These Gluten-Free Vegan Thumbprint Cookies are soft, melt-in-your-mouth "buttery" and filled with sticky, tart-sweet raspberry jam. They're also refined sugar free, come together in one bowl and the dough doesn't require chilling. Perfect for Christmas!
Thumbprint Cookies originally come from Sweden, where they are known as Hallongrotta. They are known as Thumbprint Cookies in the US, where they are commonly eaten as Christmas Cookies. Similar cookies are eaten in Australia, where they are known as jam drops.
The cookies are usually made with a crunchy shortbread cookie dough, or a soft sugar cookie dough. I tested both and decided to use a sugar cookie dough for these cookies as I prefer the soft, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Thumbprint cookies are traditionally made with raspberry jam, but you can use any type of jam you like.
I recommend something slightly tart such as apricot jam or strawberry jam. You can also use any other spread you like, such as a vegan chocolate spread or vegan lemon curd.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together the ingredients for the cookie dough in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: If the dough looks too wet: place it in the fridge for an hour to help it firm up. If it looks too dry: add a splash of any type of plant-based milk.
- Shape into small round, flat patties and lay out on a rectangular baking tray.
Tip: Line the baking tray with greased baking paper to make sure the cookies don't stick.
- Use your thumb or the back of a teaspoon to form an indent in the centre of each cookie.
- Fill each indent with a teaspoon of raspberry jam.
- Bake in the oven for around 10 minutes - be careful not to over-bake!
- They will still be very soft when they come out the oven, but will firm up as they cool down.
How long do these Thumbprint Cookies keep for?
These Thumbprint Cookies do taste best when fresh, but keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few days.
Substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can replace the coconut oil with coconut butter.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- If you don't need the cookies to be gluten-free, you can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour.
- The ground almonds can be replaced with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds and use a nut-free plant-based milk.
- For a refined sugar free version, make sure to use a refined sugar free jam or spread.
- You can replace the raspberry jam with any other jam or spread.
More gluten-free vegan cookie recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Blueberry Breakfast Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Chocolate Cookies
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Millionaire Shortbread
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
- Linzer Cookies
- Homemade Oreos
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make this recipe
Gluten-Free Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 30 g (⅛ cup) coconut oil (or sub coconut butter)
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other similar sweetener)
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend plus more for rolling (or sub rice flour, or plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 14 teaspoons raspberry jam ** (or sub any other jam or spread)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
- Add the maple syrup, almond milk, vanilla and salt and mix well.
- Measure out the ground almonds, gluten-free flour and baking powder and mix well.
- Add these to the other ingredients and mix well.
- If the dough looks too wet, placing it in the fridge for an hour will help it firm up. If it looks too dry, add a splash more plant-based milk.
- Shape into small round, flat patties and lay them out on a baking tray lined with greased baking paper - makes 14 cookies.
- Use your thumb or the back of a teaspoon to form an indent in the centre of each cookie.
- Fill each indent with a teaspoon of raspberry jam.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes - be careful not to over-bake!
- They will be slightly soft when you remove them from the oven and will firm up as they cool down.
- Taste best when fresh, but keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
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Julie Harkey
I made these over the weekend and they were yummy. I used a strawberry jam sweetened with fruit juice and no refined sugar. Even my non-vegan husband liked them. Next time I will use apricot jam which is the husband's favorite!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
Aidan
These are so easy to make and are delicious!!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
Elizabeth
I LOVE these!! I make myself half a batch and try to not eat them all in one sitting! They really are delicious. I especially like to make them when going to a get together so that I have something sweet to eat since I usually can’t eat any of the pre-made desserts. As always, your recipes use easy-to-find ingredients and don’t take long to make. Two huge winners in my book! Thank you!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!!
Anonymous
They are nice and soft. I have also tried home-made coconut caramel sauce instead of jam.
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!