Cookie Recipe: Life-Changing Vegan Thumbprint Cookies

Step 1

Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Step 2

Place the nuts in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulseuntil they are chopped into small pieces -- it's okay if you have a variety of sizes, just don't grind them to a flour. I tend to leave them chunkier than most people because I like to bite into a decent piece of nut when eating these cookies. But you can grind them pretty fine, too. Transfer the chopped nuts to a large bowl.

Step 3

Place the oats and salt in the food processor (no need to wash first), then process into a coarse meal. Again, I like to leave a little texture in the oats. Transfer the oats to the bowl with the nuts.

Step 4

Add 1 1/4 cups of the flour, oil, and maple syrup. (Doing it in this order, and using the same measuring cup, means that all the maple syrup will glide out effortlessly.) Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. If the dough seem runny, add the additional flour but don't worry if it is too soft, as it will stiffen up a bit as it sits. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Step 5

Form the dough into rough balls about the size of a whole walnut. The dough will be slightly wet but surprisingly not too sticky. Place on on the baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. They can be fairly close together since they don't spread much (you may need to bake in batches).

Step 6

Using the bottom of a round 1/2 teaspoon measure, make an indentation in the top of each cookie. Wipe the spoon clean and use it to fill the indentation with your jam of choice.

Step 7

Bake until the cookies begin to brown slightly, about 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool completely before baking the remaining batches.