JAMMY THUMB PRINT COOKIES
I created this for a recent Mother’s Day gathering over at mine, a quick recipe that I knew would be a hit with adults and kids alike. Originally I wanted to use up the last bit of a jar of chocolate spread and thought this would be a great way of making something chocolatey for children (and me!) without it being chocolate-loaded. I ended up doubling the batch and for the second batch I went with a splodge of jam (jam being a better way to mix fruits with other ingredients for digestion as opposed to raw, per Ayurveda) into the cookie dent and would you know it… the jam ones were the first to go!
Reminding me of a childhood favourite, jammy dodgers, you'll find recipes for jammy thumbprint cookies all over the web — it’s basically your favourite cookie recipe with a jam filled dent in the middle of it. I used one of my favourite flour mixes of the moment, which is equal parts jumbo oats and gluten-free-flour, and some flax to help bind it. I throw it all into a food processor with some hot water, which means no need to melt the coconut oil or fat of your choice, and then bake for a light and crispy oatmeal cookie that’s quick, easy, gluten-free and can be made totally vegan and dairy-free should you wish.
A note on ground flax: I grind my own, as I find that pre-ground shop-bought doesn’t always gel when mixed with water and left to set, though for recipes like cookies it doesn’t matter as much as with cakes. You will need a spice grinder or power blender to grind the flax — do it in small batches and keep in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.
If you don’t have a food processor, simply mix the ground flax in the hot water to thicken, and melt the oil. Then mix the dry ingredients together first before adding everything else (except the jam!) and rolling your sleeves up to give it all a good mix.
Makes one batch of 20 cookies. Double if you dare!
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp ground flax (or chia) seeds
¼ cup hot water
80g (⅓ cup) ghee, butter or coconut oil, room temperature
100g (½) cup jaggery, coconut sugar or molasses sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g (just over 1 cup) steel-cut or jumbo oats
100g (just over 1 cup) gluten-free flour — I used Doves Farm plain
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
A few tbsp of your favourite jam
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan, 350°F.
Add everything to a food processor, then blend until well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Take walnut-sized pieces or use a tablespoon measurer and roll balls of the mixture.
Arrange the pieces on a tray and flatten slightly under the palm of your hand.
Indent each cookie — I tend to wrap one hand around each cookie and dent with the thumb of the other. The indentation only needs to be half a centimetre deep, maximum.
Fill with a third to half a teaspoon of your favourite jam.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool off completely before storing.
East by West tips:
If it's a hot day, or you melted the oil. then you might want to refrigerate the dough for an hour first if it’s not holding its shape so well.
If you like the sound of these, you’ll also love the sweet almond cookies, the caramelised choc block cookies and the ginger chickpea cookies. For more Ayurveda-inspired treats, check out my sweets page.