Paleo Almond Thumbprint Cookies (Vegan Option!)
These gluten free almond thumbprint cookies have an irresistible marzipan-like flavor, a chewy center and a burst of sweet jam in the center. Best of all, they’re naturally paleo and dairy-free, and they can easily be made vegan! The vegan cookies are made with a flax egg instead of a regular egg. To make a flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for at least 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened (it will look viscous). The healthy cookies are a delicious everyday treat, and they're also fabulous for the holidays!
Servings: 25 cookies
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 2 cups (220g) almond flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet ingredients
- 1 large egg or 1 flax egg (see header)
- ½ cup (80g) coconut sugar (or ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar)
- ¼ cup neutral vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or any milk)
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ cup raspberry or cherry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to break up any clumps of almond flour.
Mix the wet ingredients and combine
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg (or flax egg), coconut sugar, oil, almond milk and almond extract until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until smooth (the dough will be quite thick). If your kitchen is warm, you can refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes to firm up (this will make the dough easier to scoop).
Scoop and bake
- Using a mini ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop out 1-inch size balls of the dough and place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Using a damp finger, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill each cookie with about ¼-½ teaspoon of jam.
- Bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, or until they're golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets (they will firm up as they cool).
Notes
Storage: The cookies can sit at room temperature for up to 8 hours, or they can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The also freeze beautifully (you can stash them for up to 2 months)! Once chilled the cookies will become wonderfully chewy (they're delicious straight out of the freezer).
Tips:
- I always recommend baking with an inexpensive kitchen scale, especially when using gluten free flours, which can vary widely in weight depending on how they're scooped. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the almond flour into measuring cups.
- A mini ice cream scoop makes it really easy to scoop the cookie dough!
- Pure almond extract gives these cookies a delicious marzipan-like flavor.
- I recommend using raspberry or cherry jam in these almond thumbprint cookies, which complement the sweet almond flavor (apricot jam tends to get lost, and strawberry jam is a bit too overpowering). For paleo thumbprint cookies, be sure to use a paleo friendly jam.
- Check out these Mini Pecan Tarts, these No-Bake Vegan Cookie Bars, and these Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies!