This post is dedicated to my Grandmother.

She always has an assortment of cookies on hand around the Holidays; jam thumbprints included. Funny thing was that when I was little I wouldn’t touch them. Nope. Not even a little nibble. I was not a fan of jam/jelly as a kid. Which also meant no PB & J’s for me – I was a honey girl.
However, I adore jam thumb print cookies today! Jordan has a lot of fun making the “thumbprint”. He thinks I am letting him play with his food…
So thank you Grandma… for not giving up on your thumbprint goodness. They are adorably sweet… just like you!

Strawberry Walnut Thumbprint Cookies
The combination of aromatic almond extract and strawberry jam is a match made in heaven. What I really love about these vegan Thumbprints is the texture from the pecans and walnuts. Of course, the fruity, gooey middle is impossible to resist!
Recipe and pictures from Oh She Glows
Yield: 14-16 cookies.
Ingredients:
-
3/4 cup + 2/3 cup stone-ground
kamut flour* see flour note below
-
1/2 cup walnuts, finely crushed or processed in food processor
-
3 tbsp sugar
-
1 tsp baking powder
-
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
-
1/4 tsp kosher salt
-
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
-
2 tbsp brown rice syrup
-
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
-
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
-
3 tbsp almond milk
-
Approx 1/3 cup strawberry jam
-
1/2 cup pecans, crushed or processed
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or non-stick mat.
In a large bowl combine the flour, crushed walnuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and whisk until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, brown rice syrup, and almond milk. Stir well.
Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined.
Roll the dough into balls. Now very lightly dip your fingers in a cup of water, tap off excess, and then roll the ball in your wet fingers. Now roll the ball in the crushed/processed pecans. This little bit of water helps the pecans stick to the ball. Now place the ball that is now covered in crushed pecans onto the baking sheet.
With your thumb and finger press a large well (approximately 3/4 inch in diameter) into the center of each ball (but don’t go all the way through!) and shape it with your fingers, pinching the edges as you go around. Fix any cracks that may form in the dough with your fingers.
Fill the hole with a generous amount of jam- about 1/2-1 tsp. Place cookies about 1 inch apart.
Bake in the oven at 350F for 17-18 minutes. The cookies should be slightly firm to touch. Cool for about 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Now, chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving. My favourite way to eat them is cold, straight from the fridge as the flavours seem to pop more! The cookies are also really good from the freezer too.
Flour Notes: I tried various flours and the stone-ground kamut was superior in texture and taste. Kamut flour yields a dense, almost caramel-like interior. I also tried 3/4 cup white flour and 2/3 cup whole wheat flour and the result was cake-like so it was not my favourite. I also tried whole wheat pastry flour and this was a huge flop. The cookie was very wet, spread out too much, and didn’t set so I do not suggest subbing in WWPF in this recipe unless you are willing to undergo a few trials and adjust the liquid amount. All in all, if you want the best outcome, use stone-ground kamut flour. You may be able to sub in all-purpose for the Kamut, but I am not sure if the flour amount would need to be adjusted or not.


