Keto thumbprint cookies are tender almond flour shortbread cookies with a center of sugar-free keto raspberry jam. They are the perfect addition to your keto Christmas cookie platter, and a delicious keto dessert for any occasion.
Only 3.2g net carbs per serving!
Make no mistake, my dears, these are the original keto thumbprint cookies. I created this recipe back in 2015 for a friend’s 40th birthday party — I’ve always loved making treats for friends’ birthday.
But these cookies are fabulous for any occasion. They’re easy to make and that red raspberry center is so luscious and festive. And they’re pretty and elegant too!
And I’ve given the whole recipe an update, making it easier and even lower in carbs. How wonderful is that?
Keto Jam Thumbprints
The original recipe for the keto thumbprint cookies used my Sugar-Free Chia Seed Jam for the raspberry center. They are delicious that way and you can certainly still make them like that.
But many people don’t care for chia, either for the texture or for its estrogenic properties. It also made the filling quite dark.
When I was writing The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking, I hit upon a new way to make a sugar-free jam filling. I used a little grassfed gelatin to firm it up and give it a jam-like consistency.
So I decided to update this recipe and put my new filling to the test. It works like a charm!
Ingredients for keto jam thumbprints
This keto cookie recipe only takes a handful of basic ingredients:
- Almond flour – always use finely ground for cookies, as it gives them the best consistency.
- Butter – make sure it’s well softened so that it combines well with the sweetener.
- Sweetener – I recommend Swerve or another erythritol based sweetener for the best cookies.
- Egg – make sure it’s room temperature so your butter doesn’t clump up!
- Baking powder
- Almond or vanilla extract
- Raspberries – you can use fresh or frozen.
- Gelatin – I always recommend good grassfed gelatin like Great Lakes.
How to make keto thumbprint cookies
The process is so simple and results in deliciously tender, sweet cookies with the sweet tart tang of raspberry jam. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Line your baking sheet. I prefer silicone liners as they protect the bottom of the cookies better from over-browning.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Break up any clumps in the almond flour.
- Beat the butter with the sweetener. The butter should be well softened, to the point where you can leave an indent easily with your finger. If it’s not, give it a few seconds in the microwave.
- Make sure your egg is room temperature. I always recommend this as it prevents the butter from clumping up again.
- Shape the cookies. You can use either your thumb or the back of a round teaspoon to make wells in the center.
- Bake until golden. You will need to reshape the wells a bit as the cookies puff up during baking.
- Prepare the keto jam. You simply need to boil the berries, add sweetener, and a bit of gelatin to help the filling thicken.
- Cool the filling. You want it thicker, so it doesn’t bleed into the cookies, but not so thick that it’s completely gelled.
- Spoon into the cookies. About half a teaspoon is perfect to fill the well of each thumbprint.
- Let them set. Give them an hour or so before digging in, so that the filling becomes the consistency of jam. But I won’t blame you for digging in early… I certainly did!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, I am afraid not. This cookie recipe would be disastrous and tasteless with coconut flour. You could try sunflower seed flour but the color will be quite different. You will also need to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the dough, to offset the funny green reaction between sunflower seeds and the baking powder.
I highly recommend an erythritol based sweetener for the cookies, for the right consistency. Allulose or BochaSweet will make the cookies very soft and more cake-like. But they should work in the raspberry jam filling well enough.
That works too! Simply swap out the butter for softened coconut oil.
You can, but Knox needs to be bloomed properly first, and you will need less of it. I suggest sprinkling 1 teaspoon (about half an envelope) over 1/4 cup of water. Once it gels, add it to the hot raspberry mixture and whisk until dissolved.
You can try other keto thickeners, although I cannot guarantee the results. I recommend using glucomannan over xanthan gum, for a better consistency. Half a teaspoon should be enough.
More delicious keto raspberry recipes
- Keto Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Sugar-Free Raspberry Sorbet
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Keto Jelly Donut Bites
- Raspberry Lemonade Smoothies
Keto Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 ¼ cups (252 g) almond flour
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter, softened
- ½ cup (91 g) granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) almond extract
- additional powdered Swerve, for sprinkling
Filling
- 1 cup (120 g) raspberries, (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 ½ tsp (1.5 tsp) grassfed gelatin
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the egg and almond extract. Beat in the almond flour mixture until the dough comes together.
- Form the dough into scant 1 inch balls and place two inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press each ball down to about 1/2 inch high. Using your thumb or a teaspoon, press an indentation into the center of each cookie.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are just golden. Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes, then gently redefine the well in the center of each cookie, as they will have puffed up a bit.
- Let cool completely on the pan, and then dust lightly with powdered sweetener.
Filling
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries and the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 5 minutes, until the berries are soft enough to mash with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in the sweetener and gelatin and let cool until thickened but not gelled, about 20 minutes. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the filling into the well of each cookie and let set 1 hour, until firm.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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It never says when to put the jam in.
It does, actually. Final step of the whole recipe, under Filling.
Oh ok. I just put sugar free jam in each cookie before baking and they came out great. I also used a flax egg because I ran out and it also came out great. Thanks for the recipe.
These were awesome!
I made the jam two days ago can I still use it ? I was trying to get ahead and didn’t realize the jam should set up in the cookie. Ugh Do I need to start a new batch of jam?
No don’t start a new one! Warm it gently until it loosens up.
Thank you for the quick reply! My keto baking marathon starts tomorrow and I’m so excited for these thumb print cookies. It’s been years since I’ve enjoyed my favorite cookie and now I get to enjoy a keto version along with a couple others this xmas. ????????
These are really fun to make and eat! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Loved these! They were really light and airy.
You’ve outdone yourself with this recipe. I love how easy the cookies are to make and how good they taste!
Do these cookies freeze well? I would like to make them now for Christmas
I would freeze the cookies without the filling. Then make the filling closer to Christmas.
Hi Carolyn! My family and I love everything you create! I would like to know how to store these delicious cookies?
They should be fine on the counter in a covered container for up to 4 days, but they can also be in the fridge for up to about 10 days.
I think that I might try filling these with Good Good jelly!
Should work well! Warm it up a bit to make it more liquid before spoon it in. Then let it set.
Carolyn,
Have you ever used Pomona pectin to make sugar free jellies and jams. It yields a perfect jelly and works well with the keto sweeteners, and it is plant derived. It is much easier to use than standard pectin and probably easier than grass-fed gelatin.
And I’ll be trying the raspberry jam and then the cookies just as soon as I can get to the store for raspberries. The recipe looks soooo tempting.
Betsy
Yep, I’ve used it a lot. But you still have more work to do for making the filling for these if you try to make real jam. This makes it much simpler!
I dont have that jam; can I cook up strawberries to use as a sam instead?
You can try but if you don’t thicken it with something, it will be too sloppy and won’t stay in the cookie very well.
Thanks again. Tasted great! Made with your sf cranberry sauce and orange extract instead of almond. YUM!
These were delicate and wonderful! So far I’ve not been a big fan of low carb cookies but these are keepers. l love amoretto so I increased the extract to 3/4 tsp, used NSA ED Smith raspberry jam and split the sweetener to half erythritol and half Splenda (my erythritol has a serious mint effect).
I’m already wondering about lemon extract with lemon curd!
Thanks.
I thought the Butter Pecan Cookies were the best cookie I ever made …… now I have 2 ‘best’ cookies? Seriously, these are amazing too! I even made the jam, which I used blueberries. So easy!
Does the sugar have to be confectioners or would a stevia granulated sugar work? Thats what I have on hand. Cant wait to make these!
The texture is a little better when powdered but it might work okay.
Carolyn, these were amazing! I made them this afternoon and my best friend and I just loved them. Brought the batch home to my husband, who was almost surprised by how delicious they are. This is the first dessert I’ve made since we’ve started keto/low-carb that he’s really enjoyed 🙂 Can’t wait to experiment with other kinds of jams!