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Almond Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies are as simple to make as they are beautiful.

Use any flavor of preserves you’d like in these…. I happen to really love the amber glow of the apricot preserves. A thicker jam or fruit preserve is key to having a uniform color puddle in your cookies. Sprinkle with a touch of confectioners sugar for the ultimate eye-popper.

Almond Thumbprint Cookies ~ Vegan & Gluten Free

makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vegan margarine
  • 1 cup organic granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 2 tbsp water
  • 1  tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup sorghum flour
  • 1 cup potato starch
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • your favorite flavor of thick preserves, (no sugar added/ natural recommended)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Cream together margarine and sugar until smooth. Add in prepared flaxseed meal and almond extract and mix well.

In separate bowl, combine baking powder, sorghum flour, potato starch, almond meal and xanthan gum.

Gradually add flours into sugar mixture until a stiff dough forms.

Shape into 1 inch balls and place onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

Use the back of a 1/2 teaspoon (or your thumb) to make an indent in the cookies while slightly flattening them.

Fill with a little less than a teaspoon of preserves. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven and then let cool completely.

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and have yourself a cookie.

Share with friends!

30 Responses to Almond Thumbprint Cookies

  1. Michelle says:

    Found this website while trying to find the GF almond flour thumbprint cookie recipe that I used last year. Yours look similar enough so I am going to try them out! Glad to have found this blog, liked you on facebook, too!
    PS- Also found this while looking, http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/vegan-baking-and-sweets/cookies-and-bars/almond-thumbprint-cookies-vegan-gluten-free/attachment/almond-thumbprint-cookies/
    Appears your photos match…

    • allyson says:

      Glad you’ve found me too, Michelle! The photo on that website is mine, if you click on the link to the recipe, Nava Atlas gives me credit for both. Thanks for your concern though. :)

      Happy Holidays!
      allyson

  2. Maureen Cram says:

    I just made my third batch of these (over a period of a few weeks) using the only sorghum flour I can get (brown as you know!) and this time I used ‘normal’ thick jam instead of the totally fruit sweetened jam I had used before.

    Well……………………………. first of all the jam boiled all over the place and also boiled through the cookies so most of them were jam all the way through and cookie around the edges (if you can imagine that!). They still tasted good and were gobbled up by my family testers but I will only use the fruit sweetened preserves form now on. I only put a small amount in each one – less than half a teaspoon but it still boiled – due to the sugar methinks? Thought I would give you that feedback :).

    • allyson says:

      ahhhh, I have never tried before with sugary jam or jelly. great point! and sorry they kinda melted. :\

      thanks, Maureen!!

  3. […] I was at Trader Joe’s last week I found some almond meal and this Almond Thumbprint Cookie recipe looked perfect.  I used non-hydrogenated shortening instead of vegan butter, and mixed up a […]

  4. Jen says:

    These are amazing! Because we are allergic to potatoes here I had to sub out the potato flour. The shortbread on these is wonderful and the kids have asked me to make just the batter and leave off the jelly (but they are purists!). We will be coming back to these again and again. Thanks!!

    • allyson says:

      Yay Jen! That’s terrific, both that it worked well with a sub for potato starch and especially that your kids like ’em too (I was a purist when I was little, a big fan of “plain” flavored foods. :) Thanks so much for making this recipe!

  5. Colleen says:

    i finally made these & i have to say they’re the best gf vegan cookies i’ve made. my wheat-eating omni partner liked them & said they’d be good to serve to anyone, including other wheat-eating omnis, so i thought i’d share that with the rest of your readers. thanks again for all you do here!

  6. Caitlin says:

    i made these last night and my husband loved them even though he doesn’t normally like this type of cookie. Why did he love them? Because they were soft throughout, including the jam. He usually doesn’t like them because they are too tart, crunchy, and the fruit preserves are chewy/hard. Another winner!

    http://theveganchickpea.blogspot.com/2011/01/snowed-in-time-to-get-baking.html

    • allyson says:

      yay! that’s so great, and I agree… I have never been a fan of the crunchy jam filled cookies either, but soft one’s are a definite!

      is this your new blog?! so cool!! and subscribed!

      <3 <3

      • Caitlin says:

        yeah- i decided to start a blog! there aren’t very many up-to-date gluten-free vegan blogs out there, so i wanted to make one! thank you for subscribing! (the link i posted was with the thumbprint cookies i made; i also made your double choc-chip banana muffins last week, too!)
        <3you're my fav<3

  7. Aren’t these delightful! The idea of using preserves in the middle is a great way to extend flavours. The fact that these cookies are so health concious puts them over the top! Great pictures!

  8. Fanny says:

    They look so cute!

  9. sweet road says:

    These look perfect, and I’m sure they taste just as perfect!

  10. Katrina says:

    I’ve always been such a fan of thumbprints. Lovely recipe!

  11. Mihl says:

    These are so cute!

  12. There’s something special about thumbprint cookies :) lovely photos.

  13. Wendi says:

    Eye popper…love that writing style! I could use you at work.

  14. Colleen says:

    I have homemade preserves in my pantry from a dear friend. These look like they’ll do them justice for sure. Thanks, Allyson!

  15. Vegyogini says:

    I really, really like jam thumbprint cookies, but I never bake them! It looks like that will have to change since the inclusion of almond flour sounds delicious!

  16. Gina says:

    Love this! My mom just brought me back some roasted pineapple preserves from Hawaii that would probably be amazing in this recipe :)

  17. Caitlin says:

    these are so adorable! and i have all of the ingredients already! definitely making these soon ;)

  18. Junia says:

    i’m always trying to find healthier ways to make cookies! do you think there is a suitable, healthier, replacement for vegan butter? let me know your thoughts!

    and i love the almond thumbprints! almond extract is wonderful – the aroma, taste,…

    • allyson says:

      Hi Junia!
      hmmm… Coconut oil (firm at room temp) works GREAT in baking, and is better in many ways than margarine- but may not help too much if your looking for lower fat baked goods. ;)

      A banana smashed up or some applesauce always seems to work well with cookies too- although it may change the texture a bit. Maybe 3/4 cup banana/applesauce + 1/4 cup coconut oil would liven these things up to a healthy status? :D

      almond extract is wonderful- I could scent my entire world with it!

      • Junia says:

        thanks so much for the tips!!! i’ve worked with bananas and applesauce before, but haven’t used too much coconut oil yet. i’ll see how it goes with my next batch of healthy vegan cookies!! :)

  19. Those are beautiful.

  20. Noelle says:

    Beautiful! You definitely cannot go wrong with thumbprint cookies. You can send me some anytime! :D