These vegan peach thumbprint cookies are a take on this traditional Swedish hallongrotta. The addition of whole wheat flour gives these cookies a lovely texture with a slight crunch. A coating of chopped almonds adds additional flavour and texture to these buttery cookies. A perfect little cookie for any occasion, not just holiday time.
This post was made in partnership with Paderno, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own (as usual). Thank you for supporting brands that help make The Simple Green possible.
Thumbprint cookies are actually the American version of Swedish hallongrotta, which translates to “raspberry cave.” As you’ve guessed, these simple molded cookies are traditionally filled with raspberry jam in Sweden, however, you’ve probably seen them filled with all sorts of sweet ingredients- apricot preserves or chocolate morsels even.
With their shortbread-like base, these cookies often appear during holiday time. However, one doesn’t have to wait until December to enjoy them. And with peach season in full swing, it’s time to grab your favourite jar of peach preserves and get baking.
The Paderno 3-Cup Food Chopper makes quick and easy work of finely chopping nuts
I’m happy to be partnering with Paderno again to share the recipe for these lovely vegan peach thumbprint cookies. Using the new Paderno small appliance line allows these cookies to come together rather effortlessly, especially when it comes to the task of finely chopping almonds for the coating. For this recipe, the Paderno 3-Cup Food Chopper processes blanched almond into a fine pieces quickly and efficiently. It’s also very lightweight to move around, which makes it great for those smaller jobs that you don’t want to pull out a large processor for.
When it comes to mixing the dough, the Paderno 10-Speed Hand Mixer beats butter and combines dry ingredients with ease. Moreover, the beaters are silicone-coated which makes them quiet to use. Bottom line, I love working with these appliances because of how versatile, practical and attractive they are for everyday use in the kitchen.
The Paderno 10-Speed Hand Mixer fitted with the silicone-coated beaters makes beating butter and dry ingredients easy and quiet
Tips to make the best thumbprint cookies
- Use the best fruit preserves you can source. Because the base of these cookies are not very sweet, you want your preserves to shine.
- When forming the wells, some cracking will happen, which is completely ok. However, if you want to make really pretty looking cookies, you can gently press the cracks together; you may need to reform the centre well if you do.
- Be mindful not to overfill the cookies. You want to fill each well up to the brim, but not so much that it’s heaped on top or overflowing.
Pro Tip
Chilling your cookie dough for a little as 30 minutes before baking can make for better cookies. When cookie dough is chilled, the fat solidifies. Because solidified fat takes longer to melt, your cookies will spread less and spread more evenly as a result. Chilling also creates a chewier cookie and, some say, better flavour. Because there is a high fat content, you don’t want these cookies spreading too quickly and possibly leaking jam.
Sending another big thank you to Paderno for partnering with me for this post. You can view their entire small appliance line by visiting their website, or following along on social media #itsacookingthing or @padernokitchenware (Facebook, Instagram) and @padernocookware (Twitter).
If you give this recipe a go, don’t forget to leave me a comment below!
Vegan Peach Thumbprint Cookies
These vegan peach thumbprint cookies are a perfect little bite for any occasion. The addition of whole wheat flour gives these cookies a lovely texture with a slight crunch and a coating of chopped almonds adds additional flavour and texture to these buttery cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted dairy-free butter softened
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 1/2 cup peach preserves
Instructions
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In a large bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the flours and salt to the butter mixture and beat until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand (it should stick together when pressed). Using your hands, press and form the dough into one large mass. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
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Meanwhile, add the blanched almonds to the Paderno 3-Cup Food Chopper or a small food processor. Pulse the almonds approximately 6-8 times, or until finely chopped. Pour the chopped almonds into a shallow dish and set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 350’ F. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and using your hands or a 1” cookie scoop, portion and roll the dough into 1” rounds. Roll each dough ball in the chopped almonds and place 2” apart on a baking sheet.
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Using your thumb or a small spoon, gently press a well in the centre of each dough ball. The dough may crack, which is ok. If you prefer, you can press each dough ball back together while continuing to create a well in the centre with your thumbs.
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Fill each well with a 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of peach preserve. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until slightly golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
You can use any fruit preserve you prefer. Keep the finished cookies in a container with a lid for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these for up to 3 months.
Also, be mindful to source a dairy-free butter alternative that doesn't contain palm oil. Palm oil farming and production are noted to be responsible for much of the world's deforestation. Natural rain forests are cut down and even burned to accommodate oil palm plantations. Until stricter rules are enforced for palm oil production, try and avoid it whenever possible.
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