just a few of the best things in the whole wide world are stuffed into one soft and ultra decadent cookie. peanut butter, chocolate and DATE caramel- doesn’t that sound unreal? thumbprint cookies are super fun and the options are endless when it comes to flavors and fillings.
i’ve made peanut butter and homemade strawberry jam thumbprint cookies before but a caramel filling just spoke to me and sounded special. chocolate chips on the edges are the final touch but you can leave them out if you want! you could also mix the chocolate chips into the batter, up to you!


the base of the cookies is incredibly simple. it’s just comprised of almond flour, super creamy peanut butter, baking powder, almond milk and maple syrup- that’s it.
using a really creamy and somewhat runny peanut butter is important for the texture. you definitely don’t want to use one that’s hard and dry. Trader Joe’s is one of my favorites to use and it’s super affordable.
let’s talk about the date caramel!! it’s made with two ingredients only- dates and almond milk. you just have to soak the dates ahead of time in hot water so they become really soft.


Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Thumbprint Cookies are gluten-free too, yay! the base is made with almond flour and as far as replacements, you could try another flour but you would have to make adjustments for the other ingredients and it probably won’t turn out the same!
these cookies are:
- better for you
- require minimal ingredients
- easy to make
- gluten-free
- refined sugar-free
- great for storing in the freezer
- made with 7 ingredients total
more easy vegan cookie recipes:
the best healthy vegan cookies
easy peanut butter and chocolate cookies

another super yummy addition that i kind of wished i had added- pecans! you could add whole ones right on top of the date caramel, how perfect would that be!? OR, you could add chopped pecans to the sides with the chocolate chips.
just be sure not to overfill the center with too much date caramel or the sides of the cookie with too many chocolate chips or nuts. this is key so the cookies don’t break in half when you pick them up!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Thumbprint Cookies
Recipe by MaryDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutesIngredients
1.5 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp runny and creamy peanut butter
5 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
- date caramel
10 pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- chocolate chips
Directions
- let the dates soak in hot water for 15 minutes. then, mix the dry cookie ingredients in a bowl and then add in the wet ones.
- stir well until a thick cookie dough forms. roll into medium size balls and slightly flatten into a cookie shape. create an indent with your thumb by pressing lightly in the center of each cookie dough ball.
- add the date caramel ingredients to a food processor and blend on high until a thick and smooth consistency forms.
- spoon the date caramel sauce into each indent in the cookie but be careful not to overfill. add chocolate chips to the sides of the cookies and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. let the cookies cool completely so they don’t fall apart- this is super important. ย