Strawberry Jam Sunflower Thumbprint Cookies (GF, DF, Paleo, Vegan)

The perfect non-guilty treat! These sweet, but not too sweet, cookies are the perfect little bite + so non-guilty that you could eat them for breakfast…I this know from experience;). There are only 5 main ingredients in the cookies….sunflower seeds, coconut flour, vanilla + maple syrup, and one-ingredient easy homemade Strawberry Jam!

It’s finally here…berry season!! Strawberries are first up and the local strawberries from the farmer’s market did not disappoint this year! I have gone back two Saturdays in a row for fresh strawberries. There is nothing like a home-grown fresh strawberry! So naturally sweet + juicy you hardly need to add any sugar, if any, when cooking with them. Which brings me to the homemade Strawberry Jam in this recipe…

It really is only one ingredient….strawberries!! You don’t even need to add water! All you do is cook down the strawberries until you get a Jam consistency!! It’s pretty amazing! If you aren’t able to get your hands on farm fresh berries you may need to add a little honey or sugar. You could also definitely use a store-bought jam in this recipe. I recommend this one one that is fruit-sweetened.

The cookie recipe for these thumbprint cookies is inspired by a recipe I have made several times before and love by Gluten-Free Gigi (the one-ingredient Jam is also from one a Youtube video of hers). However, her website is no longer up I couldn’t find the recipe anywhere! I tried another recipe but didn’t like it as well. I decided to try again and I think I have it figured out! It may not be exactly the same but it tastes just like I remember!

Even though the first day of summer is this week…it still feels like spring to me. Everything is late at our high elevation + even at the lower elevations near us things are later than normal due to the late winter storms we had this year. The strawberries are still here, the peonies are still in bloom + my neighbor has the cutest baby lambs that were recently born! You can check her farm out at Horseradish Ranch!

I hope you enjoy these last few days of spring + these cookies are the perfect way to enjoy the tastes of it! Would love to know if you gave these cookies a try and how it went in the comments below!!

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. -Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

Strawberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies {GF, DF, Paleo, Whole30, Vegan}

The perfect non-guilty treat! These sweet, but not too sweet, cookies are the perfect little bite + so non-guilty that you could eat them for breakfast. There are only 5 main ingredients in the cookies….sunflower seeds, coconut flour, vanilla + maple syrup, and one-ingredient easy homemade strawberry jam! 
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, vegan
Keyword: Cookies, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, sunflower seeds, Vegan
Servings: 10 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup un-salted shelled sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup real maple syrup
  • strawberry jam
  • freshly grated nutmeg if desired

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees + line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 
  • In a food processor combine sunflower seeds, coconut flour + sea salt. Pulse continuously until mixture looks like a slightly coarse flour* and mixture starts to slightly clump together. This takes a little a while, stopping to scrape the sides + bottom of the processor as needed. 
  • Next, add in vanilla + maple syrup. Pulse continuously again until the mixture starts to form into a ball + forms a loose dough. 
  • With slightly wet hands scoop out small spoonfuls of the dough to make 1.5 inch balls. Made about 10 cookies for me (I did eat a little of the dough along the way;)). 
  • Using your thumb, make an indentation in the middle of each cookie. 
  • Fill each indentation with a small spoonful of strawberry jam…no worries if jam raises above the height of cookie as jam will spread out. Just don’t go too crazy;). 
  • Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg if desired. 
  • Bake for about 20 minutes until bottoms are dark golden brown and tops are slightly golden. 
  • Enjoy! 

Notes

*The pictures shown are from the first round of cookies with a different recipe. In the final recipe, I processed the sunflower seeds more. 
**If not making your own I recommend this one that is fruit-sweetened. I haven’t tried it but it has good reviews + a great price! 
Recipes adapted from Gluten Free Gigi.

One-Ingredient Strawberry Jam

This recipe really is only one ingredient…farm fresh strawberries! If you aren’t able to get your hand on in-season strawberries you may have to add some honey or sugar. This Jam should keep for about three weeks in the fridge but be sure and check to make sure it looks + smells good as there is no added sugar to help keep from spoiling. 
Course: condiment
Keyword: strawberry jam, sugar free strawberry jam, sugar-free
Author: Alicia Raymond

Ingredients

  • 5 cups farm-fresh strawberries*

Instructions

  • Wash, hull + dry strawberries with a towel. 
  • Place in 2-quart saucepan and turn to medium-high heat. 
  • Boil on medium-high heat for about 8-15 minutes** until strawberries release their juices. 
  • Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook/boil for about 10-12 minutes** more minutes until the berries and their juices reduce in half, stirring frequently to prevent burning on the bottom of pan. 
  • Continue to cook over medium heat until berries and their juices have reduced by about half again, stirring almost constantly until mixture is very thick and you will be able to easily see the bottom of the pan when scraped with a wooden spoon. The mixture will continue to thicken in fridge but you don’t want the mixture too saucy. 
  • Once nice and thick remove from heat.*** Store in a mason jar. Cool to room temp and then place lid on mason jar and store in fridge for about 3 weeks. 

Notes

*Mine were smaller so I did not cut them but you may want to if yours are larger. 
**I can’t remember exactly how long I boiled the strawberries for but the Gluten Free Gigi recommends in her video 8-15 minutes for the first round + 10-12 minutes for the second. The final step took me longer than in her recipe. 
***The mixture of the finished jam is a bit chunky. If you wanted a more smooth jam you could put in a food processor or use an immersion blender. 
Sources:
Recipe from Gluten Free Gigi.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/storing_jams.html
 

  1. Marie says:

    These sound so lovely! I can’t do coconut (or most nuts) so I was curious if there’s a substitute you could think of for that tablespoon? ?

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