Learn how to make these holiday thumbprint cookies from scratch! Just 42 calories and no mixer required! Soft gingerbread cookies + sweet jam centers = pure bliss!
After handing in my last final in December during my senior year of college, I biked back to my apartment, sprawled out on my sofa, and watched a movie on my laptop because I had zero energy for going out to celebrate. Towards the end of the chick flick, a thought popped into my head.
I have so much free time now that classes are over… I’m going to spend it baking!
That night, I sketched out a plan for my kitchen adventure. I decided to mix up a holiday treat every day from then until Christmas Eve, and as much as I wanted it to feel like a true homemade advent calendar… The next day was December 10. So instead of a full 24 days, I ended up with just 14.
But that didn’t stop me! In the following days, I started with a few of easier recipes, like homemade dark chocolate peppermint bark and peanut butter blossoms. Then I moved on to raspberry jam stripe cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, and classic drop-style sugar cookies.
Because I definitely didn’t want to eat 28 dozen treats all by myself (and then try to burn off all those cookie calories!), I dropped off many plates of the treats in the office next to the chemistry lab where I worked on campus. The sweets always disappeared in seconds with so many hungry graduate students around, and nearly everyone agreed that the dainty bite-sized thumbprint cookies were their favorites.
This year, I decided to take a detour from my classic thumbprint cookies recipe… And instead, I added a little extra holiday flavor, which resulted in these Healthy Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies!
They’re soft and chewy with sweet jam centers, and the fruit flavor pairs actually pairs really well with the rich and cozy spices of the soft gingerbread cookies. Even better? They’re just 42 calories!
So let’s go over how to make these healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies!
You’ll start with a combination of white whole wheat flour and spices: ginger (it’s impossible to make gingerbread cookies without it!), cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I prefer my gingerbread cookies on the extra spicy side, so I usually add a teensy bit more than most people!
And yes… I know white whole wheat flour sounds a bit like an oxymoron, but it’s not actually a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour! Instead, it’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same health benefits, like extra fiber, but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… Which lets the soft texture and warm spice flavor of your healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies really shine!
Unlike many traditional thumbprint cookie recipes that call for a full stick or two of butter, this one only on requires 2 tablespoons. Yes, that’s it! That small amount of butter definitely helps keep your healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies low fat and low calorie.
Then to boost the richness, I actually use a secret ingredient… I’ll give you a hint: it’s something you probably keep in your pantry already! Any guesses?
Okay, I’ll spill…
It’s extra vanilla extract! You’ll add a bit more vanilla than in most traditional recipes because vanilla enhances butter’s rich flavor, so by adding a little more, it’ll make your healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies taste just as rich as traditional cookies. Such a great trick, right?
You’ll actually sweeten your cookies with two ingredients! The first is molasses. Molasses is a key ingredient in gingerbread recipes! The ginger adds that bright zest of spice, while the molasses provides a deep rich undertone. It’s shelf-stable, keeps for ages, and is very inexpensive, so I don’t recommend substituting for it. Your healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies just wouldn’t have that iconic gingerbread flavor!
Tip: You can use your molasses in all of these recipes of mine, too!
The second one is liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!), and it’s also highly concentrated. You just need 1 teaspoon of this liquid stevia for all 24 healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies! And that’s really important because…
Nerd alert! Cookies require a delicate balance of wet and dry ingredients in order to achieve the perfect soft and chewy texture. If you used a combination of molasses and maple syrup (or honey or agave or coconut sugar!), each of those would add way too much liquid volume to the cookie dough… And your healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies would (a) spread ALL over your baking sheet into one giant cookie blob and (b) have a more bready, muffin-like texture.
Not good.
If you only added the molasses and maintained the correct wet-to-dry ratio, your cookies wouldn’t taste nearly sweet enough. They’d taste more like muffins or scones or even regular ol’ bread.
Also not good.
But by adding molasses and the liquid stevia (remember, you only need 1 teaspoon, which is the sweetness equivalent of almost ½ cup of granulated sugar!), you get the correct sweetness level and the correct soft and chewy cookie texture.
That definitely makes me one happy (and nerdy) girl!
Once you’ve rolled your cookie dough into 24 little spheres and put those on your baking sheet, it’s time to make a cavity in the center! I know they’re called “thumbprint” cookies because people generally use their thumb to make that cavity but… I find I have much better luck using my pointer or middle finger. Do whatever works best for you!
Then you get to fill those cavities with jam! I used raspberry jam because that’s what my family loves most, but you can easily use whatever you have on had. Strawberry, blackberry, cherry, grape, apricot, boysenberry, peach… The sky’s the limit!
Before I add the jam into the centers of my healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies, I thoroughly stir it with a spoon in a little bowl. Yes, it seems silly to stir a single ingredient with a spoon… But doing so actually makes the jam much smoother, especially if you just scooped it out of the jar and it’s still a little clumpy!
Tip: Add your jam to a zip-topped bag and cut off a piece of one corner. Piping it in this way is so much neater and faster!
Then slide your tray into the oven, set a timer, and…
Try not to burn your tongue when you try one fresh from the oven! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your healthy gingerbread thumbprint cookies!
| Healthy Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies | 3.0 from 1 reviews |
Yields: 24 thumbprint cookies
These fun cookies are perfect for the holidays—or anytime you’re craving gingerbread but don’t want too many leftovers! They’re soft, chewy, and full of rich warm spice flavors that pair really well with the sweet jam centers. The cookies will keep for at least two days if stored in an airtight container on the counter or at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (if not longer!).
- 1 cup + 6 tbsp (165g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 2 tsp nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp liquid stevia
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses
- ¼ cup (80g) raspberry jam (see Notes)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the stevia and molasses. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until incorporated.
- To prepare the filling, add the jam to a small bowl, and stir with a spoon until it’s smooth. (It should take a couple minutes!) Once smooth, transfer the jam into a zip-topped bag, and cut off the corner of the bag.
- Roll the cookie dough into 24 small spheres, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Using your index finger or thumb, make an indentation in the center of each, and fill with the jam. (If the dough cracks, gently pinch it back together with your fingers.) Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. (If the cookies stick to the baking sheet, slide a knife underneath each cookie first!)
Notes: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
Use store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) for the gluten-free option.
Remember to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your cookies dry and crumbly, instead of soft and chewy.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
The molasses is essential to create the gingerbread flavor. It’s inexpensive, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages. I do not recommend substituting for it! In a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave, but the cookies will no longer have that classic gingerbread taste.
I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It's one of my favorite ingredients, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found. You cannot substitute additional molasses, pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the liquid stevia because cookies require a precise balance of wet and dry ingredients. However, you may substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) coconut sugar (or granulated sugar, if you aren’t concerned about keeping these cookies clean eating friendly) for
boththe molasses and stevia, but the cookies will appear “speckled” if using coconut sugar because it doesn’t dissolve as well. They won’t have quite the same classic “gingerbread” flavor either.
Regular and sugar-free raspberry jam will both work. You can also use my homemade 10-minute raspberry jam recipe.
Any jam flavors may be substituted for the raspberry jam.
This recipe is easily doubled!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡Healthy Classic Thumbprint Cookies
♡The Ultimate Healthy Gingerbread Cookies
♡The Ultimate Healthy Gingersnaps
♡Healthy Gingerbread Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡Healthy Gingerbread Blossoms
