Gluten-free, vegan cream cheese thumbprint cookies

These cookies are an amazing treat! Who says you can’t eat amazing desserts when you have food sensitivities?! Even though there are ingredients that my family can’t have, I am determined to create recipes that are both delicious and safe for them to eat.

I used our homemade plum jam (we moved into a house that had two plum trees!). Use any jam that makes your heart happy!

Some Notes about the recipe:

1. When making the indents on the top, I used a round 1 tsp measuring spoon. I barely indented the top (be careful with this step, if you make too much of an indent, the jam will leak to the bottom). I then used the same 1 tsp measuring spoon to scoop the jam to put in the middle.
2. Make sure to refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour before baking. Preheat the oven about 20 minutes before you bake the cookies.
3. I am SO happy there are so many amazing vegan alternatives available at stores now! If you have trouble finding something on the ingredient list, try looking at the website for the product and doing a search in your local area. These ingredients I purchased at our local Kroger.

Here is a video to show how easily these cookie come together:

Gluten-free, Vegan Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies

Vanessa @darcygirl.co

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 8 oz Daiya Plain Cream Cheeze Style Spread room temperature
• 4 oz Unsalted vegan butter room temperature, I used Earth Balance Unsalted Buttery Sticks
• 1/2 cup White granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour I used Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum I used Bob's Red Mill
• 1/2 cup Jam, any flavor

Instructions

 

• Cream together Daiya Plain Cream Cheeze Style Spread, vegan butter, and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl at least once while mixing.
• Add in almond extract, mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine salt, flour, and xanthan gum. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. Do not over mix. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 20 minutes before baking.
• After the dough has been refrigerated, use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop cookies onto a lined baking sheet, use parchment or a silicone baking mat. Do not flatten cookies. Using a 1 tsp measuring spoon, make an indent at the top of the cookies, do not push in too far. Use a 1 tsp measuring spoon to measure jam and place in the indent.
• Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until the edges turn golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cookies will be very soft. Enjoy!