These gluten-free thumbprint cookies require only six ingredients and are ready in less than 20 minutes. The base for these soft, delicious cookies is blanched almond flour bound together with a bit of lemon, vegan butter, and maple syrup, and filled with homemade raspberry jam! The recipe is gluten-free, egg-free, vegan and naturally sweetened, making these cookies the perfect guilt-free treat!
Want more delicious vegan and gluten-free cookie recipes? Check out our Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies or Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies next!
This quick and easy 6 ingredient thumbprint cookie recipe will quickly become your favorite! They are the perfect cookies for the holidays, whether gifting to a loved one or enjoying them for yourself. These gluten-free thumbprint cookies are soft, buttery, lemony, and filled with sweet jam!
Reasons You’ll Love These Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies. It’s:
- Easy. It’s a beginner-friendly recipe. No previous baking experience is needed!
- Quick. Simply mix the ingredients in one bowl and your cookie dough is ready!
- Perfectly sweetened: no need for confection sugar, white sugar, or any other processed sweetener. These cookies are perfectly sweetened with pure maple syrup.
- Easily Customizable: You can use raspberry jam, blueberry jam, or your favorite jam!
- The Best Egg-free Thumbprint Cookie Recipe: The texture is perfect: pillowy, soft, chewy cookies. Achieved without using eggs!
- Made With Almond Flour: No need for any gluten-free blends or binders. All you need is almond flour to make these cookies.
What Are Thumbprint Cookies?
Thumbprint cookies are made by rolling a simple sugar cookie dough into a ball, flattening them, and using your thumb to make an indent in the center of the cookies that you can fill with your favorite jam. The Swedish name for this popular cookie is “Hallongrotta”, which means “raspberry cave” in Swedish.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Almond Flour: Make sure to use finely blanched almond flour NOT almond meal. We used Blue Diamond Almond Flour to make these cookies.
- Butter: We use Earth Balance Butter to keep these delicious, buttery cookies vegan. You can use regular butter instead if you would like.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is used to give the thumbprint cookies the perfect amount of sweetness while keeping them refined sugar-free. You can also use agave syrup.
- Vanilla Extract: You’ll need just a teaspoon of vanilla extract to get that warm vanilla flavor.
- Lemon: The zest and juice from one lemon are all that is needed to give a light, subtle lemon flavor to the cookies.
- Jam: We use a homemade jam for the thumbprint filing. It’s super easy to make homemade jam and my jam recipe takes less than 15 minutes! You can try my homemade Raspberry Chia Seed Jam, my Superfood Blueberry Chia Seed Jam, or simply use your favorite jam!
How to Make Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies
- Combine the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until well combined.
- Remember when measuring the flour, do not insert the measuring cup into the bag of flour. Instead, use a spoon and scoop out the flour into the measuring cup to have a more accurate measurement.
- Scoop out a tablespoon of the dough and roll it into a ball. Place each ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Make a small indentation in the middle of each cookie using your thumb or the back of a teaspoon.
- Fill the cookies with your favorite jam. Transfer the cookies into a preheated oven of 350°F and bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Tips for nailing the recipe:
- Mix the dough well so all the almond flour absorbs the liquid. Use a spatula to tightly pack the dough and make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Roll the cookies in sugar if you like. Thumbprint cookies are generally topped with sugar before baking. We like to keep these cookies sugar-free. However, if you like, roll the balls into sugar before indenting for a sugary smooth finish.
- To avoid cracks in the cookies roll the balls tightly and slowly indent the cookies with the back of a teaspoon. If you like, you can use the spatula or your fingers to smooth any cracks. (We don’t mind the cracks and feel they give the cookies a warm homemade look.)
Common Questions:
What is the best almond flour to use for these thumbprint cookies?
Not all almond flours are the same. In this recipe, we use Blue Diamond Almond Flour. It’s made from the best almonds and the flour is finely sifted, which means you get high-quality flour, making it easier to make the perfect desserts! If you cannot find Blue Diamond Almond Flour, make sure to use blanched almond flour, not almond meal.
Is Jam Gluten-Free?
Technically, jams that contain only fruit, sugar, and pectin should be gluten-free. However, some are not processed in gluten-free certified facilities and therefore may be contaminated with ingredients that contain gluten.
The best option is to search for jams that are labeled gluten-free OR make you’re own. It is very easy to make homemade jam and generally takes less than 10 minutes. Our Raspberry Chia Jam or Blueberry Chia Jam are great options!
What is the best way to store thumbprint cookies?
Store the thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. There is no need to store these cookies in the fridge, but you can if you prefer. They will last up to one week in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze my thumbprint cookies?
Yes! These cookies are perfect for freezing and enjoying later. Once the cookies are baked and have cooled at room temperature for at least an hour, you can freeze them. Place the thumbprint cookies in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper between each cookie. The cookies will last in the freezer for up to 1 (one) month.
When ready to enjoy, thaw the cookies overnight in the refrigerator. Rewarm the cookies in the oven at 350°F for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
We hope you enjoy this Gluten-Free Jam Thumbprint Cookies recipe!
If you make them, don’t forget to rate the recipe, and let me know what you think in the comments below! Take pictures, tag #goodfoodbaddie, and share them with me on Instagram! I love hearing from you!
More Gluten-Free + Vegan Deserts:
- Chocolate Almond Butter Cups with Raspberry
- Air Fryer Peaches
- Peach Cobbler
- Rocky Road Brownie Skillet!
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups Blanched Finely Sifted Almond Flour
- 1/4 cup Vegan Butter
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Lemon Zest
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup Raspberry Jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until well combined. Remember when measuring the flour, do not insert the measuring cup into the bag of flour. Instead, use a spoon and scoop out the flour into the measuring cup to have a more accurate measurement.
- Scoop out a tablespoon of the dough and roll tightly into a ball. Place each ball on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Make a small indentation in the middle of each cookie using your thumb or the back of a teaspoon.
- Fill the cookies with your favorite jam. Transfer the cookies into a preheated oven of 350°F and bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Substitute regular butter for a non-vegan option
- Fill with your favorite jam! You can make your own using my Raspberry Jam Recipe or Superfood Blueberry Jam Recipe.
21 comments
This was my first time making thumbprint cookies and I’m shocked at how easy they came together. Happy that I have a great recipe to come back to so I can make these at home from now on. Thanks!
I am glad you found them easy to make!! And happy you liked the recipe!
Yes please!!! These cookies look so yummy. I can’t wait to make these and add my favorite fig & honey jam
That sounds delicious! Definitely keep me posted on how it goes!
I love thumbprint cookies, but would never in a million years think a gluten free version was something to get excited about. Boy, was I wrong! These were so fantastic and vegan buttery!
This recipe brought me straight back to my childhood when my mom used to bake with us after school. I always said I would make these with my kids. Now I can use your recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sounds like a sweet memory! I am glad you like the recipe!
I always loved thumbprint cookies as a kid, so now that I’m gluten intolerant I was ecstatic to find a recipe for them that I can enjoy.
Same! These were my favorite growing up so I was happy to recreate a gluten-free version!
We really enjoyed the flavors of these cookies and they were so fluffy and light. The homemade raspberry jam brought it all home!
These were such a delicious treat this weekend! I can’t wait to make them again with your blueberry chia seed jam!
Hi Chenee! I am glad you enjoyed it!
I was so excited with the simplicity of this recipe, and even more excited with how delicious the cookies turned out! A simple list of ingredients created such a flavorful and delicious cookie!
That’s great to hear! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
I had never baked with almond flour before but you made it look so easy, I had to try. Will be making these cookies again for Christmas!
We loved this recipe! I decided to use salted butter and the cookies came out so good! Then with the raspberry jam, these were absolute perfection!
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