Last weekend, about two weeks after he passed, we held a memorial service for Grandpa. Although people traditionally wear black at these events for a more somber mood, we donned brightly colored Hawaiian shirts as a celebration of his life—and because Grandpa wore a Hawaiian shirt nearly every single day.
Grandma kept the service fairly small, mainly inviting a few of their closest friends, who all showed up as festively dressed as us. We held it outdoors in the warm Southern California sun, with a large photo of Grandpa next to the plaque with his name, along with bouquets of flowers, a special wooden bowl he made in his workshop, and his favorite seat pillow that he carried everywhere he went.
Dad spoke first, sharing many of Grandpa’s personality traits and stories to go along with them. Grandma went next, doing more of the same, followed by Mom, who read two Bible verses. At Grandma’s request, my brother and I dusted off our high school instruments, the trumpet and flute, and played Amazing Grace towards the end.
To conclude the ceremony, we set out a plate of homemade cookies I brought down with me on our drive. Since Grandpa loved elderberry pie more than any other dessert, I created this special recipe in honor of him…
Elderberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies. It’s nearly impossible to get elderberries in California, but I managed to find jars of elderberry jam to make these. They’re sweet, buttery, and (as many of our guests confessed) absolutely irresistible—and just 46 calories!
To make these healthy thumbprint cookies, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. It sounds strange, doesn’t it? However, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: I included my favorite gluten-free option in the Notes section of the recipe, if you prefer!
Instead of refined sugar, you’ll sweeten these cookies with coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is exactly what it sounds like: an unrefined sweetener that comes from coconuts! However, it does not actually taste like coconuts. It has a rich, caramel-like flavor, similar to brown sugar, and many grocery stores have started stocking it on their baking aisle. (You can also find it online here!)
Because the cookie dough is rather sticky when you first mix it all together, you’ll pop it in the fridge for a little bit to help it stiffen. Chilling is mandatory! After, you’ll roll it into tiny spheres, and gently press your index finger or thumb into the center to make a well.
You’ll fill that space with elderberry jam (or jelly!). I found mine online here! If you can find fresh elderberries, you can actually make your own jam by substituting them for the raspberries in this easy 10-minute recipe of mine. And as Grandpa always said, huckleberries or blackberries were a great substitute, too!
We love you Grandpa, and we’ll think of you whenever we bake (and eat!) these cookies. ♡ 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 cookies and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Thumbprint Cookies | | Print |
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp (21g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons (60g) elderberry jam (or jelly)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg white, and vanilla. Stir in the coconut sugar. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until incorporated. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- To prepare the filling, add the jam to a small bowl, and stir with a spoon until it’s smooth. (It should take a few minutes!) Transfer the jam to a small zip-topped bag, and cut off a small piece of one corner.
- 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 pipe in the jam from the zip-topped bag. (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 first!)
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
The cornstarch helps keep the cookies soft.
Brown sugar or granulated sugar may be substituted for the coconut sugar.
I found my elderberry jam/jelly online here. If you prefer to make homemade jam without refined sugar, use this easy 10-minute recipe of mine, and substitute fresh elderberries for the raspberries. (Grandpa would also say that blackberries or blueberries are a great substitute for elderberries!)
Any jam or jelly may be substituted for the elderberry jam. Blackberry jam is the closest in flavor to elderberry jam, but my family also loves raspberry jam!
This recipe is easily doubled!
{gluten-free, clean eating option, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Peanut Butter Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Cranberry Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Dark Chocolate Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Pecan Pie Thumbprint Cookies
♡ Peanut Butter & Jam Thumbprint Cookies
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter Blossoms
♡ Dark Chocolate Blossoms
♡ Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Raspberry Oatmeal Cookies
I am sorry to hear that your grandpa has passed. I love thumbprint biscuits, these look extra buttery!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Mariana!
What a beautiful tribute to your grandpa’s memory, especially with wearing the Hawaiian shirts! That’s amazing. 🙂 These cookies look so wonderful, and I know your grandpa would’ve absolutely LOVED them!! 🙂 xo
Thank you so much sweetie! ♡
I use weight when cooking, so thank you for doing the same. Great site and recipes. God bless
It’s my pleasure, and thank you for your kind words about my recipes Wayne! 🙂
I met you at your Grandpa’s celebration of life, Amy. Your website is great! Thank you for the recipe for those delicious cookies! Yummm . . . . I look forward to more recipes.
It was such a pleasure to meet you Melissa! Thank you so much for your kind words about my website and cookies. I can’t wait to hear what recipes you try first, and please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions at all! 🙂
I love that you wore Hawaiian shirts in memory of him. I’ve never even heard of Elderberry! I bet he would have loved these cookies. <3
Thank you so much, sweet pea! 🙂
These look delicious, I am sure he would have loved them!
The service sounds beautiful, and I’m sure he would have loved it! 🙂
– Izzy
Thank you so much Izzy! ♡
I’m so sorry to hear about your Grandpa, Amy – it brought a tear to my eye. It’s so lovely that you celebrated his life, especially wearing Hawaiian shirts like he used to, and that you and your brother played Amazing Grace.? He sounded like a wonderful gentleman.? These cookies look so gorgeous and Summery – I can imagine sitting down on the grass for a picnic and eating them! Best wishes to you and your family xx
Thank you so much for your sweet words, Katie! It really means a lot to me. ♡♡ I love your idea of enjoying these at a picnic — and I know my grandpa would too! 🙂
I’ve always thought black clothes was a weird thing to wear to a funeral. I like your grandpa’s style 🙂 In clothes and cookies!
Thanks so much Karen! 🙂 We did the same thing and wore Hawaiian clothes for my aunt’s “life celebration” 7 years ago, and the rest of us all agree that we want the same thing whenever we pass. It’s become a family tradition in a strange sort of way! 😉
Hi Amy, I don’t have any jelly and some of my siblings are allergic to chia seeds. We are also allergic to pectin, which is in most jellies, so we can’t buy it either. Do you think I could just pulse some berries in my Vitamix until they turn into mush, then mix in some cornstarch and glop some of that mixture on top of each cookie in place of the jelly? If so, what should be the ratio of cornstarch to mashed-up fruit?
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe of mine too Maryam! Using this raspberry jam recipe of mine, substitute cornstarch for the chia seeds, and add the cornstarch to the food processor/blender along with the raspberries to make sure it’s evenly distributed and doesn’t turn clumpy while cooking. Once it has cooled, use the jam as directed in this recipe. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookies!
Hi Amy! I made these with exact gluten free flours and i’m a vegan so i used a commercial egg replacer egg white instead and the dough just kept falling apart.I couldn’t shape them at all.Oh,i used guar gum instead of xanthan.Do you think that’s what caused my cookie malfunction? Also,I’ve noticed that the guar gum as well as the xanthan don’t really sit well with me so do you think an equal amount of ground psyllium husk could work instead? Sorry for the questions! Thank you 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Renae! Let’s figure out what happened. 🙂 How did you measure the GF flours? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, did you review my links in the Ingredients list on how to measure properly? For this particular recipe, I think you should be able to omit the xanthan gum without affecting the texture too much. I haven’t worked with ground psyllium husk much, so I’m not entirely sure how that would work. If you’ve been able to substitute it for xanthan gum in other similar recipes, then I’d assume it’d work in this recipe too!
Hi again Amy! I just made another batch of these with the gluten free flours(weighed them again too)and tried using psyllium husk powder but they still fall apart when i try to shape them into little round and create a cavity in the middle with my finger 🙁 I’m not sure what i’m doing wrong.
We’ll get this sorted out Renae — I promise! 🙂 Is the dough able to stick together when you roll it into balls? Or is it too crumbly then too? What brands of gluten-free flours are you using? Is it the same brand that I link to and recommend? When you weigh, are you using grams or ounces? Are you weighing the coconut sugar as well, and did you make any substitutions?
Thank you so much for helping me out Amy 🙂 Ok….1.I weigh everything including sugar.2.The dough does form balls but if i put them on the tray and apply a small amount of pressure,they crumble..3.I’m actually not sure what brands my flours are because i buy them from a bulk self-serve store thing 😛 That might be the issue…but i’m not sure..Hmmm..would you have another gluten free flour combo I could try? That might work. I’m sorry for all this hassle.Thank you su much for helping me 🙂
It’s my pleasure Renae! We’ll get to the bottom of this — I promise! 🙂 When you gently press your finger into the dough balls to make a well, it’s normal and okay for the dough to “crack” a little bit around the edges. This is just one of those things about healthy/low-fat cookie dough — it breaks apart a little bit more than recipes with a stick or two of butter. 😉 If that’s more of what you’re seeing (cracking rather than crumbling), then just pinch those cracks back together. Moisten your fingers with an itty bitty amount of water, if needed, to help the cookie dough stick together better when you pinch it. However… If the cookie dough completely crumbles apart, rather than just cracking a little, then I’d recommend trying 2 tablespoons (14g) of coconut flour instead of 3 tablespoons (21g). That should help your cookie dough hold together better!