These keto thumbprint cookies have all of the elements of your favorite classic thumbprint cookie! A pillowy soft vanilla scented cookie, crusted with chopped walnuts and a dollop of strawberry (or any flavor) of jam nestled in the center. Betcha can’t eat just one!
My friend Judy is the indisputable queen of cookies (and pies) but unfortunately they aren’t usually keto friendly. When we visit CT and spend time with them, there are always tons of cookies to be eaten when we’re playing cards, and the thumbprint cookies with the walnut crust are my hand’s down favorite.
So when Judy posted a photo on Instagram of some cookies she just made, and I saw my favorites sitting there all jewel-like and out of reach, I knew I had to make a keto thumbprint cookie that we (and you) could enjoy guilt free. Side point – Mr. Hungry’s favorite are the ginger cookies – which have raisins in them and are therefore super gross in my opinion. There is no chance that I will be making those over into a keto version. EVER.
If you’re a cookie lover like me, then it’s almost a guarantee that you’re going to be a fan of these keto thumbprint cookies! I mean seriously, what’s not to like?
The interior is soft and pillowy, the exterior is slightly crunchy and with a toasty nut flavor, and the jam center – well that just makes it all perfect.
Speaking of the jam, I used Smucker’s sugar free strawberry preserves because that’s what I could get here in Honduras, but you can use any sugar free or low sugar jam flavor in your version. Just be sure to pick the lowest carbs per serving that you can find.
Mostly because you’re going to want to eat at least 2 of these keto thumbprint cookies, and you want to keep the carbs as low as possible to make room in your budget. And with a budget of 20g net carbs per day, you can totally eat bacon and eggs all day just to be able to fit, oh I don’t know…maybe 5 or 6 of them into your plan?
I mean if you want to – no judgement here… #cookiesallday #whynot #bethebossofyou
Actually forget the IBIH 5 day Keto Soup Diet – let’s make the IBIH 5 Day Keto Cookie Diet a thing! #ibihcookiediet #whoswithme #youknowyouwantto
I’ll tell ya what – imma try it out (for science, duh) and get back to you asap! ???
Meanwhile, you should make a few batches of these keto thumbprint cookies and have them ready to go, juuust in case!
Keto Thumbprint Cookies – Low Carb
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies 1x
Description
These keto thumbprint cookies have all the flavor and texture of your favorite classic thumbprint cookies! Low carb and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2/3 cup powdered erythritol sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 5 tablespoons sugar free strawberry preserves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine the egg, butter, almond flour, salt, baking powder, erythritol and vanilla in a medium bowl.
- Mix well with a fork until a dough is formed.
- Place the chopped walnuts on a plate.
- Form the dough into 1.5 inch balls and roll in the walnuts to coat.
- Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and press a small dent into the center of each cookie.
- Place approximately 1 teaspoon of jam in each cookie dent.
- Return to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove and transfer to a rack or platter to cool for 30 minutes.
- Cookies MUST be fully cool to stay together – until then they will be quite fragile, so handle gently when transferring.
Notes
Net carbs per cookie = 2g
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Keto cookies
- Method: baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 165
- Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: cookies, thumbprint, jam, treats, desserts, keto, Atkins, low carb, gluten free
Angie says
Love this cookie. Have made it several times now. So yummy. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Joni says
These are my Absolute favorite!! Keto or not, y’all.. make these. So, so good! Better than the “sugar” version. Great with a cup of coffee, or tea… or breakfast. 💯
★★★★★
l p says
oh my goodness! these look terrific. they’re going to be added to my holiday table for sure. thanks
★★★★
Sherry says
Thumbprint cookies bring back childhood memories!
★★★★★
Georgiana salter says
Would it be too audacious to hope that there is an egg free version of low carb thumb print cookies?
Victor A Schechter says
I’ve been on keto for 15 years, why did I just discover these. Delicious!
★★★★★
Catherine says
After a year on keto (and 50 lbs lighter 👏) I was delighted to run across this overlooked recipe in my saved ‘cookies’ file. Have meant to make it a few times but this week was the time apparently. And OMG by FAR the best, the VERY best cookie recipe!! I thought my husband was going to cry when he ate one lol. He has also, sometimes a bit reluctantly, joined me in the keto platform but he truly misses his old friends ice cream and cookies. These cookies have hit the mark..now if he could just find keto bubblegum ice-cream 🙄 Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes, you never let us down, but this one truly hit it out of the park! I have one tiny tip for everyone; roll your ball of dough in the nuts each time as the dough is a little warm from your hands and the nuts cling better. If you make all the balls first they start to dry out a tiny bit, it’s still workable but you have to ‘encourage’ the nuts to cling.
★★★★★
Kim O says
Our family and friends all love this recipe. We have even made this recipe without rolling the dough in nuts for a simpler version since my teen isn’t a huge fan of pecans or walnuts. They are the perfect vessel for any sugar free jam. These are so very close to the texture and flavor sugary thumbprints that I grew up!! I’m really thankful to have these as a healthier option that takes me back to fond childhood memories without any guilt.
★★★★★
LeeAnne says
I just made these. WOW! So delicious! Love how they melt in the mouth. Used raspberry jam made with stevia. Didn’t have any walnuts or a cookie scoop. Can’t wait to see how non keto friends like them. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
Ashley says
These look yum! Any tips for using coconut flour instead of almond? Is it even worth it to try and sub?
Elke Royal says
I made these this past weekend and I followed the recipe to a T. Either the baking time stated is too long or the temperature is too high, because all my cookies burned on the bottom. They were also way darker on the top than I would have liked them to be. If I were to change anything, do you recommend that I lower the temperature or that I shorten the baking time?
★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
If your oven isn’t calibrated correctly then it’s possible it was way too hot – if that’s the case then I’d lower the temp by 25 degrees.
Elke says
Could this be made with unsweetened shredded coconut instead of walnuts? I want to make these for a friend’s birthday who really likes coconut but I am concerned that the coconut might get too brown.
Also, could I use Truvia sweetener? To me the Stevia has a bitter aftertaste
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can probably use the coconut, they don’t bake long enough for it to get over-browned but put don’t put them on the top rack just in case. Trivia should be fine, but these don’t call for stevia they call for erythritol?
Elke says
Sorry about that, I looked at so many different recipes before this one, I got them mixed up. I have not been able to find pure erythritol sweetener though, just mixtures of it
Elke says
Could you also tell me how many days in advance I can make these cookies? I have a cookie tin that I can store them in.
Amy says
These are amazing!!! I may have used a ton more chopped walnuts than you called for, but I’m okay with that as I love them. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m always a fan of more nuts too Amy!
Terry says
Delicious! I made them for the second time and put more salt and accidentally put the walnuts in the dough and didn’t roll them in anything and they were still delicious.
Denise says
How big are these cookies? 165 calories per cookie seems high.
Darlinda Hamill says
I agree with another comment about the erythritol being too much. I think next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I will use allulose, which is a little less sweet and seems to dissolve a little easier. The other change I would make is to roll the raw balls in an egg wash before the walnuts. It helps them stick better. Also be sure to bake for the full 18 minutes. The recipe was a little confusing on this point. I had snickers SF raspberry and it was yummy. Will try the strawberry next time.
★★★★
heather masamitsu says
LOVE THIS! thumbprints are so whimsical and fun. cant wait to try it.
Sharon Huxford says
I’ll have to give them a try.
Jamie says
Can you use Stevia? Would it effect the carbs?
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Stevia won’t affect the carbs but it will affect the texture and flavor.
Jenavi says
I used stevia, they came out great. I also subbed almonds for the walnuts. Love it
Gary C says
These cookies were Ahmazing!! I didn’t have crushed nuts so did not roll them, my tops were browner, which is probably why. Like you, I used Smuckers SF strawberry jam, oh yum! I made 11 cookies and they were large and wonderfully soft. I put a small 92%cocoa Lindt square on 4 of the cookies, midway along with the jam on 6. My husband and I enjoyed the chocolate last night after dinner and the strawberry cookie this morning with coffee. I will make your recipe many more times, for sure. Next time I will soften my butter, not melt it (had to put it in fridge for a few minutes) ?
Thank you for this terrific cookie recipe!
★★★★★
Debra Copeland says
Best baked goods recipe I have tried so far since starting keto! Added 1 tsp almond extract, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum and increased vanilla to 2 tsp and reduced erythritol sweetener in half. I have found that once you are on keto for a while your taste buds change. Things with too much sweetener substitute taste to sweet and this is perfect. Very very tasty! What a treat!
Terry says
I made them like Debra and YUM! Finally, a delicious keto cookie. I might add a full tsp guar gum next time. Thank you!
★★★★★
Danielle says
This is probably my new favorite cookie recipe. It was so good, that my family I’m trying to convert to keto (but they’re being difficult) loved them! Thank you!
★★★★★
Erin says
These are amazing. I always make thumbprints at Christmas but wanted to make something keto friendly this year. We have a lot of gluten restrictions in our family. These did not disappoint.
★★★★★
Ami Dillard says
I agree about the raisins. They are a waste of a good cookie dough. Raspberry thumbprints are amazing, though!
Kari Byrd says
I am baking the recipe today. I cannot wait! I dearly live thumbprint cookies.
★★★★★
Karen Jaras says
Being diabetic, I love the sugar-free option, but I also need keto and gluten free. Will try it.
★★★★★
Dee says
Don’t like walnuts – could I use almonds or pecans?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes!
Stephanie says
These are amazing!
★★★★★
Kellie A Buchanan says
I LOVE these! I used homemade sugar free blueberry jam, SF apricot jam, and SF strawberry jam. A hit at afternoon tea!
★★★★★
Wendy Browne says
errrmergerd! I’m making these for sure.
Tammy S says
These look amazing! I can’t wait to make them! I plan on using my homemade blueberry jam. Yum!
Constance says
OH. MY. WORD! THESE ARE THE BEST! These taste better than any decadent sugar filled cookie out there. ❤️
★★★★★
Lynne Mason says
I love this recipe. I am trying Keto after many attempts to lose stubborn post menopausal pounds! You’re recipes are great, easy to follow and look delicious!
★★★★★
Darla Peduzzi says
The keto thumbprints look so good. I’m pinning it to give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
JoAnne Howard says
These cookies have to be my all time favorite keto cookie. Everyone who has tried them remarks they don’t taste keto. They remind me of a cookie my mother made when we were kids. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Karen Tannenbaum says
I just. Add them and they are delicious! I think I will cut down the sweetener (I used Swerve confectioners) to 1/2 cup next time and maybe add some unsweetened coconut with the walnuts. Delicious cookies!
★★★★★
Jackie B says
They look amazing and I can’t wait to cook them for a Christmas treat. Now to show for the best looking low carb jam I can find.
★★★★★
Judy says
Yahoo! Congratulations on making the perfect cookie !!!!! Just move on to those raisins ….. embrace them , view as a challenge to learn to like all food !!! Kinda like blue cheese for me ?
Mellissa Sevigny says
They are not as good as yours, but a really passable keto substitute! As for this other debate: Cookies bring me joy – raisins are gross – I will never marry the two together because then I’d be sad and what would be the point? ?
Becky says
Think I will make a sugar free jam with cranberries for this holiday season! Yum!
Mellissa Sevigny says
That sounds amazing! Love cranberry jam!