There’s a subtle difference between craving pie and craving *making* pie.
Craving *making* pie usually hits me when I’m reaching for a cozy sweater and maybe want to therapy bake my way out of any maybe holiday induced stress. Craving actual pie… well that’s constant. Truly constant.
So! When the need for pie doesn’t align with my craving to actually make it… I turn every other dessert into a version of pie, with less effort and all the pie rewards.
See: Strawberry Pie Bars.
See also these almond shortbread blueberry crumble cookies. Cobbler inspired. Crisp and fruity and not at all, but almost pie. We’re working our way towards pie! Until then, let’s mess with these cookies. They clever.
Here’s what you’ll need to work this cookie dream:
โข a mixture of almond flour and all-purpose flour. The nut flour adds a soft, crumbly texture to these shortbread style cookies and I think it’s just perfect!
โข very softened butter and granulated sugar – creamed to fluffy to aerate the cookie batter.
โข salt and vanilla to round out the shortbread cookie flavoring – keeping things simple.
โข blueberry jam or whatever kind of jam you know and love.
โข brown sugar, flour, oats, spices, and butter to create a cobbler- like cookie topping. Most things are better with a crumble – that’s my strongly held opinion.
Start by mixing together the crumble topping.
This is a topping you might find on top of a hearty coffee cake or on top of a peach pie you really want to eat. I’m guilty of putting a crumble on top of everything I can and I’m asking you to get into it with me.
Oats and brown sugar, flour and spices. Salt, always. Butter (as always) to bring it all together forever.
The mixture might feel clunky to bring together but eventually the moisture from the softened butter will coax the ingredients into an incorporated and crumbly topping mixture. Keep at it.
Cookie dough starts with a generous amount of butter. Softened to room temperature.
Softened as if left out of the refrigerator overnight – still shaped like butter but pleasingly pliable.
Add granulated sugar and using electric hand beaters (or even a stand mixer – whatever you don’t mind washing) blend with the softened butter. Mix until light and fluffy – more pale in color.
Add the flour mixture, knowing that there’s also a good dash of salt in there too.
(You can do this one of two ways – whisk all of the dry ingredients together OR layer the dry ingredients on top of the butter and sugar and get the mixer in there to whip it all up.)
Add the almond flour too.
Mix until well combined and lightly shaggy. The cookie dough won’t come together in a tight dough ball – the moist crumb is just right.
I’ve sung the praises of a cookie scoop before and here I am back on the same old tune.
Scoop rounded dough balls (the dough doesn’t even need refrigerating!) onto the prepared cookie sheet – about 2 inches apart.
If you don’t have a cookie scoop roll a generous tablespoonful of cookie dough into a round and place on the cookie sheet. And maybe put that cookie scoop on your holiday wish list – I swear they’re useful!
Make little bowls out of the cookie rounds. Bowls for blueberry jam.
Press your thumb into the cookie dough being sure not to press through the dough into the pan.
And spoon in blueberry jam to fill the thumbprint.
Lastly, generously sprinkle the crumble mixture over the cookie.
You’ll have a bit of crumble left over – go heavy or save some for your next batch of cookies.
Bake until the crumble is golden and the edges of the cookies start to reveal their golden brown edges.
Allow to cool and set on the pan for several minutes before transferring to a rack to cool. I love these little gems served with vanilla ice cream, though a dusting of powdered sugar is also lovely.
Pie cookies. Until we’re good and ready to pie pie.
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Blueberry Cobbler Thumbprint Cookies
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
- For the Cookies:
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup blueberry jam
- For the Crumble Topping:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Instructions
- Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- First mix together the crumble topping. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, oats, spices, and salt. Add the butter and using either a fork or your fingers, work the mixture together until all of the ingredients are moistened by butter and the mixture is crumbly but well combined and moistened. Set aside.
- To make the cookies, in a medium bowl whisk together almond flour, all-purpose flour, and sea salt.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using an electric hand mixer in a large bowl beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and pale in color – 3 to 4 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing only to incorporate the dough and the dough will feel crumbly.
- Spoon the dough using a small cookie scoop onto the prepared baking sheet. I used a purple handled cookie scoop which is 3/4 ounce or just over 1 tablespoon to scoop batter into a rounded ball. Place cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Gently press thumb into the center of each cookie creating a little bowl. Be sure not to press through the cookie to the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon a teaspoon or so of blueberry jam into each cookie.
- Generously sprinkle crumble topping on top of each jammed cookie.
- Bake for 15 to 16 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Rotate the sheets from top to bottom, front to back in the oven so that the cookies bake evenly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack too cool before eating and storing. Cookies will last up to 5 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
31 Responses
I made this recipe with a few tweaks and it was great. First, you should use blueberry pie filling. Jam & preserves are not meant to withstand the heat of an oven, It ends up spilling out of the cookie and making a mess. The pie filling stays put & you get the full blueberry flavor. For the cookies, I added about a 1/2tsp. of cinnamon to the dough. It really made a difference in the taste of the cookie. Without it, it would have been very bland. I also doubled the vanilla. Use a good quality vanilla, Not imitation vanilla. For the topping, I doubled + the cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg and used a combo of light & dark brown sugar. Again, bland without it. I also chilled my dough for few hours. All dough in my opinion, needs to be chilled. I let it warm up for 20 minutes, scooped, filled & baked as directed. Turned out awesome! You have to leave the cookies on the tray 10+ minutes or they will break when your try to remove them.
Found this very helpful. Myself and my customers, I find, generally prefer a more intense flavor profile than many recipes call for. I often double the flavorings of various varieties to better follow my own tastes, and those seem to be well-received by customers. Often telling me my desserts have a unique flavor they donโt often find.
Sorry. Once again, has anyone tried them gluten free? I even have blueberry jam! Thanks!
I have a huge jar of blueberry jam from Maine, and this seems like the perfect way to use some of it. But I have to be gluten free and I think I’m going to trade the a.p. flour for gf flour. Maybe. It seems to be pie crust-like so it might work.
Just bought 2 boxes of Maine wild blueberries and think Iโll try substituting a few of the blueberries instead of jam.
I just made this recipe , hope you gone like it.
Slutty Brownies:
https://tasty-recipes.info/2019/01/05/slutty-brownies/
Enjoy ;_
These look amazing and Iโm thinking about adding them to my Christmas cookie tray round up. But- Iโm wondering if I could make this dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer- I like to prep all my dough ahead of time and then bang out all the baking the two or 3 days prior to Christmas so the cookies are still fresh. What do you think?
Hi Kate,
Yes, you can freeze the dough. What I do is make the cookie dough, scoop it and freeze the scoops. When I want to bake them, I thaw the dough, make the topping then bake. Turns out great. I freeze ALL my cookie dough and I make about 21 kinds for the Christmas.
Oh JOY!!! Blueberries and cookies two of my favorite foods married together…genius! I have to make these! Thanks for sharing!
– Catering Albuquerque
I dont see where you add the vanilla?
They’re in the oven now!!! I’ll update you soon. Thanks Joy!
I made these last week and I’m making them again today…this time with an apple-cinnamon jam for more of a Fall feel. They were a big hit with everyone! XOXO!
Even as a dentist, I can appreciate a tasty cookie. Thank you for sharing a great receipt.
https://www.bruceehowelldds.com/
This is brilliant! I live for blueberry cobbler, and also 100% agree that everything is better with a crumble. These cookies are the perfect delicious creation!
Oh I have to make these.
Making for this coming weekend when Gabe comes home for the first time since January!
Love you Joy!
These are adorable and they look delicious!!
Ah, yes, the constant craving for pie. It’s a blessing, and a curse. Can’t wait to try these!
Love a thumbprint cookie — and topping it with ice cream? Umm, genius!!! Pie is indisputably so tasty, but I’m all about that shortcut that gets you the same taste!
Do you think I could sub coconut oil or shortening to make dairy free?
I’m not sure – I didn’t test the recipe this way. I have a feeling shortening might work better than coconut oil though!
absolutly cannot wait to make these!!!!
I recently found out i have an allergy to almonds! Can i use just all purpose flour? Or can you recommend a good substitute?
I would recommend another nut like hazelnuts ground into a flour.
I was about to make this recipe and my dog ??stole the butter
Umm, can I just say, you are brilliant! Cookies are my favorite sweet, pies second. Perfect!
I need these cookies in my life asap! They look amazing!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.com
I use a large scoop to form the cookies a small scoop I use to press the bottom of the scoop into the dough to form the hole for the filling. Great idea to cover jam with crumb topping! These cookies are so good!!
You are an absolute genius and these will be happening sooner rather than later.
I love shortbread cookies and I love blueberries – these look dangerously delicious. Thank you!
Oh, I know for sure that these cookies are totally my taste!
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
http://www.dressedwithsoul.com