Vegan Thumbprint Cookies

(recipe from thekitchn.com)

makes 4 dozen 2 inch cookies

  • 2 cups whole almonds
  • 4 cups quick-cooking oats (I used regular oats)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups flour, divided
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • Assorted jams of your choice

Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Pulse almonds in a food processor until they’re chopped into smaller pieces. Large chunks are welcome, but make sure you don’t ground them too fine. Place chopped almonds into a large bowl.

Now grind the oats with the salt in the food processor until it turns into a fine meal. Add the oat/salt mixture to the bowl of chopped almonds. Add 1 1/4 cup of flour to the bowl and reserve the remaining 1/4 cup. You may or may not need it depending on the moistness of your final mixture.

Pour the canola oil into the bowl, followed by the maple syrup into the bowl, and thoroughly mix with the dry ingredients until combined. If the dough is on the runnier side, use the reserved flour. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. It will stiffen up during this time.

Form into rough balls about the size of a whole walnut. The dough will be slightly wet but surprisingly not too sticky. A small ice cream scooper helps. Place the balls on a cookie sheet about an inch apart (the dough barely spreads out during cooking).

Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the top of each cookie. Fill the indentation with your jam of choice.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies begin to brown slightly. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before moving to a rack to cool further (they’re a bit fragile when they first come out of the oven).