Vegan Thumbprint Cookies with Strawberry Jam

These vegan thumbprint cookies are buttery, chewy and just involve 8 simple ingredients. Easy to put together and customize to your preference and fun to have the kids get involved with too.

I know it’s the holidays when I start thinking about these cookies. There hasn’t been a December since going vegan where I haven’t made these cookies and that’s because they are so ridiculously good. I actually prefer using the whole food ingredients in these cookies because the combo of the nuts and oats just give it an undeniably delicious dough that makes it really hard to just keep to one cookie.

Why you’ll love these thumbprint cookies

• Made primarily with whole food ingredients, easy to customize to preference, and easy to make!
• Only requires 8 ingredients to make.
• Healthier and more nutritious than the average cookie without giving up the delicious taste.

Key Ingredients

• Pecans: I find these are the perfect nuts to use for this recipe because they are buttery and exude their fat a little better than other nuts helping to maintain a great texture
• Rolled Oats: High fiber and help to keep the shape of these cookies
• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: Different than whole wheat flour, this flour is lighter and not dense, please note below for substitutions
• Maple Syrup: Helps to add a subtle sweetness to your cookies
• Nut Butter: I’ve made this recipe with both peanut butter and almond butter, either works great as long as it is a natural and creamy nut butter
• Apple Sauce: Helps to add some more moisture to the dough
• Strawberry Jam: You can use your favorite jam here, but decided on strawberry jam to keep these cookies festive looking

How to make these thumbprint cookies

1. To a food processor, add your dry ingredients and pulse to create a course flour. Then add in your maple syrup, nut butter, and apple sauce and process again until a dough forms. .
2. With a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop some dough into your hands and roll into a walnut sized ball. Place all formed dough balls on a lined baking sheet.
3. With your thumb or the back of a tablespoon measure, gently press into the center of the dough ball to make a little crevice.
4. Spoon 1-2 tsp of jam into each cookie crevice making sure to smooth out then place tray into the oven for 13-15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before enjoying or storing.

Tips for making delicious thumbprint cookies

• To make these cookies gluten free, replace the whole wheat pastry flour with all-purpose gluten free flour.
• Can’t find whole wheat pastry flour? You can opt for regular all-purpose flour or spelt flour as a substitution.
• If you don’t have access to pecans you can also substitute with almonds.
• When processing, the dough should come together nicely and be moldable. If dough is too wet, add an addition 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour to help make it less sticky. If dough is too dry and not molding into dough balls, process along with 1-2 tablespoons of extra applesauce.
• These cookies store well for up to 5 days. If placing in a container, make sure to place a sheet of parchment paper between any cookies that you layer overtop of.

More Cookies to enjoy this holiday season

• Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies
• Almond Butter Sugar Cookies (coming soon)
• Gingerbread Cookies (coming soon)

Vegan Thumbprint Cookies with Strawberry Jam

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• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 24 cookies 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

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Description

These vegan thumbprint cookies are buttery, chewy and just involve 8 simple ingredients. Easy to put together and customize as desired.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup pecans or walnuts
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter
• 2 tbsp apple sauce
• 1/3 cup strawberry jam

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. To a food processor, add pecans, oats and salt and pulse until you achieve a course flour.
2. Open the food processor  and add flour, maple syrup, nut butter and apple sauce. Seal food processor again and pulse to combine ingredients again to evenly mix.
3. Run food processor on low until a dough starts to form, making sure to scrape down edges as needed. If dough is too dry, process again with 1-2 tbsp more of apple sauce. If dough is too sticky, add 1-2 tbsp of flour and process.
4. With a tablespoon or cookie scoop, scoop some dough into slightly wet hands and roll into a ball. Place all formed dough balls on a lined baking sheet.
5. Using your thumb or the back of a tablespoon measure, gently press into the center of the dough ball to make a little crevice. If you notice the edges of your cookies cracking, gently pinch them back together again with your fingers.
6. Spoon 1-2 tsp of jam into each cookie crevice making sure to smooth out.
7. Place tray of cookies in the oven for 15 minutes then remove from oven and allow to cool.

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Notes

This recipe can make 24-28 cookies. It’s all dependent on how much dough you use for each cookie. If you make a slightly bigger dough ball it will effect the number of cookies yielded.

You can opt for different flours. Use all purpose or spelt flour if you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour. If gluten free, use an all purpose gluten free flour instead.

The dough can be slightly sticky. Use slightly wet hands to roll dough balls without getting your hands messy. 

Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats

★ Catherine