them and asked for the recipe, which I’ll certainly give to them.
I’ll be trying more of your recipes since many of our family members are vegan or gluten intolerant or simply healthier minded! Thank you so much for sharing your passion!
Robin
These are ridiculously easy to make and tasty!!! I’ve made this recipe 4 times in the past few days. Everyone in the house loves them! I’m so happy I found this. Thank you for creating and sharing.
Made these almost as is, just omitted the almond extract because I don’t have any and also don’t like it. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 🙂 Happy New Year!!
These were amazing!! I made these for Christmas for my nephew who is celiac. Wasn’t sure how the texture would be using almond flour but I LOVED them.
I just made these for my son’s girlfriend. Had to sample, of course, and they were delicious!!! Easy to make. I did fill some with raspberry jam and some with homemade peach jam. Thank you for a delicious and easy recipe!!
Can I use all purpose flour in place of almond flour?
It won’t work with the same ingredients, try my 3 ingredients thumbprint recipe 3-Ingredient Vegan Thumbprint Cookiesto make vegan thumbprint cookies using almond flour.
Nice recipe but I’m allergic to coconut. Can you suggest a substitute?
Some people report success using vegan butter or melted cocoa butter. Enjoy!
These cookies are amazing!
They are a bit chewy rather than dry and crispy like traditional thumbprints. The addition of almond extract brings flavor to the next level. These are my new go to gluten free cookies for all year round!
Can Vegan Butter be used in lieu of the coconut oil?
Yes, it should work very well based on what others readers says. I didn’t try it myself but many report success with it.
Looks delicious! Could you please tell me if these be made ahead and frozen for holiday trays?
Yes, sure I would probably freeze without the jam, thaw the cookies and add the jam just before serving on Christmas day. Enjoy!
These look so yummy..Do you think I could replace the oil with applesauce?
It won’t work the cookies will fall apart I believe.
These are SO excellent!! I have been making a different almond thumbprint cookie for years and we recently moved (can’t find my recipe book yet) so I looked up a recipe online and found yours here. So delicious. I served them at Thanksgiving to all the gluten free, Celiac kids in our family. The rest of the family enjoyed them as well. Thanks for a great recipe! I’ll be using this recipe from now on!!
I have made these several times now and they’re always perfect! Thank you:)
Yummy!
These are yummy! I made a fall version with 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice in the dough instead of almond extract and pumpkin butter instead of jam that turned out really well.
Could I make this recipe and use a Rolo in the center instead of jam?
Sure, it should work but I would bake the cookie with the thumbprint empty then add the rolo on the hot baked cookies and it will melt
These cookies are so much better than I could have imagined. I have several food sensitivities so I used sugar free maple syrup as well as no sugar added raspberry jam and I used avocado oil instead of coconut oil. I was worried these substitutions would ruin the recipe but these cookies are amazing and I’ll definitely be making a double batch as soon as I get more raspberry jam.
Extraordinaire,délicieux and so easy
I tried two batches today. They are absolutely the best I have ever had…including with wheat flour. I am a new gluten free and have been having trouble finding recipes that aren’t all tasting the same. Thanks again!
Beautiful chewy tasty cookies and so easy to make. My kids approved!
Ok if I leave out the almond extract?
Sure!
I have made these and they are so good. Cant tell the difference Vegan vs regular.
Love it and I used grape seed oil instead of coconut oil. It reminds me pinoli cookies taste &love that!!
Excellent and very simple to make. They have a lot of calories but they seem very healthy.
Hi, I tried to make it according to the recipe and omg it did not turn into dough at all. This is my first timebaking with almond flour and I had to go rogue to get it slightly closer to dough consistency by adding almond milk + more oil. What gives?
It looks like you used almond meal, a coarse version of almond flour that doesn’t absorb liquid very well. Try ultra thin almond flour as mentioned in the recipe, it should come out great. Enjoy, Carine
I subbed the coconut oil for grapeseed oil and they still turned out delicious! Also, when I used 1/2 tsp to make the well, I had to wipe it after each cookie I pressed or else the dough sticks to the following cookie and makes them fall apart. THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE, we can’t stop eating them!
I did the same and I used grape seeds oil and they came out great. Love it
This will make a super Valentine Treat! Thank you so much – a great upgrade on an old family favorite!
These were perfect and delicious! I used butter instead of coconut oil and baked on 350 for 12 min. Thanks!!
Made this for a friend that is dairy free and gluten free. Added two additional tablespoons of almond flour. They are delicious!
Great cookie. Used Wild Lingonberry jam for slightly tart counter to the almond extract.
These sound delicious! Do you think using a granulated sugar substitute (ex. Swerve) in place of the maple/agave syrup would work here? Thanks!
No sorry you can’t replace a liquid sweetener by a crystal sweetener in a baking recipe, you will miss liquid to hold/stick ingredients together
What about a liquid sweetener like Lakanto maple sugar syrup?
Sugar-free syrup contains lots of fiber they will dry out the cookie dough a lot but it should work
These are wonderful and easy! I am giving these as holiday gifts and getting really good feedback from recipients (plus of course, tasting them happily myself!) I like that they come together so quickly without me having to haul out an electric mixer. Win win win win win!
Sorry to bother again do you think olive oil work that’s all I have in the house… thanks so much for the quick replies.
These sound delicious but, I can’t use almond flour. Do think I could use gluten free flour for this recipe?
I didn’t try the recipe with something else, usually almond flour can be replaced by same amount of oat flour. Enjoy! XOXO Carine
I want to make these!! But am curious if I could use something besides oil/butter!? Maybe pumpkin? Mashed banana?
I didn’t try something else than coconut oil and I don’t think they will firm up well with mashed banana unfortunately because almond flour hasn’t much starch
Can I just put them in small pan to bake to cut them into bars?
Probably, yes
Can I super fine almond flour? Will that be ok?
Yes, I am always using ultra thin almond flour in any of my recipes
This recipe looks amazing! Any thoughts on baking them unfilled and putting chocolate ganache in afterwards?
Yes you can definitely do that, ganache is great just way until they are fully cool down
Can I freeze and then thaw these to store them if I want them for later than a week? Also, I live in a Pretty dry climate so hoping that would help with the thaw process
Of course, it will work very well even if its dry where you live
Should I add vanilla extract AND almond extract? The recipe calls for both but the story says either /or.
These cookies are awesome. I used a 1 1/2 teaspoon and it only made 16 cookies. I will double the amount next time!
Yes, both taste amazing but you don’t have to, just do what you love!
I don’t have any coconut oil . Can I substitute butter for this?
I used canola oil instead of coconut oil, it’s turned out amazing and delicious. Is it still considered healthier tho
I didn’t try this option but it should work yes
While I very much enjoy your recipes, you forgot the amount per item to put in your cookies. How am I supposed to make the cookies like you did without that information?
I am sorry but all the information are well showing in the recipe card. When you are on top of this post click to jump to recipe to see the recipe card with amount of ingredients and instructions. it’s always there. Enjoy.
Sorry you had to respond to that Carine
Hi. Way too easy. Made this. Loved it. Will make again and take along to family so I can enjoy my and tea and cookies as well.
I am going to roll it in coconut the next time and make them and put a small piece of date on the centre. Thank u.
Easy to make and delicious!!!
Was easy too make I love them!!!