These flourless vegan + paleo Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies are a soft, perfectly sweet snack or treat made with wholesome ingredients and lots of love.
My mouth has been blessed with 14 of the dreamiest little valentines on Planet Earth.
These here Flourless Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies are cuter (and insanely more delish) than conversation hearts, I assure you, with the cutest little raspberry-jam filled thumprints!! I can’t.
I’ve been enjoying the splendid summer sensation that is the humble frozen raspberry all year long thanks to the freezer aisle. Since the berries are flash frozen at the peak of freshness within hours of harvesting, that divine flavor and nutrition is locked in for liiiiiife.
Once I learned that raspberries have more fiber than any other berry (a whopping 9 grams per cup…OMG) plus 60% of the daily value of immune-boosting Vitamin C, I fell even more in love with them than before. One of my favorite ways as of late to enjoy them is heating a huge handful in a pot with chia seeds and maple syrup for a quick pancake and oatmeal topper.
I’m also known for snacking on them frozen. I just die for the tart + sweet combo that raspberries have goin’ on!
Did you know red raspberries are among the few plant foods that offer a source of both ellagitannins and anthocyanins? What are those very large and cumbersome words, you ask? These two mighty phytochemicals may hold the key to the role of red raspberries in helping to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Hubba hubba!
Now lettuce chat about what makes these healthy cookies so divine. I adapted the recipe from my Ginger Snap Cookies recipe, so if you’ve made those dreamboats, you already know how good this new recipe is destined to be. They’re made with almond flour, which is basically ground blanched almonds. Almond meal will work fine too. Since they’re not made with traditional wheat flour, they’re super moist and flavorful. Pretty please do not try to make these with another kind of flour—they won’t turn out right, I promise!
They’re lightly sweetened with coconut sugar (which is higher in minerals than it’s white sugar cousin) and a splash of both vanilla and almond extract for a little extra lovin’. I used this natural almond flavor which is a bit more subtle than typical extracts. Feel free to cut back on the almond extract or even leave it out if you’re not crazy about that flavor.
Now the chia jam is the icing on the cake, my friends. Since the cookies are mini and can’t hold a ton of jam, I would literally dip each one in extra jam prior to shoving in my face. There will never be enough raspberry chia jam in this world. Of that I am certain.
Spread her on toast, atop oatmeal, or deliver directly to your face hole with a gob of peanut butter. So. Good.
I made the raspberry chia jam the day before and kept it in the fridge so it would be nice and set and ready to go. It freezes well, too!
Did I mention they’re 100% vegan, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free? Happy Valentine’s day to us!
If you love yourself, which you do because you’re beautiful and smart and funny and awesome, you’ll make yourself a batch of these dream cookies like yesterday. If you add chocolate chips (maybe mini ones!!), do let me know. I think that would be a very wise decision. Isn’t it always?
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water
- 2 cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, not melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silipat (if you just have a cookie sheet, spray very well with cooking spray).
- Stir together raspberries, chia seeds, and maple syrup in a medium pot over low heat. Bring to a gentle boil before and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes (stirring frequently) until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl and place in freezer to cool.
- In a small bowl, stir together flax and water to make a “flax egg.” Set aside to set for 5 minutes.
- Place the almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, in a large bowl, stirring to combine.
- Add the flax egg, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract, stirring to combine. You should have smooth dough that’s slightly sticky and easy to form into balls.
- Scoop the dough into one inch balls. Place two inches apart on prepared baking sheet and gently flatten cookies with hands (they won’t spread much while baking.) Use your thumb to make a small indentation in each cookie. Fill each cookies ½ tsp chia jam.
- Bake for 11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
This post is sponsored by the National Processed Raspberry Council. Thanks for supporting the brands I believe in!
Yaaasss! SO excited to make these! You had me at fiber and phytochemicals <3
Rachel @ Health My Lifestyle recently posted…Eliminate 10 Items Resolution #2
YUM! I’m always a sucker for fruit and cookies!
Casey the College Celiac recently posted…Why My Diet is More Diverse As a Gluten Free Celiac
Omg these look so nutty and rich. I am a frozen fruit freak….I don’t know what I would do without them.
annie recently posted…Blueberry Hemp Burgers
Agreed! Thanks for reading 🙂
I love raspberries! I just made these and I really liked that they were the perfect sweetness (not too sweet) and the perfect nuttiness. Thank you! I’ll be making these again!
Yay!!! I’m so glad! I really want to make a chocolate version soon 🙂
The batter was dry. I had to add some water