Thumbprint Cookies

A low FODMAP thumbprint cookie with a gluten-free butter dough, vanilla, and a center of strawberry or raspberry jam.

Prep 25 min

Cook 28 min

Serves 15

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (135 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 2 1/4 cups (325 g) gluten-free flour blend (with xanthan gum)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/3 cup (about 110 g) strawberry or raspberry jam with no high-fructose corn syrup

Makes 30 cookies. One serving is 2 cookies.

Instructions

Make the Dough

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract, if using.
4. Add the flour blend and salt on low speed and mix until a soft dough forms.

Shape and Fill

1. Scoop 24 g portions (a heaping tablespoon) and roll them into balls. Place 15 on each sheet, 2 inches apart.
2. Press a deep well into the center of each ball with your thumb or the back of a 1/2-teaspoon measure. If the edges crack, pinch them back together.
3. Fill each well with a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam (about 3.5 g).

Bake

1. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 12 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms are light golden and the tops look set.
2. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack. The jam firms up as it cools.

Tips & Substitutions

• Check the jam label. Jam sweetened with sugar or corn syrup is the one to buy. Jam made with high-fructose corn syrup has a much smaller low FODMAP serve.
• Chill if the dough is soft. In a warm kitchen, chill the filled cookies on the sheet for 15 minutes before baking so they hold their shape.
• Other jams. Orange marmalade and apricot jam are classic fillings too. Monash has tested strawberry jam, raspberry jam, and marmalade; stick to those for the most room.
• Dairy-free version. Use a 1:1 vegan butter stick and check the label for cashews, inulin, and chicory root.
• Save the whites. The two leftover egg whites keep in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze them for meringues.

Why This Works

Jam serve. Monash lists strawberry and raspberry jam as low FODMAP at 2 tablespoons (40 g) when made without high-fructose corn syrup. Two cookies carry about 7 g of jam.

Gluten-free flour. The gluten-free flour blend is rice and starch based, so the dough has none of the fructans in wheat flour.

Butter and yolks. Butter is low in lactose, and the extra yolks make the dough rich and tender without needing milk.

Storage

Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, with parchment between layers so the jam doesn't stick. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.