In winter, I’m drawn to tactile recipes that let me slow down and bake nourishing, delicious treats. This thumbprint cookie lets me get my hands right into the dough, stamping my signature into each one. Plus, it’s the perfect way to clean out those almost-empty jam jars taking up space in the fridge.
This recipe allows for a lot of variation. Choose any combination of raw or roasted nuts to achieve your desired flavor. For example, raw cashews and almonds will be a touch sweeter than, say, walnuts. You can also use any gluten-free baking mix; I used Pamela’s Pancake & Baking Mix, which includes a bit of leavening, but isn’t required. Experiment with liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or agave syrup, too, to find the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
Gluten-free Thumbprint Cookies Makes 3 dozen
1½ cup roasted cashews
½ cup raw almonds
4 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats or gluten-free oat groats
¼ tsp. sea salt
1½ cups gluten-free baking mix, such as Pamela’s Pancake & Baking Mix
1 cup coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup hemp seeds*
Assorted jams for filling
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cashews and almonds until coarsely ground and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Pulse the oats and sea salt in the bowl of the food processor until coarsely ground, stopping before it becomes flour. Add the ground oats and the baking mix to the ground nuts and stir to combine. Add the coconut oil, honey, molasses and vanilla extract, mixing to thoroughly combine. Stir in the hemp seeds.
• Roll the dough into 1- to 2-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. If the dough feels too sticky, refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.
• Indent the center of each cookie with your thumb, then fill each space with a bit of jam. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Let the cookies rest 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
*Hemp seeds are available at Whole Foods.
This article appears in December 2014.