These easy and delicious Paleo Heart Thumbprint Cookies are the perfect Valentine's day treat. They are completely gluten free, dairy free, and nut free, so whoever your Valentine is can enjoy this sweet treat.
You can make these cookies anytime of year, but by imprinting a heart shape, they make the cutest and easiest Valentine's day cookies. If you're not a huge baker, but you want to impress friends, family, or loved ones this Valentine's day, then these gluten free thumbprint cookies are what you should make.
A delicious and grain free shortbread cookie is filled with sweet jam, but you can also use nutella for a chocolate version of these heart thumbprint cookies. I love using raspberry or strawberry jam for a strong pink/red color to emphasize the heart shape.
If you have food allergies, are following the Paleo diet or are just overloaded from all the sugar around the holidays, then these are a great dessert option. They are completely grain free and gluten free with no refined sugar or dairy. Keep up with your health goals this year while enjoying yourself!
Heart Thumbprint Cookie Ingredients
- Tigernut flour: a nut free alternative to almond flour that is great for grain free baking. Feel free to use almond flour if you tolerate nuts though!
- Tapioca starch: with paleo baking, it's best to use a combination of flours for the best texture. We need a starch in gluten free desserts for softness.
- Cassava flour: another grain free flour for texture.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Maple syrup: maple syrup is used in this recipe to keep these healthy cookies refined sugar free.
- Olive oil: a healthy fat for baking!
- Egg: used as a binder.
- Vanilla extract
- Apple cider vinegar: I've found this helps with the texture. I have also forgotten to add it before and the cookies came out fine, so if you don't have any around, still make these!
- Jam or Nutella: for the filling
How to Make Paleo Thumbprint Cookies
- Whisk all the dry ingredients together.
- Beat together the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined.
- Take tablespoon sized balls of dough and roll flat. Use your fingers to imprint a heart shape. This works best by pressing your first finger in a diagonal across the cookie then lifting and pressing it along the other diagonal so you get a V shape that looks like a heart! If your fingers are sticking to the dough at all, just put a little flour on your finger before pressing.
- Add the jam or Nutella into the imprint and bake!
- Be sure not to over bake them as they can dry out quickly. I'm slightly at altitude and 12 minutes is perfect. If you are even higher, check them at 10 minutes. If you are at sea level, they may need 14 minutes. They cookie part should seem just done and JUST beginning to golden.
Substitutions and Variations
Flours: You can use almond flour for the tigernut flour and you can also sub the tapioca starch+cassava flour for gluten free flour to make this cookies just gluten free and not fully paleo. If you don't have tapioca starch, arrowroot starch should also work in a pinch!
Egg: this recipe should work just fine with your favorite egg replacer for a plant based version.
Jam: I love using raspberry or strawberry for the color, but feel free to use your favorite flavor, Nutella, or even a chocolate nut/seed/granola butter.
Feel free to dust these cookies with some powdered sugar if desired or drizzle with a vanilla icing of choice.
How to Store Paleo Thumbprint Cookies
Store these heart thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
They don't freeze great once filled, but it is possible. The jam may be a bit runny when defrosted, but you can defrost them in the fridge when ready to eat.
Can I Make This Recipe Vegan?
Although I haven't personally tested it, a vegan egg substitute should work just fine in this recipe. Like Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer or even a flax egg.
More Valentine's Day Treats
Raspberry Cheesecake Bars with Brownie Crust (gluten and dairy free)
Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gluten Free Vanilla Raspberry Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tigernut flour or almond flour
- ⅔ cup tapioca starch
- ⅓ cup cassava flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup raspberry or strawberry jam or your favorite jam or Nutella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Blend the all wet ingredients, except for the jam, together in a larger bowl.
- Add your dry ingredients to the wet and mix well to combine.
- Scoop tablespoonful amounts of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use your thumb or first finger to gently press a heart shaped indent into the dough (See my video on Instagram for a tutorial).
- Fill each cookie crater with jam or Nutella.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until just beginning to golden.
- Let cool for 10 minutes on cookie sheet before moving to wire rack to finish cooling.
- Enjoy!
Ann Marie says
OMG! They are so cute!
Lemons 'n Lyme says
thank you, they are fun aren't they?!