Vegan Thumbprint Cookies

On Sunday, I realized that I only have 5 days left to bake holiday cookies!

I knew it was time to roll out a childhood favourite before it was too late.

The only catch?

These cookies took me 5 trials until I was satisfied with them!

I was in one of those picky moods and I started testing all kinds of flours and changing up the wet ingredients. I can be very stubborn in the kitchen at times. Well, I can be very stubborn period. I am a bull after all.

If I’m in a positive frame of mind I like to think of my stubbornness as persistence or dedication…now we’re talking!

The flops actually weren’t too bad, aside from the whole wheat pastry flour version, that is. Thankfully, Eric usually brings leftover cookies into work to share with his coworkers so I don’t have to throw anything out.

Let me first review what cookies I have made over the past couple weeks…

(click the image to be taken to the post)

and now I present to you one of my childhood favs…

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Strawberry Walnut thumbprint Cookies

The combination of aromatic almond extract and strawberry jam is a match made in heaven. What I really love about these vegan Thumbprints is the texture from the pecans and walnuts. Of course, the fruity, gooey middle is impossible to resist!

Adapted from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan

Yield: 14-16 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup + 2/3 cup stone-ground kamut flour* see flour note below
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely crushed or processed in food processor
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp brown rice syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• Approx 1/3 cup strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup pecans, crushed or processed

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or non-stick mat.

In a large bowl combine the flour, crushed walnuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and whisk until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, brown rice syrup, and almond milk. Stir well.

Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined.

Roll the dough into balls. Now very lightly dip your fingers in a cup of water, tap off excess, and then roll the ball in your wet fingers. Now roll the ball in the crushed/processed pecans. This little bit of water helps the pecans stick to the ball. Now place the ball that is now covered in crushed pecans onto the baking sheet.

With your thumb and finger press a large well (approximately 3/4 inch in diameter) into the center of each ball (but don’t go all the way through!) and shape it with your fingers, pinching the edges as you go around. Fix any cracks that may form in the dough with your fingers.

Fill the hole with a generous amount of jam- about 1/2-1 tsp. Place cookies about 1 inch apart.

Bake in the oven at 350F for 17-18 minutes. The cookies should be slightly firm to touch. Cool for about 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Now, chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving. My favourite way to eat them is cold, straight from the fridge as the flavours seem to pop more! The cookies are also really good from the freezer too.

Flour Notes: I tried various flours and the stone-ground kamut was superior in texture and taste. Kamut flour yields a dense, almost caramel-like interior. I also tried 3/4 cup white flour and 2/3 cup whole wheat flour and the result was cake-like so it was not my favourite. I also tried whole wheat pastry flour and this was a huge flop. The cookie was very wet, spread out too much, and didn’t set so I do not suggest subbing in WWPF in this recipe unless you are willing to undergo a few trials and adjust the liquid amount. All in all, if you want the best outcome, use stone-ground kamut flour. You may be able to sub in all-purpose for the Kamut, but I am not sure if the flour amount would need to be adjusted or not.

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Whisk dry ingredients together.

In a small bowl whisk together the wet ingredients and then add wet to dry.

Get in there with your hands and knead the dough and squeeze it together until it comes together.

Roll the dough into balls using about 1.5 tablespoon of dough per ball.

Now very lightly dip your fingers in a cup of water, tap off excess, and then roll the ball in your wet fingers. Now roll the ball in the processed pecans. This little bit of water helps the pecans stick to the ball.

Now place the ball that is now covered in crushed pecans onto the baking sheet (note: above photo should have crushed pecans on the balls! It was from a prior trial.)

With your thumb and finger press a well into the center of each ball (but don’t go all the way through!) and shape it with your fingers, pinching the edges as you go around.

Fill the hole with strawberry jam- about 1/2-1 tsp.

As you can see, I like a generous jam to cookie ratio!

Bake for 17-18 minutes at 350F and allow to cool for 15 minutes on the baking sheet. Now place the cookies in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

I prefer to eat Thumbprints straight from the fridge because the almond extract and strawberry flavours seem to pop more when chilled.

I also love how the nuts give the cookies a hearty crunch and a great texture. The cookie base is actually not that sweet, but it balances out the sweet jam filling quite nicely.

The result is a Thumbprint cookie that is not too sweet, but just right!

Workout News

A little while ago, Angela was kind enough to give me one of her ‘Friends and Family Membership discounts’ for Goodlife gym. It is a heavily discounted yearly membership for the club, costing me only $16 per month for unlimited access to any Goodlife gym in Canada! I am thrilled because I would not have been able to afford the regular membership price, but at $16 a month I simply can’t go wrong. I will have access to all the fitness classes, the weights, and of course the cardio equipment.

I used to be a member of Goodlife back in highschool and university and I loved doing the Body Pump classes and also a few of the other Les Mills classes like RPM spinning. I can’t wait to change it up a bit and start doing weight training again. Thanks Ange!

Make sure you check out Sketchie’s pic of the day…it’s pretty cute and there is a little story about his latest hijinks.

Goodnight!