Almond-Orange Thumbprint Cookies

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4.86 from 7 votes

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These Almond-Orange Thumbprint Cookies are super simple cookies ready in under 20 minutes and made with no gluten, no eggs, no dairy, just 5 wholesome ingredients.

You can find the full recipe, including tips, step-by-step photos, video, storage instructions, detailed allergy swaps, FAQ, and save at: https://www.theconsciousplantkitchen.com/almond-orange-thumbprint-cookies/ or scan the QR code here ➡️

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Total Time17

Servings: cookies

Calories: 148.7kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Ingredients

2 cups Almond Flour (note 1)
¼ cup Maple Syrup (note 2)
3 tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice (note 3)
1 tablespoon Mild-Flavor Olive Oil (note 4)

Optional - recommended for flavors

½ teaspoon Almond Extract (note 5)
½ teaspoon Orange Zest (note 6)

Filling

3-4 tablespoons Orange Marmalade (note 7)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cookie sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, maple syrup, orange juice, oil, almond extract, and orange zest if used. Stir with a rubber spatula, then lightly oil your hands and squeeze the dough to form a consistent cookie dough.
If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add a little more orange juice one teaspoon at a time, knead until the dough is soft, sticky, but forms a ball. If too wet, add more almond flour.
Oil your hands, scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough, roll it between your hands, and place it on the cookie sheet. Leave one inch between each cookie ball. Repeat this until you form 12 balls, oiling your hands as needed, as the dough is quite sticky.
Flatten each dough ball with your hand, then use the back of a measuring teaspoon (or your thumb) to lightly press and create a small cavity in the center of each cookie. When you press, the sides of the cookies will crack; that's normal. You can use your fingers to pat and reshape the sides nicely, or keep it cracked.
Fill each cavity with about 1/2 teaspoon of marmalade, or up to 3/4 of the cavity. Don't overfill or it run out of the cavity as they bake.
Bake the cookies on the center rack of the oven for 12-15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until the edges are just turning golden brown.
Let the cookies cool down completely on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes and on a cooling rack for another 30 minutes.
Serve plain, or dust powdered sugar on top to increase their sweetness.

Notes

Note 1: You can also use almond meal, but the color of the cookies will be darker, and the texture a bit grainy. If nut-free, use sesame flour or sunflower seed flour in the same amount. The recipe doesn't work with all-purpose flour.

Note 2: Or any liquid sweetener you love, like agave syrup or coconut nectar.

Note 3: Or bottled orange juice, but the taste won't be as good. Freshly squeezed orange juice contains some pulp and enhances the cookie flavor.

Note 4: Or low-flavor oil of choice, or melted plant-based butter. If oil-free, use almond milk, but the cookies won't firm up as well.

Note 5: Optional, but this enhances the almond flavor in the cookies. You can also use vanilla extract for a vanilla flavor.

Note 6: Use only if you like orange zest in baking; it adds a tangy, lightly bitter flavor, not everyone enjoys that.

Note 7: I am using no-added-sugar orange marmalade; for sweeter cookies, use orange marmalade that contains added sugar.

Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15 °C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.

Storage: These cookies soften the next day even more if a strawberry slice is added in the center. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days.

Nutrition