Gluten-free Jam-filled Thumbprint Cookies

Gluten-Free Thumbprint Cookies filled with your favorite jam are the perfect bite! These buttery shortbread cookies are rolled in coconut and so easy to make! Filled here with apricot or raspberry jam but you can choose your favorite! Perfect for Christmas cookie trays!

This thumbprint cookie recipe has been in my family for generations. I have a handwritten recipe from my Great Grandma Sparks that is many, many years old. She actually titled these cookies Italian Coconut Cookies, but my family calls them thumbprints!

I'm not exactly sure which is the correct title. The coconut on the outside definitely reminds me of an Italian cookie while the jam-filled thumbprint is hard to deny! No matter what you call them, you better call them delicious as well!

Simple Ingredients

This recipe is so awesome in that it comes together with just a handful of ingredients, eight to be exact, most of which you already have on hand.

When I make these cookies, with its simple list of ingredients, I'm reminded that sometimes simplicity leads to amazing results. With just a little flour, butter, sugar, salt, and an egg yolk, you can create the most delightful buttery shortbread! Add to that coconut and your favorite jam or preserves, well you've taken a simple cookie and created something quite beautiful.

• Flour: I use my go-to Pamela's artisan blend all-purpose flour. Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour with xanthan gum or guar gum already added.
• Egg: Be sure to separate the egg! The yolk is for the cookie, the white is for helping the coconut stick.
• Coconut: Sweetened flaked coconut found in the baking aisle is what you want here.
• Apricot Jam or Raspberry Fruit Preserves: The original recipe calls for apricot jam but my family preferred the batch I made with raspberry preserves.
• Vanilla Extract: I used vanilla but you could substitute for half almond extract and half vanilla extract and it would be delicious.

Steps

Step 1: After creaming the butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla, blend in the flour mixture. At first, the mixture seems dry and shaggy, but keep mixing and the dough will come together.

Step 2: It's time to portion out 1 tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Use a small cookie scoop for uniformly sized cookies. Roll the dough in egg white, then coconut, and then between the palms of your hands to form a nice round ball.

Step 3: Make indentations in each cookie. Use your thumb or a tool, like this honey-dipper!

Step 4: Fill each indentation with a spot of your favorite jam! Here I made half with apricot jam and half with raspberry!

Step 5: Bake them up!

Helpful Tips

• How should I store these cookies? Store the cookies at room temperature or freeze them, tightly wrapped.
• What if I don't like coconut? Roll the cookies in sugar instead of the egg white and coconut... let me tell you they turn out just as delicious!
• Can I use any flavor of jam/preserves? Yes, I think so! This is all a matter of preference, so use your favorite flavor. My family definitely preferred the raspberry to the apricot. A cherry preserve would probably be divine in these cookies!
• Can I refrigerate the dough? While the dough does not require a refrigeration step, feel free to refrigerate the dough if needed!
• When should I add the jam? My original recipe calls for adding the jam after the cookies are baked, but I found that adding the jam before baking the cookies gave better results. The jam sets and is less messy to handle when baked into the cookie.
• What if I'm not gluten-free? Just replace gluten-free flour with regular flour in the recipe. This recipe was a really easy conversion as I was able to swap gluten-free flour 1:1 with the original recipe.

More Holiday cookie Recipes

These cookies are a classic. They are perfect for cookie platters and cookie exchanges around the holidays! I have other great gluten-free cookie recipes for your holiday baking, too!

• Gluten-free sugar cookies are a fun Christmas tradition. Kids love to help to frost and decorate these!
• Gluten-free thumbprints with buttercream icing are an all-time favorite!
• Gluten-free peanut butter blossoms are a classic as well, the combination of chocolate and peanut butter can't be beaten! Or try flourless peanut butter blossoms!
• Crockpot candy is basically my version of chocolate nut clusters and they are delicious!
• Gluten-Free Oatmeal cookies and Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are always a favorite.
• Don't forget about Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles with all their warm cinnamon spice!

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