Are you a thumbprint fan? Alex and I have got a fresh spin on the classic that’s so good, we’ve called it “the best”. And we think you’ll agree! These almond thumbprint cookies are made with almond flour, homemade berry jam, and sweetened with maple syrup. If you’d like, add our easy powdered sugar glaze, which takes them from good to amazing! With just the right chewy texture from the almond flour, these cookies are a healthy spin on the traditional but taste even better. Ready to get started?
The highlight: the homemade berry jam!
The highlight of these almond thumbprint cookies is the homemade jam (similar to our Easy Strawberry Jam). The flavor is incredible: it tastes like pure berry. And it’s made with maple syrup, so it’s refined sugar free and just sweet enough. While you could substitute a store-bought jam, we recommend making the homemade version because it brings the perfect sweetness and berry flavor to these cookies. It takes only 15 minutes to whip up, and for easy prep you can make it in advance. Frozen berries work well for making homemade jam: though you could use fresh if you have them! Any variety of frozen berries work, but these cookies work best with mixed berries or raspberries. The photos show our version with mixed berries. Using raspberries would give them an even brighter red color, which would be perfect for the holidays and Christmas cookie trays!
Almond flour makes the best almond thumbprint cookies.
What makes for the best almond thumbprint cookies? Almond flour! Almond flour is finely ground blanched almonds: it’s often used as an alternative flour in gluten free baking. (Here are all our almond flour recipes: it’s perfect in cookies and cakes!) Be careful not to confuse it with almond meal, which is a coarser grind and contains the almond peels. Almond flour makes for the perfectly-textured almond thumbprint cookie. It results in a chewy cookie texture, versus a crumbly shortbread. Also note that this recipe does not include almond extract, so it doesn’t have an almond flavor essence: it’s simply made with almonds.
Are they healthy?
Are these healthy almond thumbprint cookies? Well, no cookies are really health food. However, we consider these to be a healthy spin because:
The dough is 2/3 almonds, which equals more nutrients and less refined flour. The jam and dough are lightly sweetened with maple syrup, making them refined sugar free. While this is still sugar, it’s a gentler sweetness. It’s also just sweet enough, not a sugar bomb. The jam is homemade with real berries, making it have a small dose of actual fruit. (OK, it’s not a lot, but more than most cookies!)
Can you make these thumbprint cookies gluten free?
In these almond thumbprint cookies, we’ve used 2 cups almond flour and 1 cup all purpose flour. Using the mixture that includes all purpose flour makes for the perfect texture. Using 100% almond flour can result in a very dense, crumbly cookie. If you’d like to make these gluten free, use your favorite 1 for 1 gluten free flour in place of the all-purpose flour. We wouldn’t recommend doing all almond flour.
Can you make these vegan thumbprint cookies?
You can! Just substitute coconut oil or vegan butter for the butter. The texture is such that they’ll work the same way!
Easy powdered sugar icing—in 1 minute!
To take these easy almond thumbprint cookies over the top, we’ve used our favorite trick: powdered sugar icing! I grew up eating a cookie called Swedish raspberry cookies that was iced in a similar way. Once we added the icing on top, we knew we had a hit. We made these cookies with Alex’s mother in law. I mixed up the icing and was back in 1 minute ready to drizzle it on. “Wait, you already made it?” she exclaimed. She was excited about how easy this icing was to make! All you have to do is:
Mix together ½ cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk. Whisk until all the lumps dissolve and the icing is smooth. Use a fork to drizzle on the cookies! Using a fork helps to get a thin drizzle, whereas a spoon can be too chunky.
Looking for more great cookies?
And that’s it, the very best almond thumbprint cookies! Let us know if you try them out in the comments below. We usually make them as a Christmas dessert or for holiday cookie swaps, but they work any time of the year. If you’re looking for more cookie recipes, here are some of our favorites:
Linzer Cookies These traditional Austrian cookies feature almond shortbread and a jam cutout. No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies These no bakes are a step above the rest!Hot Chocolate Cookies These amazing chocolate cookies have a melty marshmallow center.Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Here are the very best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you’ll find! Chewy and packed with chocolate, a hint of molasses makes them utterly irresistible.Gluten Free Russian Tea Cakes (Snowballs): These snowball cookies are also made with almond flour, and heightened with cozy chai spices. Soft Gingerbread Cookies: These cookies use almond butter to replace most of the butter, wheat flour for a few extra nutrients, and applesauce to keep them soft.
This almond thumbprint cookies recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten free or vegan, see the recipe below for substitutes. 5 from 1 review
1 ½ cups frozen raspberries or mixed berries ½ cup pure maple syrup ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons cornstarch
For the almond cookies
2 cups almond flour 1 cup all purpose or 1-for-1 gluten free flour ¼ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup pure maple syrup 5 tablespoons melted butter (sub coconut oil or vegan butter for vegan)
For the glaze (you’ll use about ¾ of this)
½ cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon milk (or oat or almond milk for vegan)
