Paleo Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

For an easy and delicious paleo dessert, try these Paleo Thumbprint Cookies with homemade raspberry jam and a dark chocolate drizzle!

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An Easy, Allergy-Friendly Dessert

You'll love this paleo dessert recipe for its refined sugar-free homemade raspberry jam, shortbread-like cookie texture, and dark chocolate drizzle—truly the perfect bite!

It's also easy to make; unlike many paleo recipes, this one is straightforward and yields delicious results without revealing its paleo nature. Plus, these cookies are allergy-friendly, containing no refined sugar, gluten, dairy, or nuts!

The Guidelines of Paleo

The paleo diet, also known as the Paleolithic or caveman diet, has gained popularity for various reasons, including allergies and personal preferences. This approach focuses on eating whole, nutrient-dense foods similar to what cavemen consumed, including fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds.

Key restrictions include:

• Gluten and Grains: All gluten-containing foods and grains like oats and corn are avoided due to their inflammatory properties.
• Refined Sugar: Modern sugars are not allowed; natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey are used instead.
• Dairy: Dairy is excluded since it was not part of the caveman diet and is believed to promote inflammation.

This paleo thumbprint cookie recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free!

What Is a "Thumbprint Cookie"?

The thumbprint cookie gets its name from the indentation made with a thumb or teaspoon. Known as "Hallongrotta" in Sweden, meaning "raspberry cave," this 19th-century pastry features a shortbread base filled with raspberry jam or other fruit fillings.

In the U.S., it's called a thumbprint cookie, while in Australia, they're known as "jam drops." Other names include bird's nest cookies, butterballs, and Polish tea cakes. Despite the various names, the recipe's structure remains largely the same, with some variations like using Nutella. These cookies are a holiday staple worldwide.

The Raspberry Jam

While store-bought jams often contain cane sugar, making them non-paleo, you can easily make a refined sugar-free raspberry jam instead!

To prepare, wash two cups of raspberries and add them to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Use a potato masher to crush the berries until boiling, then stir in one tablespoon of lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add half a cup of honey, and stir for about 10 minutes until it thickens.

Once the jam coats the back of a spoon, transfer it to a glass jar and let it cool for 15 minutes. This jam is perfect for thumbprint cookies and also works well in other desserts, like Healthy Chocolate Mousse.

Time for the Dough

For the dough, start by adding three cups of gluten-free baking flour, two teaspoons of psyllium husk powder, and one teaspoon of salt to the cookies. Psyllium husk powder is often used in gluten-free baking as a thickening agent. As shortbread cookies can be crumbly, this powder helps to hold the cookie together so that it doesn't crack and crumble when baked. Furthermore, unlike most lesser recipes, there is no baking powder or baking soda used here. Baking powder encourages the dough to spread, but we want these thumbprint cookies to maintain their shape.

Next, mix together one cup of melted coconut oil, a third cup of maple syrup, and a third cup of honey. Make sure to use a sugar-free maple syrup! Honey and maple syrup are both natural sweeteners and paleo safe to use in place of cane sugar. Once combined, add two large egg yolks one at a time, then one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Egg yolks are more tender and rich than using a whole egg or egg whites. Next, sift in the dry ingredients. Combine with an electric mixer, then roll into balls and place on a prepared baking sheet.

Fill, Bake & Decorate

Now it's time for the fun part! Once all of the cookie dough is rolled and placed on the prepared baking sheet, we can make the signature indentations. You can use your thumb or the back of a teaspoon. If you opt for the teaspoon, I would suggest lightly greasing it. This prevents the teaspoon from sticking to the dough. You may have to grease the teaspoon a few times throughout the process.

After all the indentations are created, you can add a teaspoon of the homemade raspberry jam to each cookie. Carefully fill each cookie, but be sure not to overfill it. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes until slightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool for roughly ten minutes before drizzling with the dark chocolate. To make the dark chocolate drizzle, combine half a cup of sugar and dairy-free dark chocolate chips and one tablespoon of coconut oil to a microwave-safe glass. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and microwave again for 30 seconds. Stir again and then allow to cool.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, use a spoon to drizzle the dark chocolate over each cookie. Wait 10-15 minutes for the chocolate to dry and harden before serving the cookies. If you're in a pinch, you can also place the cookies in the refrigerator to quickly harden the dark chocolate and serve faster. They only need about five minutes in the refrigerator before they're ready!