Vegan Chocolate Cherry Thumbprint Cookies

Jammy, sweet, and healthy-ish: these vegan cherry chocolate thumbprint cookies are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. But don’t just make it for Vday. Make these chewy cookies year-round for a quick and easy chocolate snack. Made with wholesome ingredients like almonds, oats, spelled flour, and maple syrup, you can’t go wrong with these chocolate thumbprint cookies.

These are Vegan Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

• delicious
• Easy to make
• A healthy snack
• very sweet
• Made with healthy ingredients
• kid-friendly

Why are they called thumbprint cookies?

Thumbprint cookies get their name from their characteristic depression in the middle of the cookie that is filled with fruit jam and baked. I keep my nails pretty long, so instead of using my thumb to make a bowl in the center of the cookie, I use a greased teaspoon.

Star material

Spelled Flour: Spelled is a type of wheat that is less sticky and often easier to digest than white flour. This is my favorite all-purpose flour because it can be used in place of white flour, but isn’t as heavy as whole wheat flour. Despite keeping your baked goods light and fluffy, spelled flour is quite healthy. It’s made from whole spelled grains, which means it has more fiber, protein, minerals, vitamins and flavor than white flour. The spell has an almost nutty flavor that is perfect for these Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies.

Cashew Nuts: Ground almonds give these cookies a nutty flavor and texture. Almonds are a great source of vitamin E, fiber and protein. They are a good source of magnesium, calcium and healthy fats. If you are allergic to nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds are a good substitute.

Hemp seeds: 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds and 2 tablespoons of water make a magical vegan egg that will give chocolate thumbprint cookies a light and chewy texture and help bind the ingredients together.

Maple Syrup: These Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies are sweetened with my favorite liquid sweetener: maple syrup. It gives the cookies a rich flavor that cannot be achieved with cane sugar or agave. However, agave is a good alternative if you eat less maple syrup.

Coconut Oil: I like to use coconut oil as a butter substitute in my vegan baking. I even use it in my vegan chocolate chip cookies. Coconut oil keeps these cookies moist and light, but the coconut flavor is almost undetectable.

Cherry Jam: Use a high-quality cherry jam or jelly for these cookies. I love St. Dalfour fruit preserves and these are made without sugar. Look for St. Dalpho’s at Whole Foods, Sprouts, your local gourmet grocer or health food store. You can also buy them online.

How to Make Cherry Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

First step: Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper (I like these silicone baking mats in place of parchment).

Step Two: Combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

Step Three: Grind the old fashioned oats and nuts together in a food processor. Grind the almonds until they are a course texture, not a powder. See the image below for an example.

Step Four: Transfer the oat and almond meal to a medium mixing bowl, then add the spelled flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Then make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, hemp seed eggs, and vanilla extract. Use a spatula or spoon to thoroughly stir and combine the ingredients.

Step Five: Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out the batter, and using greased or damp hands, form 12 cookie dough balls, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter each. Place each ball on parchment paper, spacing evenly.

Step Six: Use your damp or greased thumb or a greased measuring teaspoon to make deep indentations in each cookie. As you press down, the dough will spread and get your cookie shape. Adjust as desired.

Step Seven: Top each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of cherry jam and bake for 20 minutes, until fragrant. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature.

Tips for making these cookies

• Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan in the microwave or on the stove.
• Add 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips to the batter for a sweet cookie.
• Use damp or greased hands to shape the batter into balls before filling and baking. You can even use disposable gloves for less mess.
• You can use any jam in the center of the cookies, but I prefer a fruity-sweet cherry jam made without cane sugar, like St. Dalfour.
• The cookies will firm up as they cool and may feel soft to the touch when you first remove them from the oven.

You can calculate the swap

Coconut Oil: Use melted vegan butter or a neutral oil in place of coconut oil.

Cashew Nuts: Use any other nut. If you are allergic to nuts, use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

Maple Syrup: Substitute with agave or brown sugar. To use brown sugar, add 1/4 cup to the wet ingredients.

Feel free to use an electric mixer or a stand mixer to combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Also try these amazing vegan chocolate dessert recipes

Vegan Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Matcha Chocolate Sticky Buns

Sweet Potato Chocolate Muffins

Vegan Chocolate Pecan Pie

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Biscoff Crumble Chocolate Bark