Gluten-Free Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies

These gluten-free thumbprint cookies are a favorite healthy treat and super easy to make.

They're made with almond flour, filled with your favorite jam, and baked with warm and sweet spices that give these soft baked goods a beautiful flavor.

Bake them this holiday season or every time you crave a light sweet bite with your favorite warm drink—gluten-free and refined sugar-free.

If you are craving warm-spiced cookies but want to keep it healthy and super simple, then this recipe is for you.

They're not your classic thumbprint cookie. I would argue they're better. Sweetened only with dates—like these paleo brownies—and an unsweetened delicious jam filling, these easy gluten-free cookies are heavenly flavored and made with almond flour.

Warm spices come through at the end of each bite, making them a great match for a cup of coffee or tea.

They come together in about 30 minutes, so you can easily bake them anytime you want to satisfy that cookie craving the healthy way.

Let's bake some!

Why You'll Love These Gluten-Free Baked Cookies

• Simple ingredients: With just 6 ingredients and some spices, you'll get a whopping 22 cookies to enjoy all week long.
• Perfect for a healthy and gluten-free diet: These delicious cookies are not only easy to make but also gluten-free and refined sugar-free.
• Amazing texture and flavors: These buttery cookies are soft and chewy and are lovely flavored with warm spices.
• Perfect cookie for the Holidays: They're even festive enough to serve for the Holidays, and I often make them in conjunction with my Speculoos cookies, a classic holiday cookie—something on the table for everyone.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Here are the main ingredients to make gluten-free thumbprint cookies:

• Almond flour—For the best results, use blanched almond flour instead of almond meal. Use leftovers to make this amazing Yogurt Almond Flour Coffee Cake.
• Creamy almond butter—I am adding some nut butter to add healthy fats, mainly because very little butter goes into this cookie. For a nut-free version, sunflower butter is a great alternative option.
• Egg—One is enough to hold the structure of these baked goods. I have not yet tried it with a chia egg to make them egg-free. If you do, please let me know how they turned out.
• Medjool dates—To add natural sweetness and a lovely caramel-like flavor. 
• Butter—I'm only adding three tablespoons, enough to turn them into soft, chewy butter cookies.
• Preserve or fruit jam—These cookies are meant to be filled with either a Fig Preserve , or raspberry jam, or blueberry jam. Look for unsweetened spreads, if possible. 
• The spices—a combination of warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cloves, and ginger will enhance the flavors of these gluten-free thumbprint cookies. I'm adding a tad of salt to balance the sweet flavors.

How To Make Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies

See the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card.

The biggest appeal to making gluten-free thumbprint cookies? They're so easy to make, and the baking time is only 15 minutes.

Step One (Picture 1 above) - Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk in the spices until well combined. Set aside.

Step Two (Picture 2 above) - In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients until you get a sticky brown paste. Use room-temperature butter.

Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Combine the flour mixture with the brown paste using a wooden spoon.

Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Continue to mix by hand until a dough forms. 

Step Five (Picture 5 above) - Roll the dough into smooth balls (one tablespoon in size).

Step Six (Picture 6 above) - Place the small balls on a prepared baking sheet.

Step Seven (Picture 7 above) - Use the back of a teaspoon measure to press gently in the center of the cookie dough balls to form a dent. Fill it up with a teaspoon of jam.

Step Eight (Picture 8 above) - Bake until golden brown—15 minutes in a preheated oven. 

Substitutions & Variations

• Jams or preserves: Explore other types of flavors, like apricot jam, strawberry jam, or any homemade jam.
• Spices: If you have it on hand, use a Speculaas mix (about 2 to 3 teaspoons), which is merely a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, anise, ginger, white pepper, or licorice, and cardamom (depending on the brand these prepackaged spice bags may differ somewhat in flavor). You can easily purchase these spices online from local brands such as King Arthur Flour Speculaas Spice.
• Add the jam filling after baking: You can opt to add the jam filling after baking the cookies or try my Rhubarb Compote or Instant Pot Apple Butter for a change. Once out of the oven, their dent in the center might have shrunk a bit. Use the back of a teaspoon again, and with a gentle press, make it larger. Of course, you can only do this when the cookies are still hot. Then, fill each indent with a jam of choice.

Recipe FAQ's

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This is probably one of the easiest gluten-free cookie recipes you'll ever make, and amazingly flavored—perfect to pair with your cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!