These pillowy soft, gluten free thumbprint cookies are made with almond flour and rice flour for a tender yet structured shortbread-style cookie that pairs perfectly with your favourite jam. One bowl, 7 ingredients, 30 minutes and naturally vegan!

thumbprint cookies
These yummy vegan thumbprint cookies are made with almond flour, so they’re naturally gluten free and pair beautifully with your favourite jam!

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If you ask me, I will confidently declare that I’m more into savoury than sweet…but I do tend to go weak in the knees for a really good cookie. What that means for me is that I like my desserts not to be tooth-achingly sweet. (It has nothing to do with the fact I’m a dietitian…it’s just a taste preference!)

These tender, buttery thumbprint cookies are rich and satisfying but not too sweet, so they’re the perfect vehicle for your favourite jam or preserve. Adapted from my vegan shortbread cookie recipe and made with almond flour so they’re pillowy and just a bit chewy, with a kiss of jam or homemade cranberry sauce, which I love to do around the holidays.

I think almond flour is an ideal baking flour because it’s naturally gluten free and creates a tender, moist crumb thanks to the healthy fats and protein it contains. It holds together well without adding gums and because there is no gluten, you don’t have to worry about over mixing so it’s great for even a novice baker. Which is why it’s probably the flour I use most often both here on the blog and in my cookbooks, like Eat More Plants.

Almond flour has a delicate sweetness all on its own so you can use less sugar in your recipe and I add a little brown rice flour to firm up the structure and make these cookies a bit more budget friendly. I love thumbprint cookies all year round but if these are a holiday staple for you, these would be perfect for a holiday gift exchange or party.

This is the perfect recipe to get you baking up a storm with the kiddos too, because all you have to do is mix the ingredients together in a bowl, shape with your hands and bake.

Just a couple of tips to help you rock these gluten free thumbprint cookies

baking ingredients in bowls
Almond flour keeps these cookies tender and moist, while rice flour helps with structure but yes, you can just sub extra almond flour if you prefer!

I say this again and again, but I don’t want your cookies to fail…the type of butter you use matters! For vegan butters, I prefer Earth Balance sticks or Miyoko’s vegan butter for a better structure.

hand pouring vanilla into bowl
Remember, the butter is COLD here!
batter with mixer
the wet ingredients will still look kind of chunky and that’s okay! as long as the butter looks fluffy.
hand kneading cookie dough
the dough will look crumbly until you need it.

Jam consistency matters too…I’ve used Bonne Maman cherry jam, because I love the cherry pieces but you’ll notice…they bleed a bit. If you use a thicker jam, this won’t happen, which is maybe better for gifting?

hand scooping thumbprint cookies
roll into a tight ball to minimize cracking.
pressing thumbprint cookies
try to make a deep, not wide indent for better jam placement
hand spooning jam into thumbprint cookies
If your jam is runny like mine, it might bleed a bit!

More easy (and delicious!) almond flour baking recipes

thumbprint cookies

Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Flour (Vegan)

20 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
These pillowy soft gluten free thumbprint cookies are made with almond flour and rice flour for a tender yet structured shortbread-style cookie that pairs perfectly with your favourite jam. One bowl, 7 ingredients, 30 minutes and naturally vegan!
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • ½ cup cold vegan butter, I like Earth Balance sticks or Miyoko's
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup your favourite jam, Bonne Maman is gluten free
Imperial – Metric

Equipment

  • Handheld mixer optional

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ (175℃) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, beat the vegan butter, maple syrup and vanilla together with a wooden spoon or handheld beaters until the butter is broken down and distributed within the liquid. It won’t look smooth or well blended at this point.
  • Sprinkle the almond flour, rice flour and salt evenly over the wet ingredients and mix well with the beaters or your spoon until the dough holds together well when you press it between your fingers. Using your hands, give the dough a couple of kneads to form a more solid dough.
  • Scoop 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of dough and roll it into a tight ball to help minimize cracks, then gently press into 1 cm (½ inch) disks and place on the cookie sheet.
  • Using the back of a ½ teaspoon (2 mL) measure or just the tip of your thumb, gently make a round indentation in the cookie. Fill with ½ teaspoon (2 mL) of your favourite jam. The thicker it is, the less the jam will bleed across the cookie.
  • Bake until the tops are just set and cookies are golden on the bottom, about 10-12 minutes. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and let cool fully. Because this is a gluten free and vegan cookie, the cookies won’t be firm until they cool.

Notes

Low FODMAP note: 2 cookies are low FODMAP, as long as you use a low FODMAP jam like strawberry or raspberry.
If you don’t gobble up the entire batch immediately, these cookies store well in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days on the counter and you can even eat them straight out of the freezer if you want to store them longer!
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert, Snack
Author: Desiree Nielsen, RD

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