These vegan thumbprint cookies are perfect for any occasion! Made with a buttery shortbread cookie and filled with your favorite jam, this classic cookie recipe is one to try this holiday season. Easy, delicious, and oh so satisfying.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
This recipe is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All opinions are 100% mine.
These easy vegan thumbprint cookies are the perfect baking activity for kids. I look forward to making these cookies with my children every year around the holiday season. We make a whole afternoon out of baking, shaping, and filing; it’s become a holiday tradition.
These vegan cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious! It is a buttery shortbread cookie filled with your favorite homemade or store bought jam for a classic treat. Use your favorite flavor of jam for a highly versatile cookie.
And with only 7 easy ingredients, you won’t mind when your kids ask you to make them again and again!
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
You don’t need much to make these delicious vegan thumbprint cookies, just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients that you may already have on hand!
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour – Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to brand of flour and the only one I recommend. They offer a great selection of gluten free and organic flours to help make recipes taste better and fit all lifestyles. Read all about why I love Bob’s Red Mill below. For a gluten free option, try this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend.
- Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Granulated Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and healthy sugar alternatives.
- Applesauce – The applesauce acts as the binder for these cookies. You can’t taste the applesauce but if you would prefer a different kind of egg replacer, check out my complete guide on replacing eggs to get a few more ideas.
- Jam – Use your favorite store bought or homemade jam. We recommend strawberry or raspberry but any flavor will do.
My Go-To Flour
I use Bob’s Red Mill products in almost all of my baked goods. They offer the largest selection of vegan, paleo, and gluten free flours that fit with everyone’s dietary needs.
Bob’s Red Mill is an employee-owned company with the largest lines of organic, whole grain foods in the country.
For over three decades, the company has been committed to providing people everywhere with the best quality foods available. All of their products are certified Kosher and made with ingredients grown from non-GMO seeds. And their products are minimally processed which means the grains are about as close to nature as possible before hitting your table.
And you can taste the difference! Find Bob’s Red Mill at your local grocery store and you’ll see why I am such a huge fan!
Recommended Equipment
For all my cookie recipes, I recommend a stand-up mixer. These make whipping, beating, and blending so much easier. In addition, you will need basic cooking equipment including a baking sheets, silicone baking mats, and a wire cooling rack. (<<affiliate links)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One- Make the Dough
In a standup mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Once it’s light and fluffy, add the applesauce (this acts as the binder). Once the applesauce is added, the dough will start to look curdled. Don’t worry about this. When the dry ingredients are added, the dough will sort itself out.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until a uniform dough has formed.
Step Two – Shape the Cookies
Using a small spoon, scope the dough and roll them into small balls – about 1.5 tablespoons in size. Place the cookie dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Pro Tip: For evenly sized cookies, use a small 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop.
Step Three – Fill and Bake
Once all the dough is shaped, make a teaspoon-sized indentation in the center with your thumb. (See picture above). Fill the center of each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon of jam so that it’s slightly mounded.
Pro Tip: The best way to fill these cookies is with a piping bag. Make a small hole in the tip and pipe the jam into each cookie.
Serving and Storing
Serving – Serve these cookies along with some vegan eggnog or hot cocoa at your next holiday gathering for sweet festive treats.
Storing – Once cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Raw dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Tips and Tricks
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Do not overmix the cookies. Mix until the ingredients are just combined so that we have a flaky shortbread-like cookie.
- Use high quality vegan butter for these shortbread cookies. We recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Use your favorite store bought or homemade jam. We recommend strawberry or raspberry but any flavor will do.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheets 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. This prevents cookies from falling apart as they cool.
Frequently Asked Questions
For sure! To make this recipe in advance, roll all the dough into balls and shape them into thumbprint cookies. Rather than filling them, place them on a baking sheet in the freezer to freeze all the way through. Once frozen, transfer your cookie dough into a large ziplock bag and return them to the freezer. You can store the cookies this way for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, fill with jam and bake for fresh cookies!
Yep! For a gluten-free option, try this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend.
The best part of this recipe is that it’s highly versatile. Use your favorite flavor of jam. Strawberry, raspberry, and apricot are all favorites at my house.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
- Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Hazelnut Sandies
- Chocolate-Dipped Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Classic Gingerbread People Cookies
Want more? Check out all my vegan cookie recipes for more inspiration.
Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. applesauce
- 1 cup favorite jam of choice, homemade or store bough
Instructions
- Using your stand-up mixer, cream together vegan butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the applesauce and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides in between. Mix until all flour is hydrated and the dough is uniform.
- Make a teaspoon-sized indentation in the center with your thumb. Fill the center of each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon of jam so that it's slightly mounded. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the edges of the cookies begin to brown. Remove from oven and transfer cookies back to a wire rack to allow to cool completely.
Notes
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Do not over-mix the cookies. Mix until the ingredients are just combined so that we have a flaky shortbread-like cookie.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. This prevents cookies from falling apart as they cool.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Fifi says
These were really good. The cookie portion was very nice and shortbread-like. Not too sweet. I used Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado because Earth Balance was sold out, and we were really happy with the results. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Allison says
Thanks for another delicious recipe. These thumbprint cookies are delicate and soft with the yummy flavor of jam, I used seedless raspberry. I rolled the dough in red, green and white colored sugars for Christmas. My daughter is vegan and I love making her new things from your website. My husband and I aren’t vegan but have started making many of your recipes because they are so good!
Dennis Teague says
Hello,
Ty for all the great recipes.
I am not really a baker. But I’d like to make some of your Thubprint Cookies.
Dose it matter if the Baking Powder is Single acting or Double acting ?
Fifi says
No, it doesn’t.