Nutty Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

THESE ARE FUN and festive cookies with a beautiful ruby-red center. The cookies are dense with nuts and oats, and they go great with a cup of tea. Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to raspberry. Apricot or strawberry jam are both strongly vying for the spotlight as well.

MAKES 18 COOKIES

Source: Forks Over Knives

Ingredients

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup almond butter

½ cup dry sweetener

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1¾ cups oat flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup rolled oats

¾ cup finely chopped walnuts

½ cup raspberry jam, or to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silicon baking mat.

2. In a large mixing bowl, use a strong fork to beat together the applesauce, almond butter, sweetener, and flaxseeds. Once relatively smooth, mix in the vanilla.

3. Add the oat flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well. Fold in the oats and walnuts.

4. Roll about 2 tablespoons of batter into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter until you have 18 balls. They can all fit on one sheet because they don't spread much at all during baking. Moisten your thumb (or index finger) and make a deep indent in the center of each cookie. Place about ½ teaspoon of jam in each indentation.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.

6. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.