Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies (Low Carb & Keto Friendly)

If you have been following along, this is blog post number six that starts with, “So I put jam in this.”  These almond flour thumbprint cookies are dolloped with bright, ruby-red jam and are super tasty. 

These cookies are also low carb, dairy-free, no sugar added, and keto-friendly.   

They are so good with a cup of hot coffee!  (I have a coffee problem.)^{(Problem is my coffee is empty)}

super chewy KETO thumbprint cookies with extra bits of good stuff

This almond flour cookie dough is more like an amaretti cookie.  If you’re not familiar, they are similar in texture to a macaron.  They have the best chewy texture!  I chose to make these with amaretti cookie dough because I was craving a chewy cookie.

To the dough base, I added coconut and chopped pistachios.   Both ingredients marry incredibly well with raspberry jam and create a wonderful texture and flavor profile. 

A few things about the almond flour dough

If you have never made amaretti cookies, you may find that the dough feels wrong.   It tends to be a bit dry, but it will eventually come together in a big, sticky paste.  

You also need to chill this dough for an hour before rolling, forming, and baking.  This extra step is important as it does make a difference in the final product.

Once the dough is cold, it is easy to roll and gently flatten the cookies.   

Of course, to make your thumbprint keto cookies, you need to make a divot in the centre of each cookie before they go into the oven.  The dough is forgiving, so if it cracks while thumb printing, you can shape it together again. 

For more information on baking with almond flour, check out my full guide!

Which sweeteners are best for this recipe?

~This post may contain affiliate links.  If you click one and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I only ever recommend the ingredients or tools I use for my recipes.  You can read more about our disclosure policy here ~

Allulose was by far the best sweetener to use for these cookies.  The allulose created a fantastic, chewy texture, and they hardly had any aftertaste (if at all). I even found them to be a bit on the sweet side, but my husband thought they were perfect.  

With that said, you may use your favorite 1:1 granular sugar substitute.  

Swerve and Truvia will also work perfectly–as does any powdered erythritol or xylitol brand.  

Cookies made with erythritol will become hard and chewy if stored in the fridge.  Leaving them out on a counter to warm will help the cookies soften. 

** Remember: xylitol is poisonous to dogs and cats, so if that’s your choice and you have little, furry friends running around, be aware that it may be deadly for them.**

keto Thumbprint cookies assembly tips

These cookies will be quite soft straight out of the oven. Let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.   

You do not need to wait for the cookies to cool completely. Jam may be added as soon as they are moved off the cookie pan.   

I added one teaspoon of sugar-free, raspberry jam to the almond flour thumbprint cookies.  I used a small ice cream scoop and filled it just a bit less than half full.  It worked perfectly and made clean up a snap. 

For added texture and presentation, I drizzled a bit of sugar-free glaze in stripes across my cookies, but that step is entirely optional as the cookies are sweet enough without it.

a few options for the raspberry jam filling :

1. You can make your own shelf-stable raspberry filling.  I make my own jams, so when I want to make desserts like this, I just pull a jar out of the cupboard.  If you check out my raspberry jam recipe, you will see my trick to getting perfectly gelled jam that you can store for up to a year on the shelf.     
2. You can also use commercially made, no sugar added, low carb raspberry jams.  Just be mindful that these jams have different nutritional values, and you will need to double-check the carb counts if you use a commercial jam. 
3. Probably the quickest and easiest option is to cook raspberries on the stove with a bit of sweetener until the mixture naturally gels and thickens.  

I’ve added nutritional information for the third option to the recipe.  

You can see how glossy and shiny my jam is in the photos. I made that jam with allulose.  The allulose creates a jam that is very similar to regular jam in taste and texture; it’s quite sticky!  If you make raspberry filling on the stove, you may find that it does not have that shine, especially if you use a sweetener other than allulose.  

Raspberry jam not your jam? I have a few more shelf-stable, homemade jams made without added sugar for you to check out. 

Storage & Serving 

These cookies freeze great!   You can even fill them before freezing.  Lay your almond flour thumbprint cookies on a cookie sheet and freeze them in a single layer.  Once they are frozen, you can put them in a ziplock bag and take them out as required.  They only take about 30 minutes to thaw on the counter. 

If you decide to freeze a few, skip the erythritol glaze on the top, it will turn grainy.  

These cookies store very well in the fridge.   If you used allulose, the cookies will not become grainy or overly chewy and will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.   If you use erythritol, I suggest keeping them covered and on the counter for up to 3 days. 

Want more jam-stuffed recipes? 

• Gluten-free Lamington Recipe with Jam Filling (Low Carb Too!)
• Low Carb PB&J Muffins – A Great Breakfast Idea (Gluten Free Too!)
• Dark Chocolate Gluten-Free Black Forest Cake ( Sugar Free & Low Carb )