Description

Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies are dairy-free and gluten-free, and make the perfect addition to your holiday baking list. They’re small batch and freeze well, but they also have a deliciously crispy and chewy texture with a sugary coating and an orange cranberry filling.

Ingredients

For the cranberry jam filling:

1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Juice and zest from half an orange
1 tablespoon chia seeds

For the cookie dough:

1/4 + 1/4 cup cane sugar, divided
1/4 cup cashew butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons virgin, cold pressed coconut oil
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup light buckwheat flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the chocolate drizzle:

1/4 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small sauce pan, stir together the cranberries, sugar, cardamom, orange juice and zest and bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture doesn’t burn. Once the mixture starts to thicken, remove from heat and stir in the chia seeds. Cover and let cool.
To make the cookie dough, add 1/4 cup cane sugar, cashew butter and coconut oil to a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
In a small bowl, sift together the buckwheat flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. On low-speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture until a dough forms. You may need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup cane sugar to a small plate. Shape the dough into roughly one-inch balls and roll in the sugar. (You should get 12-14 balls). Arrange about 2-inches apart on the baking sheet and use your thumb to create a well in the centre of each cookie.
Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven. If the thumb impressions have disappeared, carefully use a 1/4 teaspoon to reshape them. Add the cranberry filling to each thumb impression. Return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the optional chocolate drizzle, add the dark chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small microwave safe bowl and microwave in two 30-second intervals, stirring in between and after until smooth. Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies.
Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Make sure the cashew butter and coconut oil are at room temperature. This will ensure they mix together smoothly with the cane sugar.
If you don’t have cashew butter, you can substitute almond butter.
If you can’t find cane sugar, you can use granulated sugar in the cookie dough. In order to create the crispy cookie coating, however, I suggest using a courser sugar, such as turbinado, to roll the cookies in.
To keep these cookies gluten-free, make sure your ground cardamom and any ingredient substitutions are certified gluten-free.
Be sure to check out the detailed sections above the recipe card for additional advice and suggestions for making this recipe.

Keywords: cranberry orange cookies, gluten-free thumbprint cookies, jam-filled cookies