Buckwheat Pecan Thumbprint Cookies (vegan + gluten-free)

Ali Segersten
Buckwheat Pecan Thumbprint Cookies (vegan + gluten-free)

Try making these healthy, vegan, gluten-free cookies on a rainy afternoon with your children. They will surely brighten your day! Recipes made with freshly ground buckwheat flour (from raw groats) do not require the addition of xanthan gum in order to hold together without crumbling. Buckwheat is a grain that is quite often cross contaminated with gluten grains so be sure to purchase your groats from a certified gluten-free mill, such as Bob's Red Mill.

I use the dry container of my Vitamix to make homemade buckwheat flour. It quickly grinds up into a soft, non-gritty flour. You can use a coffee grinder too if you don't own a high-powered blender. Store the flour in a glass jar in your pantry for up to 3 months, or freeze it for longer storage.

Recipe from our Meal Planner

Buckwheat Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

Buckwheat Pecan Thumbprint Cookies (vegan + gluten-free)
Servings
15 cookies
Cook Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes

Children love these cookies packed in their lunchbox, or served as an after school snack with a cup of warm herb tea and sliced apples. I prefer to use a homemade blueberry-honey jam, but you could use any sugar-free, fruit-sweetened jam.

Tip

If you prefer to use something other than pecans then feel free to experiment. Walnuts, hazelnuts, or sunflower seeds would all work. I use the dry container of my Vitamix to grind nuts to a very fine meal, but a coffee grinder works as well.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups raw buckwheat flour
1 cups raw pecans finely ground
2 tablespoons gound golden flaxseeds
1 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoons sea salt

Wet Ingredients

⅓ cups melted coconut oil
⅓ cups maple syrup
⅓ cups unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Other Ingredients

3 tablespoons sugar-free jam
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet with coconut oil.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir together with a spoon.
  4. Form dough into balls and place onto the cookie sheet. Make an indent in each cookie with your thumb (you can have your child do this). Then drop a small spoonful of jam into each thumbprint.
  5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Timing will depend on the size of your cookies.

Use this recipe in our Meal Planner

Take a Tour View Recipe

Posted In
buckwheat children cookies egg-free gluten-free holidays lunchbox ideas maple syrup refined sugar-free vegan recipe
ALI-2023-PHOTO-VERTICAL-2

About the Author

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN

Alissa Segersten, MS, CN, is the founder of Nourishing Meals®, an online meal-planning membership with over 2000 nourishing recipes and tools to support dietary change and better health. As a functional nutritionist, professional recipe developer, and author of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook, Nourishing Meals, and co-author of The Elimination Diet, she helps people overcome health challenges through food. A mother of five, Alissa understands the importance of creating nutrient-dense meals for the whole family. Rooted in science and deep nourishment, her work makes healthy eating accessible, empowering thousands to transform their well-being through food.

See More

Nourishing Meals Newsletter

Email updates.

Add Comment

Related Posts

CHOCOLATE BUCKWHEAT LAYER CAKE-4

Buckwheat Chocolate Cake (gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free)

I absolutely love baking with buckwheat flour. It has a robust, earthy flavor and impressive nutritional profile. Paired with a high-quality raw cacao powder and extra virgin olive oil, you get a phytonutrient-rich healing dessert! Both buckwheat flour and cacao powder are rich sources of flavonoids and polyphenols. These compounds have numerous beneficial impacts on different systems in the body. Did you know that polyphenols interact with the gut microbiota and act as prebiotics for beneficial bacteria?

Read More
How to Make Raw Buckwheat Flour Gluten-Free

How to Make Raw Buckwheat Flour

Did you know that buckwheat isn’t technically a grain, but a fruit seed? Despite being commonly grouped with cereal grains due to its similar culinary uses, buckwheat belongs to a completely different botanical family. It’s naturally gluten-free, nutrient-dense, and incredibly versatile—making it a favorite ingredient in whole foods and allergen-friendly kitchens. For over two decades, I’ve used raw, freshly ground buckwheat flour in my gluten-free baking recipes. It’s one of the secret ingredients that gives my baked goods their unique texture, mild flavor, and nutrient boost.

Read More

Gluten-Free Bagel Recipe (vegan, xanthan gum-free)

I have a very fun recipe for you today—one that your children will love to help make......gluten-free bagels! I've been making these ever since my oldest daughter asked me to create a gluten-free bagel recipe, about four years ago. I had just published the first edition of the Nourishing Meals Cookbook (2012), which contained plenty of amazing gluten-free and vegan bread recipes, but no bagel recipe! She encouraged me to test out my breadstick and bread recipes in bagel form and they worked great. We've had fun making these together to send with her on school camping trips throughout the years.

Read More
Buckwheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread (gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, xanthan gum-free)

Buckwheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread (gluten-free, vegan, nut-free, xanthan gum-free)

Today I wanted to share a recipe from my Nourishing Meals cookbook with you—another kneadable gluten-free bread! Creating a recipe for kneadable gluten-free (and xanthan gum-free) bread took me years and years to develop. I still remember walking into my oldest daughter’s first week of preschool. The smell of freshly baked spelt rolls wafting throughout the house like a sweet perfume pervades my memory. My daughter took great care in carefully kneading each ball of dough into the shapes of her desire. The warm rolls were always served with raw honey and butter. All week she looked forward to bread day.

Read More

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Hazelnut Pancakes

If you have been following my blog for a while you'll know that I am a big fan of buckwheat. I buy the raw groats and then grind them myself in the dry container of my Vitamix. Raw Buckwheat Groats are soft and can also be easily ground in a coffee grinder if you don't happen to have a Vitamix. The resulting flour is very mild, creating tender, flavorful pancakes or baked goods.
Read More