Chocolate Almond Butter Thumbprint Cookies (Paleo + Vegan)
Healthy Chocolate Almond Butter Thumbprint Cookies are perfect for the holidays or whenever a cookie craving strikes! Just 6 ingredients for the whole recipe and they’re vegan, paleo, gluten-free and refined-sugar-free!
Chocolate + almond butter + more chocolate…what more does one need?! These chocolate thumbprint cookies have turned this peanut butter gal into a total almond butter connoisseur.
The best part of baking these cookies is watching the almond butter get melty through all the cracks of the cookie… then comes the melted dark chocolate drizzle… :) Perfect for your holiday cookie platter or if you’re just in the mood for delicious, thick, chewy chocolate cookies!
What makes these almond butter thumbprint cookies healthy?
These thumbprint cookies are honestly healthy enough for breakfast and decadent enough for a holiday cookie platter. Here’s why you’ll love them:
- vegan and gluten-free
- paleo-friendly
- refined sugar-free
- 6 simple ingredients
- chewy & soft texture
- 100% delicious!!
What ingredients do I need?
You won’t believe these cookies only have 6 ingredients! We’re all about stress-free baking around here 🙂
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Superfine Almond Flour: Make sure you’re using almond flour and not almond meal otherwise this will alter the texture of your cookies.
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Cocoa Powder: You’ll use cocoa powder to add a rich chocolate flavor to the cookies.
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Melted Coconut Oil: Make sure it’s melted first, then measure! This helps bind your cookie dough.
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Maple Syrup: All you’ll need is 2 TBSP of maple syrup for the entire recipe! The maple pairs lovely with the almond and chocolate flavors too.
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Almond Butter: It’s best to use natural almond butter here without the added oils or sugar to keep these cookies on the healthier side. However, you can also substitute any nut butter here if you don’t have almonds on hand!
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Salt: a touch of salt to balance the flavors.
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Vegan Chocolate Chunks: This part is optional but I love adding a little melted chocolate on top of the cookies! This adds a little extra richness that tastes incredible with the melty almond butter filling.
How to make chocolate almond butter thumbprint cookies
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First, make the dough: you will mix the almond flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and salt in a large bowl until a dough forms. Make sure you do not add the almond butter yet! That’s meant for the filling 🙂
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Chill the dough: Shape the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You could also prep this the night before and store up to 24 hours.
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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Bake: Roll the dough into 12 balls and place on the cookie sheet. Leave an imprint into each ball with your thumb. Leave unfilled and bake for 11 minutes until they firm up.
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Fill the cookies: Fill each cookie with the almond butter immediately! Allow the cookies to cool completely then drizzle with optional melted chocolate…but why wouldn’t you add the chocolate you know?!

Tips for adding the almond butter filling
Okay, so there are a few KEY reasons why we add the almond butter AFTER baking these thumbprint cookies. For starters, this ensures you won’t accidentally add too much filling and end up with an almond butter mess over the cookie sheet. I learned this the hard way friends…
Secondly, you will love how the almond butter melts into the cookies right after baking! So delicious and aesthetically pleasing. This way, the almond butter doesn’t get dulled down while baking and retains all it’s creamy true flavor. So yum!
What if I don’t have almond butter?
The great part about these cookies is how versatile they are! Some people aren’t a fan of almond butter or maybe you prefer peanut butter. I totally get it! While almond butter does taste delicious in these thumbprint cookies, you can easily sub in peanut butter or your favorite nut butter. Cashew, pecan, sun butter…options are pretty endless these days!

More cookie recipes you’ll love
- Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (GF + Vegan)
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies (GF + Vegan)
- Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies (Paleo + Vegan)
- Jam Thumbprint Cookies (Paleo + Vegan)

Paleo Chocolate Almond Butter Thumbprint Cookies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
Healthy chocolate almond butter thumbprint cookies perfect for the holidays or whenever a cookie craving strikes! Just 6 ingredients for the whole recipe and they’re vegan, paleo, gluten-free and refined-sugar-free!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1¼ cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter, or nut butter of choice
- Optional: ½ cup vegan dark chocolate chunks, melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except for the nut butter and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Form 12 balls from the dough. Make an imprint in the center of each cookie with your thumb and leave the cookies unfilled.
- Bake for 11 minutes until firm around the edges. Immediately fill each imprint with almond butter and drizzle with melted chocolate.
- Let cool and enjoy!

I couldn’t love this simple ingredient list more! I love thumbprint cookies, and filling them with almond butter? New favorite cookie alert! These sound delish!
Those look perfect!! Love how easy they are too, and I’m sure they’re just delicious :)
I can’t even believe that these little beauts are paleo! They look so soft and ultra-chewy and I love that almond butter filling! Gotta try these asap!
Wow, these look incredible and how amazing that they are paleo?! Definitely giving this recipe a try soon!
YES for six-ingredient vegan cookies! Delish :) Pinning!
I love how simple these are! The perfect allergy friendly treat!
I used to always prefer peanut butter, but I’ve started to really love almond butter over the past few years! I love that these cookies only require a few ingredients and they’re naturally sweetened. These look perfect!
These look fantastic! I’ve gotten into almond butter more recently and I love it. I like how you added the almond butter last…the way it melts looks so yummy.
As much as I love peanut butter, I have a deep love for almond butter too! These cookies look fantastic!
Such lovely cookies! xo
Thumbprint cookies are a favorite and remind me of the holidays (which I love!). I love your almond butter spin on these, wishing I had a couple in front of me right now!
I love that you only post non-healthy tasting healthier recipes!!!
These cookies are a great simple snack. Yummo!!
I love almond butter too! I wish it was as cheap as PB, otherwise I’d be 100% almond butter lady :) These cookies look amazing! Love that you made them thumbprints with even more almond butter…yum!
Where would i store these? In fridge or airtight container
An airtight container should be fine for 3-4 days – any longer and move them to the fridge! Enjoy.