Name: Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: 1 flax “egg” (1 TBSP Bob’s Red Mill Organic Ground Flaxseed Meal + 3 TBSP filtered water); 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic Almond Flour; 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1⁄2 cup peanut butter (or sub any nut butter); 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce; 1 cup pitted and packed dates; 1/4 cup coconut milk; 2 TBSP creamy peanut butter; 2 TBSP unsweetened shredded coconut

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Grain-free thumbprint cookies with peanut butter, coconut, and naturally sweet with a date caramel center. Perfect for a healthy dessert or sweet snack.

I don’t know when exactly that it happened, but at some point I became a podcast person.

It probably happened after I left the corporate workforce and started spending my days scampering from the kitchen to the studio with photogenic foods.

As it turns out, even though I’m a classic introvert, I missed the affable interactions I had with other humans on a regular basis.

Enter podcasting– the best conversations I can have with people without leaving my house.

Some of my favorite podcasters have come to feel like my BFFS, or at least, my new work peers.

I can always count on them to be on time, even when Miss Harper decides to play hooky and snooze all day upstairs.

Also, we always skip the small talk and get straight to the good stuff.

I guess I should do the same for you, huh?

OK well, here’s the scoop, straight and tasty.

These Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies are kind of incredible.

The Inspiration for Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

These cookies might be born out of podcast wellness talks, but they really belong in my tummy.

These cute bites are inspired by a recipe I saw from one of the Tone It Up recipe guides, reinforced by several similar Instagram photos that made me stop scrolling and start staring.

I had big dreams for an oil-free, refined sugar-free thumbprint cookie with a gooey Medjool date center.

The kind of center you eat around because you like to save the best part for last (how I used to eat mine growing up).

These cookies also ended up being gluten-free, grain-free, and paleo.

These treats are soft, nutty, and lightly sweet with a definite coconut flair.

Sure, they look fancy and decadent but are actually very nutritious!

These cookies are lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup, unsweetened apple sauce, and a gooey based center.

Almond flour and peanut butter pack in fiber and protein protein while dates add sweet complex carbohydrates for energy.

Recently I received a message on Instagram from someone asking about coconut flour.

“I have a lot of it,” they said, and “I need recipe ideas to use it up.”

After a quick search on the blog, I was surprised to find that I only had one recipe incorporating coconut flour.

What the what?

To be fair, coconut flour and I haven’t always seen eye to eye.

Coconut Flour Creates the Best Cookie Texture

There was that time I tried to make pancakes and it gummed up like Juicy Fruit and I’m still not sure I’ve gotten over it.

However, I’m loving playing with Bob’s Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour in the kitchen as a healthy flour substitute.

This fine white flour, created from the highest quality desiccated coconut, functions great in these cookies mixed with almond flour.

Together, they make a moist and chewy gluten-free and grain-free cookie dough.

You want the batter to be thick but rollable (not crumbly!) with your hands.

Dan came home from lunch while I was photographing these cookies and I politely asked to borrow his thumb.

Poor guy had to keep rolling up his pale blue dress-shirt sleeves that kept sneaking into the photos.

We established today that Dan’s thumb is way better than mine for thumbprint cookies.

In my defense, I think it’s the whole petite fingers and long nails combo that always make my thumbprints a little lopsided and pointed.

Just look at those perfect thumb prints, friends!

Heck yes!

Tips & Tricks

PSA: Careful not to over-bake the cookies, here, guys!

The discs are definitely be done after 10 minutes in the oven even if they don’t look it.

It’s normal for the cookies to feel flimsy and under-cooked when first removed from the oven.

Allow them to cool slightly so they can firm up and be filled with the next layer of lovely.

What You Need to Make Date Caramel

The date caramel filling here is based on my classic 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Date Caramel.

As the title suggests, you just need three things:

dates,
coconut milk,
and peanut butter.

I used less liquids here to keep the caramel gooey and thick.

Save the runny drizzle-able caramel for another recipe; here you want a no-sugar-added caramel that can hold its own.

What to Do with Leftover Date Caramel

Just look at those dollops, will you?

I kept my caramel dollops wild and untamed, building up the cookie centers with 1 Tablespoon-full per thumbprint.

For a more traditional thumbprint cookie, swirl the date caramel with the back of your spoon to make a uniform circle.

If you have leftover peanut butter date caramel, save it for Raw Vegan Twix Bars or Vegan Salted Snickers Bars.

It also makes an excellent spread for toast, pancakes, or any dessert.

You can also use it has dip like in this recipe.

How to Serve Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

These Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies are fun to bake when you’re in the mood for a different kind of cookie.

Gab a few with a cup of tea or coffee as an afternoon snack, after-dinner dessert, or morning pick-me-up.

I like mine with a glass of almond milk and a big shake of shredded coconut.

They keep at room temp for a few days but I like to keep mine the fridge for up to one week.

If freezing, thaw well before serving.

More Vegan Thumbprint Cookies

I Want to Hear From You

If you make this Coconut Caramel Thumbprint Cookies recipe, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipes like this one to make later.

Love this post and want more? Go to my homepage and subscribe to get updates delivered right to your inbox!

XO Lauren