Paleo Strawberry Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies

Sweet & buttery paleo shortbread cookies riddled with pistachios and filled with strawberry jam. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are truly the summer cookie recipe of my dreams…

A Healthier Cookie Recipe!

Healthier cookies are one of my favorite desserts to make. When it comes to making desserts “healthier”, I focus on minimizing any changes to blood glucose levels. Drastic blood sugar changes are the stressor that sparks several inflammatory responses in our bodies!

This almond-flour-based shortbread cookie recipe is just as delicious (maybe even better) than the original. The secret to making the best healthier cookies is ditching refined sugar for sugar-free alternative sweeteners, such as monk fruit. Using almond flour instead of traditional refined wheat flour also helps minimize the sugar rushes and crashes that most people get from eating desserts. Almond flour is packed with healthier fats and protein to keep you satisfied while also giving this cookie recipe an incredible soft and chewy texture!

These paleo thumbprint cookies are also made with a healthier, refined-sugar-free strawberry jam! Although homemade strawberry jam is super easy to make at home by simply heating up fresh strawberries, honey, and a pinch of salt, there are actually so many brands on the market that make sugar-free/ refined-sugar-free strawberry jam for a healthier twist. I promise you won’t even be able to taste a difference!

Baking with Monk Fruit

I absolutely adore monk fruit as a granulated sugar replacement in baked treats. It has the same texture results as traditional table sugar, but it’s sweeter (I don’t have to use as much!) AND it doesn’t give you the typical sugar crash after.

Monk Fruit & UC?

Since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) two and a half years ago, I’ve been closely following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). The original SCD protocol was developed in the 70’s, long before monk fruit became so readily available on grocery store shelves!

Long story short, the jury is still out on monk fruit and UC in the research world. However, speaking from personal experience using it in several different recipes, I’ve never had a problem with it! That being said, I also steer clear from it in a “flare” just in case it does more harm than good.

Monk fruit is my go-to healthier sweetener for baked goods like cookies, cakes, and muffins since it doesn’t weigh the batter down like natural liquid sweeteners do. By using a “dry” sweetener option, these cookies have the perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture and slightly cracked edges!

What You’ll Need:

• Almond Flour

• Coconut Flour

• Granulated Monk Fruit Sweetener

• Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam

• Large Food Processor

How to Make Paleo Thumbprint Cookies

Step 1: Combine all of the ingredients (except the pistachios and strawberry jam) into the bowl of a large 9 cup food processor. Mix on high for about a minute, until a thick cookie dough forms.

Step 2: Scoop out the dough evenly with a tablespoon into about 20 balls, rolling each one lightly between the palms of your hands to smooth the edges.

Step 3: Prepare the chopped pistachios and (optional) shredded coconut in a separate shallow dish. Roll each ball of cookie dough in the pistachio-coconut mixture. Lightly press down the center of the cookie dough with your thumb before filling the “hole” in the center with strawberry jam.

Step 4: Bake, let cool slightly, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an air-tight container for up to one week or freeze for a couple months.

More of My Favorite Cookie Recipes:

• Single-Serve Bakery-Style Paleo Honeybun Cookie (Paleo, Vegan)
• Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies
• Paleo Chocolate Cream Cookie Cups
• No-Bake Key Lime Cookies
• Strawberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

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