You can never go wrong with peanut butter and jelly. And in a cookie? Irresistible! These vegan and gluten-free thumbprint cookies are soft with crisp edges, full of peanut butter flavor, and have a fruity jam center (aka cookie perfection!).
Plus, they’re easy to make with just a few supplies 8 ingredients, 1 bowland 30 minutes needed! Naturally sweetened, grain free, and oil free too! We know: It’s magic. Let’s bake!
These thumbprint cookies start by mixing together three simple wet ingredients: peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Then we add almond flour and tapioca starch, keeping it gluten-free, grain-free, and with a texture that’s soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Baking soda and salt are the final dry ingredients for rise and flavor.
After rolling the cookie dough into spoon-sized balls, each is pressed with a thumb, creating indents in the centers.
Then they are ready for raspberry or strawberry jam and quickly bake in the oven.
After cooking comes the hardest part. Try letting the cookies cool for 10-15 minutes to help them hold their shape and let the jam cool so you don’t burn your mouth (not speaking from experience here or anything 😉).
We can’t wait for you to try these thumbprint cookies! They are:
Crispy on the outside
Soft inside
Peanut buttery
Perfectly sweet
Nostalgic
& So delicious!
These are the perfect cookie for PB&J lovers and would be so cute for baby showers, after school snacks, picnics, and more!
More Cookies for Peanut Butter Lovers
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Servings 20 (cookies)
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (natural, unsweetened // see our peanut butter review)
- 1/2 cup MAPLE syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour (we like Wellbee’s)
- 3/4 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
-
Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
In a medium mixing bowl, add peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine. Next add the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, and salt to the peanut butter mixture. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix well. You can use your hands if the mixture becomes too stiff to handle. It should look like thick cookie dough.
-
Use a spoon or small cookie scoop to scoop the dough, then roll them before placing 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Gently press your thumb into the center of each cookie and place about 1/2-3/4 tsp of jam in the center. Smooth the top of the jam and repeat with each cookie. The recipe as written should make ~20 cookies and they won’t spread too much, so they should all fit on a standard-size baking sheet.
-
Bake in the oven for 13-16 minutes, until golden. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then enjoy!
-
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Enjoy at room temperature for best texture.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated using Crofter’s Just Fruit Raspberry Spread for jam.
*Adapted from our Easy Tahini Cookies.
Serves: 1 cookies Calories: 123 Carbohydrates: 14.1 Mr protein: 3 Mr fat: 6.7 Mr Saturated Fat: 0.8 Mr Polyunsaturated Fats: 1.5 Mr Monounsaturated fat: 3.9 Mr Trans Fats: 0 Mr Cholesterol: 0 etc Sodium: 95 etc Potassium: 110 etc fiber: 1.3 Mr Sugar: 7.5 Mr Vitamin A: 0 I.U Vitamin C: 2.4 etc Calcium: 30 etc steel: 0.4 etc