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Gluten-Free Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Jam Filling

When you’re craving a homemade dessert but following a restricted diet, finding the right recipe can be a challenge.

Vertical closeup of homemade almond thumbprint cookies filled with jam, arranged on a serving dish with a green and white cloth in the background, printed with orange and white text.

Recently we tried a short reset—no grains or added sugar for a week, sticking to fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy. At first I was hungry, but by the end I felt great. The interesting aftermath: when I do eat something sweet now, I start craving vegetables instead. I call that progress.

During that week we had a movie-and-dinner night planned with friends and wanted a snack to take along. If you prefer to sneak healthy treats into the theater, you know the brief: something easy to carry, shareable, non-sticky, and simple to enjoy alongside a bottle of water.

Overhead vertical shot of homemade flourless thumbprint cookies arranged on in a square white dish and scattered on a patterned cloth below, on a dark brown wood surface.

For us, that usually means cookies. This time we needed a flourless option—or at least something with very little grain. I remembered some delicate thumbprint cookies made with ground almonds that I’d pinned earlier. They resemble kolaches or little danishes: nutty dough, a center of jam, and a tender, bakery-like aroma.

We baked a batch on Friday and they were nearly gone the next day, so we made more on Saturday. The second batch used a bit of whole-grain spelt when we ran out of almond meal—still delicious either way. The best part: these cookies are small, sweet, and remarkably simple.

Made from straightforward pantry ingredients and easy steps, they’re the kind of treat you can enjoy at a movie, with coffee at your desk, or as an on-the-go nibble from the kitchen counter.

Jam-filled thumbprint cookies on a square white serving dish.

Flourless Almond Thumbprint Cookies (Gluten Free)

  • Author: Shanna Mallon
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 25 cookies

Description

If you’re settling in with tea and want a delicate, gluten-free cookie, these flourless almond thumbprints are an excellent choice. They combine a nutty almond base with a little jewel of jam in the center—perfectly dainty and satisfying.

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups + 1 Tbsp almond meal
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup seedless jam

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. Combine the almond meal, softened butter, 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt in a food processor. Process until the dough comes together, scraping down the sides as needed.
  3. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place them at least 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
  4. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball and add about 1/2–1 teaspoon of jam to each indentation. Avoid overfilling.
  5. Bake on the top half of the oven for 10–12 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
  6. While the cookies bake, pour the remaining granulated sugar onto a small plate.
  7. Let the cookies cool on the pans for about 5 minutes, then roll the sides gently in the sugar, keeping sugar off the jam. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Dessert

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Soften Butter and Measure Remaining Ingredients

Let the butter come to room temperature for 30–60 minutes until it softens enough to spread. For a faster option, microwave at 30% power for about 15 seconds. Measure the remaining ingredients before you begin.

Overhead shot of a large bowl of almond meal with smaller round and square bowls of egg, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and a stick of butter on a red and white waxed paper wrapper, on a dark brown wood surface.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Position the racks in the top half of the oven for best results.

Step 2 – Make Dough

A stick of butter, sugar, almond meal, and an egg in a plastic food processor canister, on a dark brown wood table.

Place the almond meal, butter, 3/4 cup sugar, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and salt into a food processor. Process until the mixture forms a cohesive dough, scraping the bowl as needed so everything blends evenly.

Overhead closely cropped shot of cookie dough in a clear and black plastic food processor, on a dark brown wood surface.

Step 3 – Form and Fill

Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and space them at least 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball using your thumb, the end of a wooden spoon, or another small rounded tool.

Top-down shot of cookie dough rolled into balls and pressed with a thumbprint indentation in the center of each, arranged in rows on a silicone pan liner with a red snowflake pattern.

Spoon 1/2–1 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. For variety, use two different flavors—apricot and raspberry work beautifully; if you choose two flavors, plan for about 1/4 cup of each.

Over head shot of twelve almond thumbprint cookies filled with two types of fruit jam, arranged in three rows on a silicone pan liner decorated with a red snowflake pattern.

Step 4 – Bake

Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges take on a light golden color. While the cookies bake, pour the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar onto a small plate.

Oblique shot of thumbprint cookies filled with orange and purple-colored jam arranged on a red snowflake-patterned silicone baking sheet liner.

After removing the sheets from the oven, let the cookies sit for about 5 minutes so they firm up slightly but are still warm.

Step 5 – Roll

Gently roll each cookie’s edges in the granulated sugar, taking care not to get sugar onto the jam. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Jam-filled gluten-free almond baked goods filled with jam and coated with sugar are cooling on a metal wire rack, on a dark brown surface.

Are These Good Cookies to Ship?

These jewel-toned jam-filled cookies are lovely for holiday gatherings and make a pretty gift. Because they contain jam, they can be a bit delicate to ship. With careful packing and a fast two-day service they travel well enough, but plan to cushion them so the jam centers and edges stay intact.

Jam-filled gluten-free baked goods on a square white serving dish.

Who would you send a tin to this year? Try the recipe, then come back and leave a rating—it’s always helpful for others.

Looking for more gluten-free cookie ideas? Try similar recipes such as soft ginger cookies, lemon-almond coconut macaroons, grain-free chocolate chip cookies, white chocolate almond cookies, cinnamon coconut flour cookies, or chewy flourless monster cookies.

Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Originally published August 3, 2011. Last updated January 2, 2024.

Nutritional information is an approximation derived from a database of known foods and ingredients and is not a substitute for lab testing or professional dietary advice.