Dairy Free Thumbprint Cookies
Coming together in just one bowl with no mixer needed, these delightful dairy free thumbprint cookies are a classic holiday treat! With a dreamy shortbread sugar cookie base and pools of sweet raspberry jam, they’re perfectly buttery without the actual butter. Egg free, soy free and vegan.
It doesn’t get more classic than these dreamy dairy free thumbprint cookies!
An absolute must for the holiday baking season, there’s just something about this Christmastime treat.
- We have a buttery (without the actual butter) shortbread-like sugar cookie base.
- Pools of sweet raspberry jam.
- And that perfect melt-in-your mouth texture that’s simply impossible to resist.
Did I mention that they’re also incredibly easy to make? We’re talking one bowl and no mixer needed.
Now that’s a combination that’s hard to beat.
How To Make
So, let’s talk about how these delicious cookies go down:
Mix the dry ingredients. First up, we’ll whisk together some flour, confectioners’ sugar, baking soda and salt.
Add the wet ingredients. We’ll add in melted coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla and almond extract and stir until a dough forms.
Shape the cookies. Next, we’ll scoop the dough, form into balls and then use our thumbs (or a wine cork!) to make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie.
Chill for 1 hour. We’ll pop the shaped cookies in the refrigerator and let them hang out for about 1 hour, until firm.
Fill then bake. Finally, we’ll fill each indentation with a touch of jam, before baking the cookies in the oven until set and lightly browned.
Tips & Tricks
- When measuring out your flour, fluff it in the container then scoop into your measuring cup with a spoon and level off. Don’t dunk the cup straight into the bag as you’ll likely use too much.
- Along those lines, be sure to use a dry measuring cup to measure out the applesauce. It won’t level off correctly in a liquid one.
- You can absolutely omit the almond extract, however I find it really gives the cookies that bakery fresh flavor. So I highly encourage using it if possible.
- Your hands will get a bit greasy when rolling the cookie dough into balls thanks to the coconut oil. Don’t be concerned – this is totally normal and the cookies won’t be greasy after chilling and baking.
Substitutions
- I personally use unrefined virgin coconut oil in these cookies and don’t think you can taste coconut in the final product. But, if this is something that concerns you, use refined coconut oil instead (which is more neutral in flavor).
- I have not tested these with dairy free butter (melted and cooled slightly), but I think it should work just fine in place of the coconut oil if you want to go that route.
- Feel free to swap out the raspberry preserves for ANY other flavor of jam. Strawberry, apricot, blueberry, fig. You really can’t go wrong.
- And finally, it’s important to stick with confectioners’ sugar for these cookies as it keeps them from spreading too much during baking. I would not recommend substituting out for something else.
How To Store
Counter: Let the cookies cool completely then transfer to an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for about 5 days.
Freezer: You can also store the cooled cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Alternatively, you can freeze the cookie dough to bake off at a later time.
To do this, shape the dough balls, make the indentations and then chill as directed in the recipe. Once firm, add the shaped (but unbaked and unfilled) cookies to a freezer safe bag or container, then keep in the freezer until ready to enjoy.
Bake straight from the freezer, spooning in the jam right before popping in the oven. You may need to add 1 to 2 minutes to the cook time (or none at all – just keep an eye on them).
Additional Dairy Free Cookie Recipes:
- Dairy Free Sugar Cookies
- Dairy Free Gingerbread Cookies
- Dairy Free Snickerdoodles
- Vegan Snowball Cookies
- Dairy Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Dairy Free Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Dairy Free Peanut Butter Cookies
- Dairy Free Macaroons
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Dairy Free Thumbprint Cookies
Coming together in just one bowl with no mixer needed, these delightful dairy free thumbprint cookies are a classic holiday treat! With a dreamy shortbread sugar cookie base and pools of sweet raspberry jam, they’re perfectly buttery without the actual butter.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup melted coconut oil, cooled slightly*
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- about ⅓ cup raspberry jam or preserves
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, confectioners’ sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Add in the coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and almond extract. Mix until a dough forms and all the flour / dry ingredients are absorbed.
- Line two small trays or large plates with parchment paper. Scoop about a heaping tablespoon of dough and form into balls about 1 ¼ inch in size. Place on the prepared plate and use your thumb (or a wine cork works really well) to make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Transfer the trays to the refrigerator and chill for about 1 hour, until firm.
- Toward the end of the chill time, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the chilled cookies on the prepared baking sheet about 2 to 3 inches apart. If baking in batches, keep the remaining dough in the fridge.
- Fill each indentation with some of the jam. If your jam is cold, it helps to warm it briefly in the microwave (15 seconds or less) so that it’s more scoop-able.
- Bake for about 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are set and the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
*Melt your coconut oil first and then measure out the correct amount.
To keep these vegan - be sure to use a brand of confectioners’ sugar that is vegan friendly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 28 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
I made these for #12daysofdairyfreechristmas and oh my goodness!!!! I can’t keep myself from eating them. Even my very picky husband likes them. I used raspberry jam in mine and they seriously remind me of biscuits & jam. I’ve missed that so much since my dairy allergy diagnosis a year ago. This will definitely be one of my favorite cookies to make now.
This made my day Tiffanie!
These came out amazing!! So impressed! I didn’t add almond extract because I didn’t have, but what an awesome recipe!
I’m so happy to hear this Aviva! Thank you for taking the time to let me know 🙂
With the cost of butter these days, I decided to make these cookies and I’m so glad I did – they’re lovely! I did cut back on the sugar a bit and I would not do that next time because this batch could be a smidge sweeter. Also, if you’re considering not chilling before baking, reconsider. They definitely need the chilling time. I’m making these again for sure and on the look out for more dairy free cookie recipes! Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear this Rose! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂