Heart Thumbprint Cookies with Jam
Servings: cookies
Celebrate Valentine's Day with the most adorable heart cookies with jam! Made with oat flour, almonds, and pecans, they're rich in fiber and healthy fats and sweetened with maple syrup for a healthy treat your kids will love. They're the perfect sweet treat to celebrate any special occasion!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons oat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup strawberry chia jam (or use your favorite homemade or store-bought jam)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the pecans and almonds to a food processor or high power blender and blend until the nuts are finely broken down.
- Next, add in the shredded coconut. Blend together until a paste-like consistency is achieved, scraping off the sides with a spatula every once in a while to ensure that all of the mixture is blended.
- Transfer the "paste" to a medium mixing bowl and add the oat flour and salt. Mix until combined. Add in the peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until well combined. The mixture should form a slightly sticky dough.
- Roll the mixture into 12 balls that are about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place the balls on the lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Place your thumb on a diagonal into the center of the ball and gently press down to form one side of the heart. Then place your thumb on the opposite diagonal to form the other side of the heart. To form a more defined heart, I like to place a small heart-shaped cookie cookie over top of the heart indent and gently press down in the center with the back of a wooden spoon. This will create a more defined indent for the jam. If the outside of the cookies start to crack a bit, gently mold the mixture back together again around the cookie cutter in the center.
- Fill the centre of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon or so of jam, spreading it out slightly so that it covers the indent and forms the shape of a heart.
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. I prefer to bake my cookies for 10 minutes for a softer cookie and more gooey centre, but you can bake for longer if you prefer a firmer cookie.
- Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes or until completely cooled before removing from baking sheet. This step is VERY important as it allows the cookies to firm up since they’ll be very soft when they come out of the oven. I like to top the heart with a little extra jam when it comes out of the oven as I find it has a nicer presentation and makes it glisten, but this is optional.
Notes
- Be patient when blending: When blending the almonds, pecans, and shredded coconut, you may need to blend it for several minutes before it begins to form a paste. The mixture might start to stick to the sides of the food processor. In that case, stop the food processor, push the mixture off the sides with a spatula and continue to blend until a paste-like consistency is achieved.
- If your dough feels too sticky to roll into small balls: Add a little bit extra oat flour one tablespoon at a time until the dough is the right consistency to form into balls.
- Allow the cookies to cool: The cookies will feel really soft to the touch when you remove them from the oven. It’s very important that you allow them to cool completely before removing them from the pan so that they have a chance to firm up.
- Purchase pre-made oat flour or make your own: You can find oat flour in most grocery stores, or make your own by blending oats in a blender until it forms a flour-like consistency.
- Prepare jam in advance: I love using this 4-ingredient strawberry chia seed jam for these cookies since it’s lower in sugar and less processed than most jams. If you choose to go the chia seed jam route, I recommend making it in advance so that you just have to plop it into the center of each cookie when ready to bake. Alternatively, you can use your favorite homemade or store-bought jam.
- These cookies have the best presentation when served fresh. If serving them after the first 24 hours, you may wish to add a thin layer of fresh jam over the heart to give them some extra glisten.
Nutrition
Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg
