These chewy lemon almond thumbprint cookies are filled with cherry chia jam and are healthy, paleo, vegan, kid approved, and easy to make. They taste buttery and decadent but are gluten free and dairy free!
I’ve neglected chia in a bad way. As in, I’ve had chia seeds in my fridge for probably a year, and the bag was still sealed when I rummaged through to finally make some chia jam last week. My inspiration? Fresh cherries! And cookies.
It’s hard for me to go more than a couple of weeks without baking cookies, but this time, I wanted them to be sort of seasonal.
So, this recipe sort of created itself. Cherry chia jam + cookies = lemon almond thumbprint cookies with cherry chia jam!
Admittedly, I concerned myself so intensely with the chia jam itself, that I sort of “assumed” the cookies would work out regardless of the recipe I came up with.
However, I was failing to recall that I had a few goals for these cookies that would pose challenges, as it turned out: 1.) make them vegan 2.) make them lemon flavored and 3.) make them addictingly delicious. Not just “good”, but truly wow-worthy.
Despite the goals, I didn’t concern myself with the actual cookies until after making the jam.
Since I’d never worked with chia seeds before, I wasn’t sure the type of consistency to go for. When I dove in, I was surprised to see 1.) how fast the chia expands in water (whoa!) and 2.) how thick and perfect the jam was within minutes of cooking!
I was nervous at first, but after it worked so well, I was kicking myself for not making it years ago!
The jam recipe is super simple, and the sweetness/tartness can be adjusted based on your preferences.
I used an immersion blender to smooth out the cherries the jam but this is optional. You can always mash the cherries another way or use a regular blender to get things smooth as well.
And, by the way – you’re making LOTS more cherry chia jam than you need for the thumbprint cookies, so you’ll be covered for the next couple of weeks, when it comes to jam, anyway. Think of the cookies a an AWESOME bonus with the jam recipe 🙂
Back to the cookies – the ones I assumed would just get up and bake themselves. I tried 3 times to be exact (good thing I had a lot of jam!) and the final version is pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself.
A combination of creamy nut butter (almond or cashew is best), coconut oil, almond flour, coconut flour, lemon zest AND juice, plus almond extract and pure maple syrup.
Honestly, similarly to the jam, you can JUST make the cookies and call it a day. But, thumbprints are fun, aren’t they?
Yes, I know it’s not December (thumbprints are very holiday-ish I guess) but the fresh cherries and lemon makes them perfect for summer in my opinion!
Did I mention these are great for the kiddos too? Because, yes, they are, shockingly to me, even with the chia seeds! Are you ready to get started! Let’s JAM AND BAKE!
Lemon Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Cherry Chia Jam {Paleo & Vegan}
Lemon Almond Thumbprint Cookies with Cherry Chia Jam {Paleo & Vegan}
Ingredients
For the Cherry Chia Jam:
- 3 cups fresh cherries pitted***
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
For the Cookies:
- 3 Tbsp creamy cashew or almond butter any smooth nut butter will work
- 1/4 cup coconut oil refined (no coconut flavor) melted but cooled to almost room temp
- 5 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- grated zest of one lemon - about 2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp almond extract optional, but adds great flavor!
- 1 cup fine blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
Instructions
Make the Cherry Chia Jam First*
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Heat the pitted cherries with the water, maple syrup and lemon juice**, stirring, over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Add the chia seeds and lower the heat to med-low. Continue to cook and stir another 10 minutes.
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Use an immersion blender or regular blender to smooth out the jam. I used an immersion blender right in the saucepan to make it simple. If you used the immersion blender, you can continue to simmer after blending another few minutes.
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Allow to cool completely, then store in a tightly lidded jar in the refrigerator for to 2-3 weeks*.
While the jam cools, prepare the cookie dough:
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In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt, set aside
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In a large bowl, whisk together the nut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, and almond extract until very smooth, then stir in the dry ingredients until a sticky dough forms. Chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the refrigerator or 10 minutes in the freezer, until it's firm enough to be formed into balls.
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Form the cookie dough into 14-16 balls, flattening each one a bit and arranging on the prepared baking sheet. Take your thumb or the back of a 1/2 tsp to make a small indentation in the middle of each cookie, being careful not to break the dough. Spoon about 1/2 tsp of jam into the middle of each cookie.
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Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, until the cookies are set and just beginning to brown. Baking time will vary between 10-14 minutes depending on your oven.
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Remove the cookies and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer to wire racks to fully cool. Store leftover cooled cookies loosely covered at room temperature for the first day, then covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. The cookies may be frozen too. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*This recipe makes about 16 oz of jam - much more than you need for the cookies! You can store the jam in a tightly lidded glass jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
**You can add the minimum amount of maple and lemon, then add more to taste after the jam is done.
***You can use any berries you want, or stone fruits, and frozen should work as well, though you may need to adjust cooking time you thicken the jam.
What I Used to Make My Cherry Chia Jam and Lemon Almond Thumbprint Cookies:
Want more paleo and vegan sweet treats? Try one of these!
Banana Blueberry Breakfast Cookies
Almond Butter and Jelly Cookie Bars
Tell Me!
Do you still bake in the summer, or give your oven a break?
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Jeanie I use unrefined almost exclusively, and I think these cookies have enough depth of flavor to handle a little tinge of coconut. I’ll make them today as written subbing only unrefined for refined coconut flour.
Good grief, I meant coconut oil unrefined; I did make them today (got repurposed for 2 days by 6-yr. old) with unrefined, also used almond flavoring as suggested, reduced maple syrup to 4 Tbs. AWESOME cookie I will make again and again. I think I will add some lemon zest or lime juice to the jam; maybe even chipotle, ’cause I like a little kick. You have spoiled me with this; thanks (I think; I could hurt myself with this one).
Do you think the leftover jam could be frozen?