If you’re looking for a really easy recipe to make, then these pistachio & cardamom jam thumbprint cookies are for you! They’re simple, fun to make and so pretty to look at. Oh and they taste amazing too 😀
I think pistachios are such an underrated and under appreciated nut. Even though I always say that I love all nuts equally, pistachios have a special place in my heart. And if I had to had to choose a favourite it would definitely be pistachios. Growing up in the Middle East it was one of the most used nuts in cooking and especially desserts.
Cardamom is another underrated ingredient. It’s such a beautifully aromatic spice and I absolutely love using it in sweet treats. Again it’s an ingredient used heavily in Middle Eastern cooking. Needless to say cardamom and pistachios go hand in hand when it comes to desserts. The flavour combination is just to die for!
The cookie itself is made up of only five ingredients – ground pistachios, ground oats, a bit of coconut oil and just enough maple syrup to add a hint of sweetness. So they’re fairly healthy and definitely much healthier than regular thumbprint cookies.
You can use any jam to make these cookies. I usually use homemade blueberry (or raspberry) chia jam, which I make using fresh Chilean blueberries/raspberries, chia seeds, lemon juice and a bit of maple syrup. Again much healthier than regular jam and surprisingly easy to make!
I used Seasonal Berries blueberries from Chile because their blueberries are in season at the moment in the UK. British blueberries are only available from June until September, so Chilean blueberries are a life saver if you’re a fan of blueberries and like to eat them all year round like I do 😀 Find out more about the many benefits of blueberries here.
What you need to make these pistachio & cardamom jam thumbprint cookies:
Pistachios – They’re such an underrated and underused nut in my opinion, which is such a shame because they’re so tasty. They also add the most beautiful vibrant green colour to foods – sweet and savoury.
Oats – I’m using oats as a healthier replacement for plain flour. I make my own oat flour at home by blending rolled oats into a fine flour using a high-speed blender.
Cardamom – another underused ingredient that I love! A beautifully aromatic spice that goes so well with pistachios.
Coconut oil – to add a bit of moisture to the cookies and to help them cold together since we’re not using eggs.
Maple syrup – for a bit of sweetness as well as to help everything hold together in the oven.
These pistachio & cardamom jam thumbprint cookies are:
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Quick & easy to make
- Super cute & pretty
- Made with wholesome ingredients
- So tasty!
Pistachio & Cardamom Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 95g oat flour*
- 105g raw pistachio kernels
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 8-10 tsp homemade jam (recipe below) or jam of choice
For the chia jam
- 80g Chilean blueberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or sugar
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F.
- Add the pistachios to a food processor and blend until you have a fine crumb consistency.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, ground pistachios, salt and cardamom. Pour in the coconut oil and maple syrup and mix to combine.
- Divide into 8-10 equal portions and shape into balls by rolling them between the palms of your hands.
- Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and press down the middle using your thumb to create the ‘thumbprint’.
- Add jam in the centre, then bake for 12-15 minutes. You can leave them in longer if you want a firmer cookie.
- Leave to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
To make the chia jam
- To make the blueberry chia jam – add the blueberries, lemon juice and maple into a small saucepan.
- Cook over a low/medium heat until soft enough to mash with a potato masher.
- Once you have a sauce like consistency, take off the heat and mix in the chia seeds. Leave to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked these blueberries, check out these other blueberry creations:
Blueberry White Chocolate Macadamia Blondies
Thanks to Seasonal Berries for sponsoring this post. Commissioned posts is how I’m able to continue working on the blog and creating recipes and recipe videos for you. As always, all opinions are my own.
At last—someone who enjoys cardamom as much as I do! Loved these. Chocolate chip cookies are great, but sometimes you just need something a bit more exotic—and this fit the bill! As cheap as I am, I am very happy to spend the money on pistachios when it gives me cookies like this. A real taste sensation! Will make again. Mine got soggy after a few days in the fridge, so I baked them a little more before eating them again and they were perfection! I’ll be back on your site—next is the rosewater pistachio loaf..
So glad you enjoyed them Ellen 😀 I grew up eating cardamom so I love it and use it a lot! It’s such an under-appreciated spice! Let me know what you think of the rose pistachio loaf 😀
Hi I am
Going to try this one tonight? You listed plant milk on the ingredients but there’s no plant milk when you’re doing it? Please advice .. Thanks
Hi Zhahara 🙂 Sorry about that – there’s no milk in the recipe, so the ingredient list is correct.
I don’t have a way to measure in grams- do you know the equivalent if I only have measuring cups/spoons? Thanks!
Hello! I have a question, the only readily available pistachios in the States are roasted & salted pistachios. Will that work for this recipe? I wasn’t sure if yours were roasted & salted before you ground them up. I can probably find unsalted online if needed. Thanks in advance!
Hi Rachel 🙂 I used unsalted, but you can use salted roasted pistachios. Omit the 1/4 tsp salt otherwise they’ll be too salty. Hope that helps!
Can I substitute something else for the stevia? I like to use alternative sweeteners like maple syrup, coconut or maple sugar, etc.
Is it also possible to use store bought jam made with apple juice as an alternative to making it? I love cardamom and the colors in your cookies.. Thanks!
Hi Joanne 🙂 You can use any sweetener really. Store bought jam will also work 🙂
Hi Nadia,
can I use this recipe with walnuts instead of pistachio? ? Do you think it would be as good?
Hi Saba 🙂 Walnuts will also work. I haven’t tried using them in a cookie recipe, but I imagine they would taste amazing too!
I had a bag of pistachios that I didn’t know what to do with. These went down a treat! ⭐️
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed them Jess 🙂 x
They were delicious. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi Lara 🙂 Thank you for your feedback! Glad you liked them 😀
Hello! question?? What is the topping on top of the cookie’s?
Hi Rosie 🙂 I just drizzled some melted white chocolate for decoration purposes more than anything.
can I substitute Canola oil instead of coconut oil ?
Hi Suzy 🙂 Yes any oil or butter will work
Can I substitute for hazelnut instead of pistachio?
Hi Chai 🙂 Yes you can use any nut you prefer.
Could I omit the jam and just make the cookies? Would it lose too much flavor if I did that?
Hi Elizabeth 🙂 Of course you can! I prefer them with the jam, but they still taste good without. You can shape them into balls and enjoy without baking too.