I’ve loved thumbprints ever since I was a kid. Any recipe that tells me to jam my thumb into cookie dough and fill it with actual jam is a winner in my books. Did you ever eat those packaged cookies with the cream and gooey strawberry filling? Not technically a thumbprint cookie I guess, but they sure did taste amazing. I don’t even want to know how many sleeves of those cookies I ate growing up. I’m sure you’d still see a few clinging to my artery walls!
Today, I have a vegan and gluten-free version to add to my growing thumbprint recipe collection. This time, I set my heart on making a thumbprint with a lovely raspberry almond flavour using almonds, almond butter, almond extract, and raspberry jam as the feature ingredients. They turned out fantastic – lightly sweet, with a buttery almond flavour and pop of sweet raspberry goodness. If you are a fan of peanut butter and jam, you will love this “grown-up” version.
Served with a side of Gossip Girl on Monday night, it was the perfect balance of wholesome…and not so wholesome. Eric claims he isn’t a fan of both thumbprints and Gossip Girl, but I found him devouring both. Never trust a person who says they don’t like thumbprint cookies!
Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies (Gluten-Free and Vegan)
Yield
18 cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups raw almonds, processed into almond meal (about 1.5 cups almond meal)
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1/4 tsp + 1/8th tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/2 cup raw almond butter (see note)
- 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 5-6 tbsp raspberry jam
- approx 1/3 cup shredded coconut, for rolling
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a large baking sheet with oil, use a silpat mat, or line with parchment paper.
- If making almond meal, place raw almonds into a high-speed blender. Process on high speed until a fine crumb, making sure not to process too long or the oils will release. Alternatively, you can use store bought almond meal.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (almond meal, rice flour, ground flax, salt, and baking powder). Use your fingers to break up any clumps of the almond meal. In a smaller bowl, mix together the almond butter, maple syrup, and almond extract. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until combined.
- Shape dough into balls (about 1.5 tbsp or so). If dough is too sticky, place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up.
- Roll balls in coconut. Place balls of dough about 1.5-2 inches apart on the baking sheet. With your thumb, press into the middle of the ball and shape a small well with your fingers. Add 1 tsp of jam into each well.
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, watching closely after 9 minutes. I baked mine for 11.5 minutes. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Channel your inner grandma and enjoy with hot tea!
Tip:
If making these completely gluten-free be sure to check all your ingredients to ensure they are certified gluten-free. The almond butter I used is very "drippy" so I don’t suggest using a firm nut butter here. If you do, you may have to add some oil to the mixture. You can also roll the balls in chopped nuts instead of coconut.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
If you find yourself with some delicious in-season raspberries (or other berries!), you can try making your own raspberry puree or jam for the middle. I would probably just smash some with a fork and add a bit of sweetener to taste!
I LOVE thumbprint cookies! I never would’ve thought to add the coconut to it; what a fun twist!!
You can also roll the balls into chopped nuts…I’ve done that before and it adds a great crunch!
These look delightful! I have been eyeing thumbprint cookies and I am excited to try a raw version too! Have a great day!
That’s funny, I made a raw version yesterday! I think it might be for the book though, I’m not sure yet. :)
THese look great!
These look excellent!
These look soooo good! Love the new header, by the way.
Ahh there seems to be cookies everywhere this morning… except in my kitchen!! These sound amazing Ange! Now that I’m home from Australia I’m totally craving fresh berries, especially raspberries. PS Love the new header!
Welcome back Ange!
For some reason I associate thumb print cookies with Christmas… Not sure why, I guess maybe that is when my mom used to make them. These ones look light and delicious, I can’t wait to try them with a fresh berry puree.
Wow, these look great! I like the idea of rolling them in nuts instead of coconut because my hubby is opposed to coconut. Mmm..
These look delicious! I’ve only ever made thumbprint cookies once, and then when I see recipes for them, I wonder why the heck I haven’t made them more often!
These cookies look very delicious, I love the coconut addition!!!
These are so pretty!
Random Gossip Girl story – I was in a little town in Italy and we saw a poster advertising the show. I guess the Italians are into it too! :)
These look amazing. I cannot wait to make this!
Yum!
I love thumb printcookies and recently gone gluten-free. Is almond meal the same as almond flour? Can you substitute them?
Hey Nancy, Great question! Almond FLOUR is made from blanched almonds, while almond meal is made from whole almonds with their skin on. Almond flour tends to be very fine whereas meal has a bit grainier or heartier texture.
You could probably sub almond flour for the meal in this recipe, although Im not sure if any adjustments would need to be made. I cant really find a reason as to why it wouldnt work!
Flour sub for the non gluten free folks? Spelt?
Hey Katie, Have you checked out this other thumbprint recipe on the blog? Its vegan but not gluten free. http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6001715
I used to make these cookies with my grandma all the time so it brings back good memories :) I love that they are GF and vegan! They look delicious
I have been on such a raspberry jam and almond butter kick… and I always love cookies! Thanks for a great recipe :)
Eeek! A vegan and gf version of my all-time favorite christmas cookie :)
Mouthwatering delicious. I will be using fresh strawberries for these right now since they are in season here in SC.
I actually made a similar version of these at Christmas time, except I made an almond butter chocolate filling instead of the jam. When my parents visited my husband and I for Christmas, my Dad polished them off quicker than any other cookie!I :)
Those look so delicious – I love thumbprint cookies!
These sound delicious and look so pretty!! And I just love all of your food styling pictures lately – so beautiful.
Oh my gosh…these look so delicious! Thumbprints will always be my favorite cookie. There’s just something about that perfect little circle of jelly in the middle that I absolutely love and always beats out chocolate (which is no small feat!) for me. This version is about 10 million times healthier than the recipe card in my kitchen passed down from about 3 generations in my family. Definitely trying these out :)
I agree that it beats out chocolate…and I rarely say that! Although I make a chocolate shake today that just about blew any dessert Ive ever made out of the water. heh
These look amazing! I always love thumbprint cookies! :)
I love the new header!
Thanks Anne!
Love thumbprint cookies AND love almond and rasberries together! *Swoon* They look beautiful… I want to just pluck one off the tray!
You must have really not liked the new banner as I see the old one is back up ; )
These cookies sound delicious. The only fruity cookie that I thought went together as a kid was the fig newton…have you ever tried making those? Would love to see a recipe for it in the future!
How is knee healing?
The new header is still up! heh. I think you just need to refresh your browser window? Press control + F5 and it should appear. I am thinking about shooting a new one though…
Thanks for asking about my knee. It’s still off. It’s now been over a month since I’ve run. I’ve heard that knees can take time. Luckily Ive found love with yoga, pilates, and spinning to keep me entertained and strengthen my muscles.
I havent tried making fig newtons but I LOVED them growing up! I will have to make them :)
Control + F5 … you can also add IT genius to your CV!
Sorry to hear about the knee, but you’re so smart to listen to your body & take the time off from running rather than creating a worse injury that may lead you to never be able to run again. I do love yoga, pilates & spinning too. I love biking so much that my husband surprised me a couple of years ago with my very own spinning bike!!
Have you heard of yogaglo.com? Or gaiamtv.com? You should check them out. Yogaglo is strictly yoga & fabulous. I had a subscription to them for a few months & then found gaiamtv recently & made the switch because they have everything. I still prefer practicing yoga in a studio, but sometimes the class schedule doesn’t agree with my work schedule.
Yay for the possibility of a fig newton recipe in the future!
hah well Eric has to get credit for teaching me the control + F5. I think he had to tell me 10 times before I finally remembered to do it. ;)
I haven’t heard of those sites but will check them out! Thanks
Are you taking request? I would also LOVE a fig newton recipe!! ;)
mmm those are my favs!!!
Organic Raspberries are so expensive in NYC. It’s crazy- I went to buy them yesterday and they were $7 for a tiny pack!
we always roll our thumbprints into crumbled wlanuts :)
I love doing that too :)
I just love this recipe Angela, it makes me more proud of my Canadian roots {and though I know you’ve TONS of Canadian readers, I’d like to think that I represent the USA-with-Canadian-grandparents OSG readers out there!}…not that thumbprints are especially Canadian…but you did make THIS recipe…and my grandmother taught me to make them
I love thumbprint cookies! These look & sound amazing. I love how pretty they are. Something about the wholegrains & raspberry jam together :D
I love thumbprint cookies! These look delicious!
These look fantastic! I’m doing my grocery shopping tonight after work and making sure to pick up all the ingredients I need… these are being made tonight!
Fabulous new header!
And I made PB & J thumbprint cookies before Valentine’s Day and now I now what to do with my raspberries this season…however, I don’t usually have too many “leftovers” b/c I adore them and eat them by the pint-full!
cookies look good
Do you soak your nuts before using?
Nope. I think if you soak them you have to dehydrate them before baking with them.
Why would you soak them?
I have read it is beneficial here is one of the links about why you would soak them
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/beverage1/a/soaking-nuts.htm
These would be lovely for mother’s day brunch! thanks for the recipe!
I love fruit in my cookies and thumbprints are some of my favorites! BOOKMARKED :)
I’m imagining these with Nutella….! And GG is such a great show.
These look great! I have recently discovered the joys of baking with almond meal and I am excited for this recipe! One question though: what is the difference between regular baking powder and aluminum-free? Is it healthier?
Hey Kelli, The studies on aluminum exposure are quite controversial, however I like to err on the side of caution. I also find that AF baking powder tastes much better in baked goods (you don’t get that metallic taste).
These look great! I will definitely have to try them! :o)
Speaking of almonds, do you know anywhere in Ontario where you can buy almond flour? I’ve looked everywhere but it only seems to be available online with crazy expensive shipping fees.
Thanks.
I’ve seen it at some health food stores, Loblaws, and whole foods. You can make it if you have a high speed blender. Just buy some blanched almonds and process until a fine flour and then sift out any clumps.
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These look delicious. Will have to try these soon!
These look amazing! My mom used to make a not-so-healthy version of these. I loved them!
Those look so delicious! (1st time here)
Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you Angela for the many gluten free recipes and tips – so very much appreciated!
I’d love for you to do a post on vegan options for dinner that don’t involve beans or tofu. Reason is that my husband is still mostly suspicious of tofu (though we did try your one baked tofu strips recipe), and beans really give him horrible indigestion. I’ve done some pasta sauces with pureed white beans (in smaller amount) that was a hit, but I have to be very careful with the amount. Suggestions?
Dessert, of course, is already covered!!!
I suggest the following:
15 minute creamy avocado pasta
lasagna with lemon basil cashew cheeze
broccoli & cheeze soup
roasted tomato basil pesto pasta
mushroom risotto
tomato basil cream pasta
vegan lentil walnut loaf
all found here, among others: http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?search_term=entree&ui=133&c=1
goodluck! I can relate to your dilemma, Eric used to not eat any beans.
Looks delicious! Will be making these on “Baking Friday” with a citrus marmalade I picked up last weekend!
I love the classic nut butter & fruit combo in any form – these thumb print cookies look like a delicious vessel for it!
I can’t wait to get off work so that I can go home and make these!
Yum!!
You know, I have NEVER made thumbprint cookies! That’s insane! I’m thinking I’m going to have to try these out!!! Yum!
OHMYGOSH i love you; they have these at WF and are my absolute favourite cookie!
These will probs be better can’t wait to get my bake on :)