Peanut Butter & Jam Thumbprint Cookies (grain free & dairy free)

Incredibly easy and delicious Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies! The quintessential lunchbox sandwich in healthy thumbprint cookie form! A chewy and soft peanut butter cookie filled with any flavor of jam or jelly you like! These straight up yummy cookies are made better-for-you using real, simple ingredients – they are grain free, gluten free, and dairy free! Made with only 10 ingredients and in one bowl!

What Do These Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies Taste Like?

These Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies have a classic soft and chewy, peanut butter-y cookie base and filled with any jam or jelly flavor that fits your fancy! It’s the perfect flavor combination of PB&J in a cookie! The soft interior and crispy edges of the cookie are the perfect vessel for the bright fruity filling. And while they are made with better-for-you ingredients, I think even the pickiest of eaters wouldn’t believe that these are made healthier. They are just that good.

Why Are They Called Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint Cookies are called as such because of the method used to prepare them. Roll the cookie dough into a ball, then use your thumb to create a small well in the center of the cookie dough. The well is filled with typically jam or another sweet center! However, to create a more perfect circle in the center use the end of a large spoon instead.

What Ingredients Are Used to Make These Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies?

These PB&J Thumbprint Cookies are made better-for-you as they contain no refined sugar, flours, or oils. They are made using only 10 real, unprocessed ingredients! These cookies are paleo-ish as they are grain free, gluten free, and dairy free. Peanut butter is technically not paleo-friendly making these “paleo-ish”.

Here are the ingredients used in this recipe:

• Peanut Butter – The main ingredient! Use a creamy, natural peanut butter that has only 1 ingredient (peanuts). Natural peanut butters do not have any added ingredients that prevent separation, so be sure to stir the peanut butter well, in the jar, before measuring. Use a pre-salted peanut butter if that’s what you have on hand, just half the salt listed in the recipe. I used Once Again’s Creamy Peanut Butter.
• Coconut Sugar – The best granulated sweetener for refined sugar free baking. I use and love Nutiva’s Coconut Sugar for the reasonable pricing and excellent quality.
• Coconut Oil – Used instead of butter to make these PB&J Thumbprint Cookies dairy free. Use refined coconut oil for a no-coconut flavor.
• Egg – To help puff the cookies.
• Vanilla – Flavor!
• Cassava – An unprocessed flour that is gluten, grain, and nut free. I use and love Otto’s.
• Tapioca Flour – To help thicken the dough without making it too floury.
• Baking Soda – Gives the cookies just right amount of puff.
• Salt – To help enhance the peanut butter and jelly flavors.
• Coarse Sparkling Sugar (optional) – I liked rolling these cookies in a little organic cane sugar. It’s totally not necessary but a fun little addition if you’re wanting to fancy these up a bit. Use any coarse sugar like turbinado, demerara, or organic cane sugar.
• Jelly or Jam – Use any jam or jelly you like! Grape, raspberry, and strawberry would all be amazing in these! I used Santa Cruz Organic’s Seedless Raspberry Jam that I had leftover from my Chocolate Raspberry Cups!

How Do You Make These Peanut Butter & Jam Thumbprint Cookies?

This is a super easy Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookie recipe. The dough comes together in just one bowl and whips up in a flash! Then just roll, dent, and fill the dough and straight into the oven! No chilling necessary. Plus they bake up in about 8 minutes so you can easily make these in under 30 minutes! Check out the step-by-step photos below!

Here’s an overview of the process.

1. Heat oven to 375 and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. The trick to getting soft cookies that puff up around the jam is by baking them in a hot oven!
2. Mix wet ingredients together. Beat the peanut butter, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and egg together for about 1 minute. Add the vanilla and beat on medium. The mixture will get thick and shiny at first, but then start to smooth out and stick against the sides of the bowl forming a thick and creamy mixture, about 2 more minutes. (First picture in grid below.)
3. Add dry ingredients. Stir on low until just fully incorporated.
4. Scoop dough into 18 ping pong sized balls onto parchment lined baking sheet. I use my 40 mm cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tbsp).
5. Roll the dough in coarse sugar if you like. Totally optional.
6. Create a well in the center of the dough. Traditionally a thumb is just pressed down into the dough to create a small crater. Either do the same or use the bottom of a large spoon to create a perfect circle.
7. Fill with jam or jelly. Use about heaping 1 tsp to fill the cookie with jam.
8. Bake! The cookies are done when they have puffed and edges are just starting to brown. Bake for less time for a softer cookie and longer for a firmer cookie.
9. Let cool! It takes a little while for the jam to set fully. Mine took about 10 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

These will last up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Afterwards, move to freezer for longer storage.

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies are the perfect combination of PB&J and bring back all the nostalgia of the childhood classic in cookie form. A soft and chewy cookie filled with a bright fruity jelly is just so perfectly YUM while being secretly healthy! These are guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

paleo-ish (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened

Looking for more PB&J vibes? Check these recipes out!

• Healthy PB&J Stuffed Blondies (paleo & nut-free option)
• PB&J Cups (vegan, paleo, sugar-free option)
• Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies (paleo) – Okay, not PB&J, but PB & Chocolate is also, always good.

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5 from 1 vote

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Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

Soft and chewy peanut buttery cookies filled with any jam or jelly you like! Just like the classic lunchbox sandwich but in yummy healthified cookie form. So quick and easy to make, in just one bowl, with only 10 real, whole ingredients!

paleo-ish (gluten/grain/dairy free), naturally sweetened

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (136 grams) natural peanut butter *see notes
• 3/4 cup (114 grams) coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup (60 grams) coconut oil melted and cooled
• 1 egg ideally room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (54 grams) cassava flour spooned and leveled
• 3 tbsp (22 grams) tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp coarse sugar (optional) organic cane sugar, demerara, or turbinado
• 1/4 cup jam or jelly

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.

2. Mix wet ingredients together. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the peanut butter, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and egg together, on medium speed, for about 1 minute or until well combined.

   

3. Add the vanilla and continue to beat on medium speed. The mixture will get thick and shiny at first, but then smooth out and catch against the sides of the bowl creating a thick and creamy texture, about 2 more minutes. (See photo in original post.)

   

4. Add dry ingredients and stir on low until just fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once or twice during mixing to ensure ingredients are evenly distributed without overmixing.

   

5. Scoop dough into 18 even, ping pong sized balls (40 mm scoop).

   

6. Roll in coarse sugar if desired. Then place at least 2 inches apart on the prepared parchment lined baking sheet.

   

7. Create small hole in center of the cookie dough ball. Either use your thumb or the bottom of a large wooden spoon to create the hole.

   

8. Fill with jam or jelly. Using a small spoon fill the center of the dough with about 1 heaping teaspoon of jam.

   

9. Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes. The cookies are done when they have puffed and the edges are starting to brown. Bake for 7-8 minutes for a soft chewy cookie or 8-9 minutes for a firmer cookie with a still soft inside.

   

10. Let cool on baking sheet for at least 3 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. The jam/jelly will take several minutes to set completely.

11. Enjoy!

    

Recipe Notes

Storage: These will last up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Afterwards, move to freezer for longer storage.

Helpful Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): 40 mm cookie scoop, baking sheet, silicone spatula, kitchen scale

Ingredient Notes:

Peanut Butter – Use a creamy natural peanut that has only 1 ingredient (peanuts). Natural peanut butters do not have ingredients that prevent separation so be sure to stir the peanut butter well before measuring. You can use a pre-salted peanut butter if that’s what you have on hand, just half the salt listed in the recipe. I used Once Again’s Creamy Peanut Butter.

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