Tender, naturally sweetened peanut butter thumbprint cookies filled with a tart, incredibly flavorful jam! No baking required, just 5 ingredients total, and ready in 20 minutes!
Add peanut butter to a medium mixing bowl. The peanut butter should be runny when measured. I recommend using natural peanut butter, meaning the ingredients should just be peanuts and salt. Then add maple syrup and stir until well combined.
Measure out almond flour and add a little at a time until a workable dough forms (see photo). If too dry/crumbly, add more peanut butter or maple syrup. If too sticky or wet, add a little more almond flour. We added an additional few tablespoons to achieve the right consistency.
Scoop dough out in 1 ½ Tbsp amounts (I like using this scoop) and gently roll into balls. Then pick up one cookie at a time and cradle it in your palm. Use your pointer finger or thumb to make an indent, being careful not to press too forcefully to prevent cracking. If the dough cracks, smooth the cracks over before chilling. Continue until all cookies are pressed, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
To make your jam, add dried fruit to a food processor and blend until a ball forms or only small bits remain. Then add warm water 1 Tbsp (15 ml) at a time until a thick paste forms, scraping down sides as needed. Be careful not to add too much water or the jam will become too wet. We found 2 Tbsp (30 ml) to be the right consistency (as the recipe is written). You’re looking for a paste consistency.
Remove cookies from refrigerator and add 1/2 tsp of jam to the center of each cookie. Press down to situate the jam as needed. Repeat until all cookies are filled. You’ll have leftover jam which you can cover, refrigerate, and reserve for future cookies, PB&J sandwiches, or oats!
Store cookies well sealed in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or in the freezer up to 1 month (let thaw before enjoying).
Video
Notes
*We tested several different jam options but the dried fruit was by far the best option for texture and flavor. We recommend using a semi-tart dried fruit like cherries for a nice salty-sweet-sour balance. Note: We also tested the cookies with store-bought jam (but found it too wet and sweet), chia compote (but found it too watery), and fresh mashed berries with chia seeds (but found the flavor too weak and the texture too watery). *As written, the recipe yields about 1/2 cup of jam, but you’ll only need 6 teaspoons for the cookies. If you have a small food processor, you can try to make a lesser quantity. It’s just difficult to make smaller batches in larger food processors and blenders since lesser quantities won’t blend well. *Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 1/4 of the total amount of jam.