Raspberry Chia Jam Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

What Is Raspberry Chia Jam Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint cookies are a shortbread-style cookie with a well in the center that holds a spoonful of jam. This version uses an almond flour dough instead of wheat flour, and the filling is a raspberry jam that sets with chia seeds instead of pectin and sugar.

What Makes This Recipe Anti-Inflammatory?

Raspberries bring anthocyanins, mainly cyanidin-3-glucoside, and ellagitannins, two groups of plant compounds studied for their role in the body’s inflammatory response. Chia seeds add alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid, plus soluble fiber. That fiber is what thickens the jam as it sits.

Almond flour supplies vitamin E as alpha-tocopherol and monounsaturated fat. These cookies also leave out refined wheat flour, cane sugar, butter, and refined seed oils.

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (about 4 ounces)
• 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, divided
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Step 1

Combine the raspberries and 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the berries break down into a loose syrup that bubbles at the edges. Mash with a fork and stir in the chia seeds and lemon juice. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, until it holds a mound on the spoon.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Almond flour browns sooner than wheat flour, so the oven runs lower than the usual 350°F. That keeps the edges from darkening before the centers set.

Step 3

Whisk the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Almond flour clumps more than the other dry ingredients, so keep whisking until no clumps of it remain and the mixture looks evenly blended.

Step 4

Add the melted coconut oil, the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup, and the vanilla extract. Stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and holds together when you press it between your fingers.

Step 5

Divide the dough into 12 balls about 1 1/4 inches wide and space them 2 inches apart on the sheet. Press a half-inch deep well into each center with your thumb or the back of a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon. Pinch any cracks at the edges closed with your fingers.

Step 6

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges turn golden and the tops look dry and matte rather than shiny. The cookies come out of the oven soft to the touch.

Step 7

Cool the cookies on the sheet for 15 minutes, until you can lift them without breaking. Spoon the cold jam into the wells, about 2 teaspoons in each cookie. This uses all of the jam the saucepan made.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

InflammaScore

1 Good! Very low inflammation potential

Q&A

Q1: Can I use frozen raspberries?
A1: Yes. Use them straight from the freezer without thawing. Frozen raspberries release more water as they cook, so give them 1 or 2 extra minutes in the saucepan. The jam sets the same way once the chia seeds go in.

Q2: Can I replace the tapioca flour?
A2: Arrowroot starch works in the same amount as the tapioca flour. It serves the same purpose here, binding the dough so the cookies hold together. If you leave it out, the cookies turn out more crumbly and break apart when you lift them.

Q3: Why do the wells crack during baking?
A3: Warm dough and a rushed well are the usual causes. Press the wells before baking, never after, and pinch any cracks closed with your fingers before the sheet goes in. A well made after baking splits the cookie instead of holding the jam.

Q4: How do I store them?
A4: The jam keeps for five days in a closed jar in the refrigerator, and the unfilled cookies keep for four days in an airtight container at room temperature. Fill the cookies on the day you serve them so the edges stay crisp.

Q5: Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
A5: No, not in the same amount. Coconut flour absorbs far more liquid than almond flour, so the dough would turn dry and crumbly. Almond flour is what gives this dough its texture.

The chia jam sets in the refrigerator while the cookies bake, so you can make both parts ahead and fill them right before serving.