Raspberry Oat Cookie Recipe Notes
I have to say, these gluten-free vegan raspberry jam oat cookies might just be my favourite cookie ever. They’re buttery and tender, made with oat and almond flour, and bursting with sweet raspberry jam. If you love easy vegan baking and crave a nostalgic, jammy cookie moment—keep reading, my friends.

How these cookies came to be:
At the restaurant where I work, there’s a little café directly across the path from our front door. Many of my coworkers regularly pop over for lattes and sweet treats. I’ve never actually been inside—I'm pretty frugal and prefer to make my own coffee and snacks—but I kept noticing these gluten-free raspberry thumbprint cookies showing up in the staff room, where people leave their leftovers and snacks.

Eventually, after seeing them again and again, someone bought a batch for the team. I tried one. It was a bit on the dry side and more like an oat cake—but enjoyable. And more importantly, I was inspired. I knew I wanted to recreate a soft, jammy, gluten-free version at home.

After a little pondering, I nailed the recipe almost on the first try. The real test? Taking some to work to see what the restaurant fam thought. (Spoiler: they were a hit.)

The Verdict:
Jesse said, “These are next level.”
Pidge told me, “To be honest, these are better than the café’s.”
Chef said, “Buttery, salty, perfect... raspberry jam is the only choice.”
And Kia? “The crust feels like a warm hug — I need the recipe.”
Well… you get the idea.
I’m not here to gloat — but this is what I’m good at. I love tasting something once, then going home and recreating it in a way that’s even more delicious, nourishing, and satisfying. I love sharing with friends and hearing what they think. I love writing the recipes out and offering them here, hoping someone out there might make them and love them too.
Sometimes, I daydream about having my own little café or bakery where I can dish out these creations in person. But for now, the best I can do is share them here — one recipe, one story at a time.

What These Cookies Are — and What They’re Not
These cookies are soft, delicate, and meant to be savoured. The raspberry jam seeps just enough into the base, making them a treat that absolutely deserves a serving plate. This isn’t a zip-it-up and toss-it-in-your-purse kind of cookie.

These are slow cookies.
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The kind you enjoy while curled up on the sofa with a hot cup of tea, a book in hand, or your favourite record playing in the background. A cookie to pull apart gently, piece by piece — buttery oatmeal crumble giving way to bright, jammy raspberry — enjoyed in your own sweet time.

Oats, Almond Flour, Vegan Butter, Brown Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda, Plant Milk, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Raspberry Jam

Oats - I buy whole rolled oats, and for this recipe I blitz them in a food processor. The  oats should still have some pieces remaining in tact, almost like a coarse flour. I have not yet tried the recipe using fully ground oat flour, whole oats, or a combination of both. I can't speak to the results if you want to try, but if I were to attempt it, I'd most likely use a combination of oat flour and whole oats. 

Almond Flour - When I set out to make this recipe, I knew I really wanted them to contain some almond flour. My only hesitation is that almond flour can be very expensive. I ended up buying a fairly large bag at Walmart for about $15, which is the cheapest I have seen it in stores around me. My other thought would be to check online. I have also had great success grinding my own blanched white almonds into a coarser flour. It gives the cookies a tiny bit more texture and crunch. Delicious.

Raspberry Jam - There are many brands out there, I always gravitate to the artisan looking ones that are more expensive, but I have also tried just grocery store brands. The flavour is great either. More recently I make my own preserves, even better. Local Berries preserved to whip up these cookies when cravings strike. Use whatever you like best, but I would suggest a jam that is more stiff as opposed to runny. I have had success using both, but the runnier ones are more likely to bubble over the cookie. 

Plant Milk - I always use either unsweetened soy or oat milk. I'm sure any plant milk would work just fine, but these are my staples. I'm not a fan of almond milk actually, I've always found the flavour sub par and it lacks body compared to the other milks, but for this recipe I don't think that would matter. 

Vegan Butter - I have tried this recipe with different brands of vegan butter and they all turned out great. I am not loyal to one particular type. I look at what is available where I am shopping, and I also will buy one over the other if there is a sale. You can check in the organic section of most grocery stores, and even sometimes you will find different brands near dairy butter. In my experience vegan products are scattered in different sections around stores so I often take a walk around looking before I settle on something. (I'm always price conscious) I have noticed that when I use a vegan butter with higher salt, I liked it better. The Becel vegan butter I tried had a higher salt content than Earth Balance brand I tried. You can always sprinkle a little salt on top if you are into that sweet and salty experience as much as I am. 

1. Blitz oats in food processor. You are looking for a coarse texture, with some flour like bits.

2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Blitzed oats, almond flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix to combine. 

3. Cut in cold vegan butter

4. Use your fingers to mix the butter into the dry mix. It's the same process as making my buttery biscuits. You end up with small, cold chunks of butter distributed throughout the dough. 

5. Now mix vanilla into plant milk, add to the bowl. 

6. Using your hands, mix, squeeze and press everything together until a dough forms. 

7. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and divide the dough into 16 - 18 portions, leaving 1.5 inches between each ball of dough. 

8. Now, form the cookies. Flatten them with the palm of your hand first, then begin to shape. Use your finger to press down the middle, pretend you are making a tiny tart shell vs just a thumbprint cookie. You want as much space for the jam as possible. You also want to build up a tiny ledge around the perimeter to help keep the jam in place as they bake. 

9. Fill each cookie with at least 2 tsp of raspberry jam. (provided you made the suggested number of cookies) The bigger they are the more jam they can hold. 

10. Chill the tray of cookies in the fridge or even freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375 F. Then Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, rotate sheet pan, and bake for another 4 minutes. (16 minutes total). Cookies will have spread, and should be golden. Let them cool and set 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. They may be delicate so use a large flat spatula if you are worried about them breaking. 

Raspberry Oat Cookies Recipe Trouble Shooting

This headline is a bit misleading, because I have made this recipe dozens of times. I have enjoyed each batch, but it's pretty interesting how they can turn out slightly different each time. This is due to using different vegan butter products, different jam products, how the cookies are shaped, and baking them more or less.

Troubleshooting Tips for Vegan Raspberry Oat Cookies

​1. My cookies are too soft or falling apart
This likely means the base was rolled too thin or not baked long enough. Try slightly increasing the bake time or shaping the cookie a bit thicker for a sturdier base. Also see my notes above in the ingredients section about making your own almond flour, I found this made for sturdier cookies. 

2. The jam overflowed and made a mess
Make sure to create a deep well in the center of the cookie (not just a small thumbprint). Also, avoid using runny jams — a thicker, pectin-rich jam works best and is less likely to bubble over.

3. My cookies taste bland
Different vegan butter brands have different salt levels. A butter with a slightly higher salt content (like Becel plant-based) can enhance flavor. Or, add a small pinch of sea salt to the dough.

4. The cookies spread too much
Chill the dough for 15–30 minutes before shaping and baking. This helps the fats firm up and prevents overspreading.
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5. The jam disappeared while baking
This can happen with very soft or low-fruit-content jams. Try using a thicker jam or add the jam halfway through baking instead of at the beginning.

The truth is, I don't have any experience with Jamaican cooking, though I intend to explore more in the future. I also never explore other cultures through food, nor write about them, with any intention of being a voice with any kind of authority. I love food, I love exploring the world through flavour, and any information I share is from my own limited research and shouldn’t be taken any further than that. With that said, I recently came across a post that touched on its history and roots, and I was immediately inspired. What stood out was the concept of Ital. In Rastafari culture in Jamaica, Ital (pronounced eye-tal) stems from Rastafarian beliefs and refers to natural, pure, minimally processed food. It is often plant-based and can include stews of root vegetables simmered in coconut milk and spices, but it also encompasses many other simple preparations. Think organic, natural, preservative-free, and often even free of added salt.

To understand Ital, it is perhaps helpful to first understand Rastafari beliefs. Within Rastafari thought, there is an emphasis on Livity, a divine life force or spiritual vitality believed to flow through all living things. A core tenet is that food should be natural, pure, and from the earth, and should enhance life force rather than diminish it.
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Many Rastafarians are vegetarian. Some consume small amounts of fish, and some follow a strictly vegan diet, though practices vary widely. What stands out most about this to me is the juxtaposition with mainstream Western veganism, which is sometimes criticized for centering whiteness. I am not a voice of authority on racial theory. I am a learner, but I think I can say this critique is not without credibility. We need to look no further than colonization to understand how many traditions, ideas, and beliefs we integrate into our lives without acknowledgment of their origins. Decolonization work does not ask us to be perfect, but it does ask us to recognize the cultural and historical roots of practices we adopt, and to consider how human and animal liberation movements intersect rather than exist in isolation.

This version of my recipe is so much more thoughtful than the first one I tried to make, where I grabbed a Jamaican curry blend from the store, and left it at that. 

For this version I did a bit of research and landed on a few important things to help it lean towards something a bit more authentic. (though I am no authority on the matter)

1. Habanero Peppers — I don't have much experience using all the different kinds of peppers, but when I read that Habaneros were commonly used in a Jamaican Vegetable Curry I had to go for it. The method is what appeals to me most. The whole pepper just goes right into the stew. One, two or even three depending on how much heat you want. Then you can remove them. Another tip is that piercing them will help release more heat.

In my opinion, this dish really needs heat to balance the natural sweetness from the sweet potatoes and coconut milk. I wouldn't enjoy the sweet leaning flavours without the added heat to cut through it. And I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the particular heat from the Habaneros. Well rounded and warm. Delicious. 

2. Making Your Own Jamaican Curry Blend + Thyme Sprigs— Instead of using a store bought blend, I made my own which was easy. All Spice is an important ingredient, and even if you do pick up a store bought blend, if it doesn't include all spice make sure to add it separately. 

For the thyme, I would use fresh sprigs if I had them, but I had some from my garden that I dehydrated. I tossed them in, then plucked out the stems later on. All the leaves had fallen off, and it worked perfectly. 

1. Sweat onion, ginger and garlic in coconut oil along with a pinch of salt and pepper until soft and translucent. Add 3 tbsp of the home made Jamaican Curry Spice Blend. 

2. Add 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (I used whole sprigs from my garden I had dried) and 1 or 2 whole, fresh Habanero Peppers. (I omitted Cayenne Pepper from my home made spice blend, and added two whole habanero peppers, I didn't find it overly spicy, but this is subjective of course.) *** Pierce the habanero peppers with a knife to release more heat

3. Add diced sweet potatoes, and stir into the spices. I chose a purple skinned and white flesh variety, which is a bit less sweet than the typical orange variety. Anything works but less sweet is good here in my opinion. 

4. Add water and both cans of coconut milk, you want to just cover the sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender and liquid has reduced to your liking. 

5. When the liquid has thickened from reducing, you can add your bell peppers, snap peas and kidney beans. Cook just a few minutes until veg is tender crisp.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove Thyme sprigs, and if desired the whole habanero peppers. Garnish stew with Cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with Rice and Roti (a flatbread) for scooping.