This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn qualifying purchases. Click here for more about this policy.
These gluten-free Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies will be a hit at all of your holiday parties and events. They are filled with a silky chocolate ganache and topped with peppermint sprinkles so they capture the flavors of the holidays.
Transform your favorite holiday cookies with this chocolate thumbprint cookies recipe. These cookies are gluten-free, low in calories, and higher in protein than your average Christmas cookie. They combine cocoa powder and coconut sugar to make a less processed, better for you Christmas cookie.
If you like healthier cookie recipes, you will love my zucchini chocolate chip cookies and white chocolate macadamia cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for Chocolate Lovers: Not only is the cookie dough itself packed with cocoa powder to make rich, chocolatey cookies, but they are also full of a gooey chocolate ganache. Chocolate lovers will adore these delicious cookies.
- Taste Indulgent, But are Low-Calorie: What tastes more indulgent than a chocolate cookie filled with chocolate ganache? These cookies may taste like they’re full of calories, but each cookie contains only 115 calories!
- Bake for Less Than 10 Minutes: While mixing the cookie dough and chocolate filling may take a little time, these cookies bake in under 10 minutes. They’re great for when you don’t have a lot of time to bake.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Butter: Use melted butter, which results in a fudgier and chewier cookie. This texture better complements the chocolate filling.
- Coconut Sugar: This naturally derived sugar is lower in calories and has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar.
- Gluten-Free Flours: Use a combination of gluten-free baking flour and almond flour to achieve the desired consistency for these cookies. If you want to use coconut flour, try my raspberry coconut thumbprint cookies recipe.
- Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder gives these cookies rich chocolate flavor without adding additional sugar or calories.
- Ground Coffee: Ground coffee or espresso intensifies the chocolate flavor of the cookies. You can skip it if you don’t want the additional caffeine.
- Egg: A room-temperature egg helps bind the dough together, adds protein, and encourages the cookies to rise a bit.
- Chocolate Chips: Melt chocolate chips, or dairy-free chocolate chips, to create the chocolate filling.
- Tahini: This creamy paste is made from ground sesame seeds and helps thicken the melted chocolate filling.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Make Them Dairy-Free: You can make these cookies dairy-free by using dairy-free milk and butter in the dough and using dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Add a Different Topping: While these cookies feature crushed peppermint sprinkles, you can use any sort of topping you like. Use red and green holiday sprinkles, a bit of flaky sea salt, or a drizzle of caramel as toppings as well.
- Adjust the Texture: You can make the cookies chewier by baking them for the recommended time, but if you like a crunchier cookie you can add a few more minutes of baking time.
For more holiday baking inspo, take some time to scroll through all the best healthy holiday cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
These rich gluten-free chocolate thumbprint cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious! They are the ideal cookie for chocolate lovers and the perfect addition to your holiday baking, especially when topped with crushed candy canes. All you need is a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and an oven preheated to 375°F.
Step 1: Whisk the Dry Ingredients. Whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and ground coffee in a bowl until they are well combined.
Step 2: Combine the Ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract with a whisk. Pour the flour into the creamed sugar a little bit at a time. Then add the egg and almond milk and mix until a sticky dough forms.
Step 3: Scoop Out the Dough. Scoop the dough into 15 small balls and place them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Use your finger or a ½” teaspoon to press a hole into the ball. Be sure the indent is deep, but not all the way through the cookie. Bake the cookies in the 375°F oven for 7-9 minutes, until they are firm. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
Step 4: Make the Ganache. While the cookies are baking, make the chocolate filling. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 15-second increments. Stir at each increment until the chocolate is fully melted. Then stir the tahini and peppermint extract into the melted chocolate.
Step 5: Fill the Cookies. Once the cookies are completely cooled, carefully spoon a small amount of the chocolate filling into the center of each cookie.
Step 6: Add the Toppings. Finish the cookies by sprinkling some crushed candy canes over the top of the cookies. Let the chocolate center set and firm before enjoying the cookies. Enjoy your chocolate thumbprints with a low-calorie peppermint mocha for the maximum amount of chocolate and peppermint flavor.
Expert Tips
- Chill the Dough Before Baking: Ensure the cookies achieve the desired texture by chilling the dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. This helps prevent the cookies from cracking as they bake.
- Use a Round Cookie Cutter to Shape Them: Once the cookies are finished baking, use a round glass or cookie cutter and move in a circle around the cookie. This helps smooth the edges to make perfectly round cookies.
- Don’t Use Your Thumb: If you want perfectly round indents in your cookies opt for using a teaspoon to create them instead of your finger.
- Storing: Keep leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen cookies for 24 hours in the refrigerator before enjoying them.
Serving Suggestions
These thumbprint cookies with chocolate and peppermint sprinkles are the perfect Christmas cookie. They are rich and decadent while also being lower in calories and sugar. The pairing of chocolate and peppermint is a holiday classic.
- Your holiday guests or neighborhood cookie swap are going to love these cookies! Add them to a cookie tray with healthy sugar cookies and these gingerbread cookies.
- These cookies are the perfect after-dinner treat for the holidays! Enjoy them after a holiday meal of my high protein vegetarian lasagna or crockpot turkey meatballs.
- If you’re looking for a little protein boost to go with your cookies in the afternoon, try blending up a hot chocolate protein smoothie!
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is for gluten-free cookies and it uses a combination of gluten-free baking flour and almond flour. You could use gluten-free oat flour instead of almond flour. I don’t recommend using coconut flour as it will dry the cookies out too much.
It’s natural that the cookies puff up a little while they bake and lose the indent a bit. Use your finger or a teaspoon to gently press an indent back into the warm cookies. Be sure to do this before the cookies cool completely.
Be sure to pour the ganache into fully cooled cookies to ensure it doesn’t heat inside the warm cookies and turn runny. You can also chill it for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator before adding it to the cookies if it seems a bit too thin.
More Delicious Holiday Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookie
- 3 tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon Butter, unsalted
- 5 tablespoons Coconut Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ teaspoon Peppermint Extract, or vanilla extract
- ½ cup Gluten Free Baking Flour
- ½ tablespoon Gluten Free Baking Flour
- 5 tablespoons Almond Flour
- 3 ½ tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Coffee
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon Unsweetened Almond Milk, or milk of choice
For the Chocolate Center
- 50 grams Chocolate Chips, or dairy-free chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoon Tahini, or peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract, or peppermint extract
- Crushed candy canes as desired for the top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F. Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and peppermint with a whisk. Add the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda, salt and coffee and mix together.
- Mix in the flour a little at a time with a spoon until combined. Whisk in the egg and almond milk until a sticky dough forms.
- Scoop the dough out into 15 small balls on a parchment covered sheet pan. Use your finger or thumb to press a hole into the ball. They don’t need to be perfectly round, but make sure the indent is fairly deep.
- Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes, or until they are firm. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
- Next make the chocolate center, melt the chocolate chips in 15 second increments in a small microwave safe bowl until they are melted and can be mixed together. Stir in the tahini paste and the extract.
- Once the cookies are cool, carefully spoon a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the center of the cookie. If you’d like, sprinkle some of the crushed candy canes on top. Let the chocolate center set before enjoying.
Notes
- If you want, you can chill the low-calorie chocolate cookie dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to let the dough set. This helps the cookies not crack while they bake.
- Ensure your cookies are perfectly round by moving a glass or round cookie cutter in a circular motion around the outside of the warm cookies to smooth the edges.
- If you want perfectly round indents in your cookies use a teaspoon to create them instead of your finger.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
