These eggless Thumbprint Cookies are a wonderful treat for your next big celebration! They are decorative and guaranteed show-stoppers at any party. Instead of the typical jam filling, they excite with a gummy candy filling.
Discover the joy of our vegan candy cookies – a guilt-free delight that's eggless and dairy-free, embodying both flavor and conscious choices. Crafted with ease, these cookies feature charming simplicity, making them an ideal treat for gatherings or indulgent moments. Plus, they're kid-approved, with their chewy, candy-filled centers.
Speaking of vegan delights with Katjes candy, don't miss our Vegan Surprise Cake – a masterpiece of flavors, textures, and ethical choices. Just like the Thumbprint Cookies, it's a dessert that captures the essence of vegan goodness.
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This post is supported by Katjes but as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. A big thanks to the supporting brands that make The Simple Sprinkle possible.
📋 Ingredients
To make vegan candy thumbprint cookies you need the following ingredients:
- Flour: The base ingredient that provides structure and texture to the cookies.
- Powdered Sugar: Adds sweetness to the cookies and contributes to their soft texture.
- Butter: In this case, vegan butter is used instead of traditional dairy butter to add fat and richness to the cookies. It helps create a tender and flavorful texture.
- Aquafaba: Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas or other legumes. It acts as an egg substitute in vegan baking, providing moisture and binding properties that help hold the cookies together.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the cookies and balances the sweetness.
- Lemon Extract and Zest: These ingredients contribute a subtle lemon flavor and aroma to the cookies, adding a refreshing element.
- Katjes Gummy Candies: These are used to fill the thumbprint indentations in the cookies after pre-baking. They provide a burst of flavor and chewiness to the center of each cookie.
- Plastic Wrap or Parchment Paper: These materials are used to wrap the cookie dough ball and chill it in the refrigerator. Chilling the dough helps to firm it up and makes it easier to handle.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
🍴 Substitutions
Are you looking for substitutions or quicker alternatives? We got you!
- Flour: You can use whole wheat flour or a gluten-free flour blend if you prefer.
- Powdered Sugar: You can use coconut sugar, maple sugar, or any other granulated sweetener of your choice.
- Vegan Butter: Coconut oil or margarine can be used as a replacement for vegan butter.
- Aquafaba: Applesauce, mashed banana, or commercial egg replacers can be used instead of aquafaba.
- Lemon Extract and Zest: You can use orange extract and zest for a different flavor profile.
- Gummy Candies: Try using other vegan candies or dried fruits as an alternative filling.
Remember, substitutions will bring their own unique flavors, colors, and textures to the cookies!
🍪 Variations
There are many delicious flavor variations to explore with this cookie recipe! Here are a few ideas to play around with to zing up the flavor of these strawberry cheesecake cookies:
- Chocolate: Add cocoa powder to the dough and use a vegan chocolate candy in the center.
- Spices: Add ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger to the dough for a warm and cozy flavor.
- Almond: Add almond extract to the dough and fill the centers with almond butter or marzipan.
- Classic Thumbprints: Absolutely, a classic thumbprint cookie using jam is a timeless favorite. Simply fill the dented holes with your favorite jam and bake!
Feel free to mix and match these flavor variations and play with the recipe. Experimenting with different ingredients and flavors is part of the fun of baking! If you end up whipping up a fantastic variation of this recipe, don't forget to drop a comment at the bottom of the blog post! I'm all ears and absolutely thrilled to hear about your baking adventures.
🥣 Storage
Store your baked thumbprint cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Best in a cookie tin. There's no need to refrigerate them. They will keep for at least a week before starting to dry out and get crumbly. I do not recommend freezing them, since the candy doesn't defrost well.
Recipe FAQ
There are many ways how to substitute eggs in baking, such as applesauce, flax egg, or yogurt. For this recipe, we use aquafaba instead of eggs. Aquafaba sounds fancy but is just the brine of a can of chickpeas.
Simply put: it is bean water! When you cook beans, the cooking water absorbs some of the proteins and allows the liquid to imitate the qualities of eggs.
More Recipes Using Katjes
📖 Recipe
Thumbprint Cookies with Candy
Equipment
- electric mixer with dough hook attachment
Ingredients
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 125 grams organic powdered sugar
- A pinch salt
- 1 package vanilla sugar (8g) or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 stick vegan butter, cold
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba (brine from a can of chickpeas)
- 2 drops lemon extract
- 2 teaspoon zest from a freshly grated organic lemon
- 1 package Katjes gummy candy "Love & Stars"
Instructions
- Sieve the flour and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Then add the butter in pieces, aquafaba, salt, lemon extract, and zest.
- Using your electric mixer with the dough hook attachment, knead the ingredients together until a crumbly cookie dough forms (this should take around 1 minute). If the dough is too dry, add a little more aquafaba. Use your hands to roll the dough into a ball.
- Wrap the cookie dough ball in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and place it in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
- After the resting period, form the dough into balls weighing approximately 25g (0.88 oz) each. Place these balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space between them. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F.
- Using your fingers, press an indentation about the thickness of your thumb into each ball. The indentation should be large enough to comfortably hold a gummy after pre-baking.
- Pre-bake the blank cookies in the oven for about 4 minutes. Remove them from the oven and place a gummy into each cookie well, gently pushing it into the dough. Be cautious not to burn yourself, as the cookies will be hot.
- Continue baking for about 10-12 more minutes until the cookies are fully baked. Allow the finished cookies to cool completely before consuming.
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
5 stars!!!! Such a yummy vegan cookie, thank you for the recipe
Love these cookies so much! They're the perfect treat!
these thumbprint cookies are amazing!! I can't wait to make them again!
These cookies were so cute and easy to make with my kids! Took a bit of work locating vegan gummies but we found them! 🙂
first, the photos are amazing!! and i am obsessed with these cookies!! i can't believe they are vegan!
I made these cookies with my kids and they loved it. What a yum treat!