Thumbprint Cookies
These thumbprint cookies offer classic shortbread flavor with dazzling jam centers. Almond flour makes them gluten free and extra delicious!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 19, 2024
69Comments
Jump to recipe
These thumbprint cookies offer classic shortbread flavor with dazzling jam centers. Using almond flour makes them gluten free and extra delicious! They’re tender and buttery with a pop of sweetness in the center. Make these irresistible cookies for any special occasion, or just because.
This thumbprint cookie recipe is honestly so easy to make. You don’t need a mixer. You don’t need to wait for perfectly softened butter. You don’t need to chill the dough before baking. The dough comes together so quickly and rolls so easily that this recipe would be a fun baking project with kids. If you don’t typically bake with almond flour, this recipe is absolutely worth buying the bag.
Thumbprint cookies are particularly fun and versatile because you can change the flavor and the color of the centers by your choice of jam. These treats are perfect for the holidays, like Valentine’s Day (I suggest raspberry or strawberry filling), Easter (try several jams for a fun color mix), Independence Day (perhaps raspberry and blueberry), and Christmas (anything red).
For those with special diet considerations, I’ll point out that this recipe happens to be gluten free and egg free. You can make it dairy free and vegan by substituting coconut oil for the butter (see recipe notes). It’s also partially naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Of course, the recipe is not nut free due to the almond flour, but it might be just the cookie you’ve been searching for.
I’ve been perfecting this recipe over the past couple of months. I’m just so excited to share it with you! I hope it becomes a go-to recipe for you, too.
Thumbprint Cookie Ingredients
Almond Flour
Use fine blanched almond flour for this recipe. Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur and Whole Foods 365 brands yield great results for these cookies. Almond flour or meal made with whole almonds (not blanched/including the skins) will yield a more rustic texture with untraditional flavor. I don’t recommend those types.
To measure your almond flour, use a kitchen scale if you have it! I’ve included gram measurements in the recipe below. I strongly recommend weighing almond flour versus using measuring cups. Even when using the same scooping technique (spooned and leveled), we’ve found big differences between measurements—even more so than with regular wheat flour.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, whisk your flour in the bag before measuring to smooth out any lumps. Then, use a big spoon to spoon flour into the cups, leveling off the top with a knife.
Butter
We’ll use unsalted butter to maintain full control over the salt level. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove, just until it’s melted (not excessively hot).
Maple Syrup
This cookie dough is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, which imparts very subtle maple flavor. Always use real maple syrup, not the artificial kind.
Vanilla Extract & Salt
A little bit of vanilla lends some additional flavor to this cookie recipe. If you want to lean into the almond flavor, you could also add up to 1 teaspoon almond extract. Fine salt enhances all of the flavors.
Sugar
Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar does two things. First, it offers some light sweetness in each bite. Second, it offers some additional texture, which is especially welcome on days two and three after baking since the cookies soften a bit with time. You can omit the sugar here, but I recommend it for cookies that really taste like a treat! (They are still not too sweet.)
Jam or Preserves
Use jam or preserves of your choice. Any fruity flavor should taste good. Consider that the color of the jam will become slightly darker during baking. I used Bonne Maman’s Raspberry Preserves, which yields amazing flavor and a beautiful color. You could use more than one variety of jam, alternating between cookies, for different colors and flavors within one batch! Here’s a fun Bonne Maman four-pack of jams or cute mini sampler pack—both would leave you with a lot of extra jam.
Thumbprint Cookie Tips
Here are a few tips and an instructional video!
This recipe is easy to make, especially when you have the right tools. You can bake the full batch of cookies at once on this large baking sheet (affiliate link)—I use these half sheets all the time for roasting vegetables, too. The rim is helpful so the cookies don’t slide off.
To scoop the cookies, use your smallest cookie scoop or measure about 2 teaspoons’ worth of dough with measuring spoons (that’s two-thirds of one tablespoon). If you make your cookies any larger than specified, your yield will be reduced and the cookies will need a little more time in the oven.
Gently roll the cookies between your palms to minimize any lines or cracks in the dough. Roll them both before and after you roll the dough balls in sugar. This dough is very easy to work with.
Use a small, round measuring spoon or your thumb to slowly press downward and make a well for the jam. Contrary to the name of the cookies, I have better luck with the measuring spoon than my thumb!
Stir your jam well before using. If the jam is too firm to work with, gently warm it in the microwave for a few seconds, just until it’s easy to stir.
Then, fill the well with no more than 1/2 teaspoon jam. Too much, and the jam might seep over the edge during baking. Baking the cookies with the jam in place helps dehydrate the jam a bit, which concentrates the flavor and helps the jam set even further.
Lastly, spend a minute smoothing any cracks around the edges of the cookies before baking, which is quick and easy to do with your finger. The cracks will become more pronounced during baking, so it’s best to minimize them beforehand.
Watch How to Make Thumbprint Cookies
More Cookies & Treats to Try
Gluten-Free Cookies
Here are a few more cookie recipes that just happen to be gluten free.
Almond Flour Treats
If you’re enjoying almond flour like I am, try these almond flour recipes.
- Apple & Carrot “Superhero” Muffins
- Gluten-Free Almond Cake with Berries on Top
- Gluten-Free Banana Bread
- Mixed Berry Crisp (Gluten Free) or more crisps here
Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Thumbprint Cookies
These thumbprint cookies offer classic shortbread flavor with dazzling jam centers. Almond flour makes them gluten free and extra delicious! Recipe yields 22 to 24 small cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (191 grams) fine blanched almond flour, spooned and leveled
- 6 tablespoons (80 grams) unsalted butter, melted but not overly hot
- ¼ cup (80 grams) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar, for rolling
- 6 tablespoons jam or preserves of choice (raspberry recommended), well stirred
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to ensure that the cookies don’t stick to the pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, melted butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until the dough is uniformly blended and smooth.
- Pour the sugar into a small bowl and set it aside. Use a small cookie scoop (size 70 portioner) or scoop 2 teaspoons of the dough with measuring spoons. Gently roll the dough into a ball between your palms. Drop the ball into the bowl of sugar and roll it around until lightly coated all around. Gently roll it into a ball once more and place it on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, keeping the balls about 2 inches apart.
- To make indentions for the jam, use the rounded back of a teaspoon or your thumb to gently press an indentation in the center of each cookie dough ball. If the dough cracks around the edges, take the time to gently smooth it back together. Fill each indentation with a level ½ teaspoon of jam (no more!). If the jam is too firm to work with, gently warm it in the microwave for a few seconds, just until it’s easy to stir.
- Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, until they start to turn lightly golden around the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely. Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, ideally in a single layer, for up to 7 days. They become a little more tender as time goes on, so I wouldn’t suggest shipping these.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Replace the butter with an equal amount of just-melted coconut oil. Unrefined coconut flavor will impart some coconut flavor; use refined coconut oil if you don’t want to taste coconut. If you are following a vegan diet, be sure to choose vegan sugar and jam.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Yay!! I am excited about this recipe! Perfect thing to make today!
Yay! Please report back!
One of my favorite cookies from childhood! I can’t wait to try this version using almond flour!
Hope you love it! Please report back!
I finally made these today! They were even better than I imagined! Thank you for sharing your recipes with all of us!
You’re welcome, Regan!
I have a nut allergy, do you recommend another flour to use?
I’m sorry, I have not tested these cookies with any other flours. Nut flours behave a little differently so I’m not sure what to suggest without quite a bit of testing.
Would the filling for pecan tassies work in this cookie?
I think so! I’ve never made those cookies. I would probably use the muffin tin method called for in most tassie recipes so you could add more than 1/2 teaspoon filling per cookie. Please report back if you try it.
I heard of these just recently and wondered what they were, turns out we call them jam drops in Australia.
Jam drops! I like that name even better!
In Australia, they also called Santas bottoms
These look delicious! Can you roll the dough balls in coconut sugar instead of granulated?
Hi! That should work. The cookies will be a little darker around the edges because the sugar is brown instead of translucent.
We have dairy issues and nut allergies
Can all purpose flour be used in place of almond flour?
Also, did you test using the coconut oil? I’ve been struggling with finding good replacements for butter that don’t taste too heavy.
Hi Laura, I’m really not sure on the all-purpose flour. If you want to try, measure the flour by weight to keep it constant with the almond flour, but I’m really not sure how it would turn out. Most thumbprint cookies with all-purpose flour also include an egg yolk, so you might be better off with a different recipe. Yes, I did test it with coconut oil and the cookies turned out well. I used unrefined coconut oil, which imparted a coconut flavor and was definitely a departure from buttery shortbread flavor.
Kate, could she use half oat flour and half soft white flour with a flax egg? I have had success with that combination in most cookie recipes when replacing white flour.
Maybe! I would really have to test it to find out. I have had decent luck replacing all-purpose flour with almond flour if I go by the weight of the flour (not measuring in cups). So there’s a chance that an equal weight of all-purpose flour might work here, plus an egg or flax egg.
I made these today! They turned out really well. I also can’t have dairy so I used the earth balance soy free butter instead of the coconut oil and it worked really well. Can’t help with the flour part but try that butter!
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Meg.
These cookies were just as described; scrumptious. I used 1 teasp of almond extract and 1/2 teasp of vanilla.
I opted to make mine large, so I divided the dough in 12. Baked them for 20 minutes because of the larger size
I’m glad you loved them!
Hello, I used a scale and 191 grams is 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups. Is there a typo? I use Anthony’s blanched almond flour. Had to add more almond flour to get a dough.
Hi Marti! No, it’s not a typo. We averaged 85 grams per cup of almond flour, so 85×2=170+21 grams for the 1/4 cup. It should have worked with 191 grams—that’s what we used for these pictures and the video. The dough is not like a hard cookie dough but more like Play-doh consistency, very easy to roll with a light hand. How did you measure your flour? If you scooped the flour directly into the cups or packed the flour into the cups, it would measure differently. I used the spoon-and-level method.
Hi Kate,
I used a scale with a glass 4 cup as my bowl so that is how I could see the volume. Then I looked at my bag of Anthony’s and they show 112 grams per cup. For comparison I checked a bag of Trader Joe’s and it says 120 grams per cup. They must measure it more packed.
It sounds like the scale is the way to go to get the accuracy and what you want is a very soft dough. I will try the recipe again. :)
Marti
Yes, they must be measuring it differently. Please let me know how it turns out next time!
Love cookie recipes without the need for a mixer!! A quick question: can I freeze the cookies or maybe freeze the cookie dough? Thank you!
Hi Li! I wish I’d thought to try freezing the cookies. They do soften with time. You’d probably have best luck flash-freezing them all on a small tray, then layering them in a structured container with parchment or wax paper between the layers. Freezing the dough might work, too. Please report back if you try!
I’m going to try agave instead of maple syrup — just not a maple person — thoughts?
I think that should work ok! You can’t taste much of the maple here. I do not recommend honey; it browns too much and overwhelms the flavor.
I made them this morning with agave instead of maple syrup and with sweet orange marmalade instead of jam. Delicious! Maybe the best I have ever baked. And the dough mixes up so soft and easy, like silk, just a really fun experience.
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Rachel!
Thank you for including weight measurements!!
Awesome lovely biscuits, definitely will become a favourite.
I didn’t add the sugar for rolling as they tasted great without it.
Thankyou
You’re welcome, Denise! I appreciate your review.
These were very tasty and easy to make! My only issue was the jam seeped into the cookies so they weren’t as filled, but I think it was probably the jam I used. I’ll try another thicker jam or preserves next time.
Thank you for sharing, Liz!
Can I make it with regular ap flour?
This recipe is best as written. If you try it another way, let me know how it goes for you!
Can these be stored in the freezer??
I made them 2 days ago and they are absolutely delicious! I wanted a healthier alternative for school snacks for my daughter and I find I can’t stop eating them myself! (My 3 yr old loves them btw)
You could try it! Let me know how they turn out for you, Heidi.
I substitute with 1/2 cup of coconut flour for a nuttier taste, and while it held to together it was on the verge of cracking and about to fall apart, but the taste was delightful.
Hi Rini, thanks for sharing! Coconut flour is highly absorptive, so that would explain the difference in texture. I love them as written! You could add a little almond extract for even more almond flavor, if you’d like.
Hi Kate,
thank you for the tips! I also made it w/ MCT oil and it was even more tastier. Today i’ll make it with less coconut flour.
My one wish is that your amazing recipe had made it into your “love Real Food” cook book. ;) Appreciate your recipe very much!
Rini
Great to hear, Rini! I appreciate your review.
Please recheck the recipe quantity for doubling or tripling. The metric amounts have not been adjusted.
Hi Virginia, I’m sorry about that. That feature is automatic and a bit finicky at times.
So yummy! Made these tonight for the hubby and he LOVED them! Thanks for a great recipe. I thought I made them the right size, but still only ended up with 16 cookies. They were big after baking, but I will definitely make again.
Thanks so much for reporting back, Jeni! Delighted to hear that you both enjoyed them! I’m guessing your cookies were probably 1 tablespoon of dough each rather than 2 teaspoons.
Hi, I’m curious what consistency the cookies should be? Mine came out rather soggy, and I’m not sure if that’s the goal or if they should be more sugar cookie-like. Baking at altitude so things often turn out differently. The dough was delicious!
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that! Altitude is tricky and I don’t have enough experience to offer suggestions. The cookies should be a tender shortbread-like consistency.
Thank you for the reply!!
I think the amount of grams for the almond flour is wrong! 191 grams is not enough.
Hi Laura, that is for sure the amount that I tested the recipes with! You could stir in more if the dough is being difficult.
Thank you for this delicious recipe which was easy to make vegan. I used olive oil instead of the coconut oil and used the grams measurement instead of the cup measurement. I had to add quite a bit more almond flour as the dough was way too soft. They turned out delicious!
I love this recipe, thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Herbie!
I had the same issue another reviewer mentioned with the jam seeping into the cookie. I used two different jams. One was a little thinner than the other, but it was actually the real thick jam that seeped the most. They are both homemade jams one was a thinner freezer jam (plum/ginger), and the thick one is a glass jar canned and preserved (black cap, black currant, blueberry mix). Any tips?
The cookies, the recipe, the instructions are all spot on!
I’m sorry to hear that! It could be the moisture content of the jam you mentioned seeped, even though was thicker.
It seems when I go to multiply the recipe the weight does not also multiply :( Now I have to do math! ack! Looking forward to still giving this recipe a go tho. Thanks for everything you do. Always love keeping up with your recipes!
it looks really cute and adorable, i will defnitely try it for my daughter
I made this as is with no modifications and these jam drops are amazing!!! Thank you for such a cool recipe.
You’re welcome, Tracy!
Made exactly as written, delicious! Pro tip: store in the freezer. These are DELICIOUS straight from the freezer and last for weeks.
The almond flour thumbprint cookies were amazing! I may try them with some cocoa, or peanut butter powder, just as an experiment
Great recipe
I will have to try these! I don’t eat gluten or sugars in general, but I might make an exception at Christmas… I have the perfect Amaretto Cherry jam to put in these!! So glad I found your page!!
I’m so glad you found my page too! Thank you for your review, Bailey.