Note: this piece first appeared as the June 2007 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.
This cookie is adapted from a classic natural foods recipe by Mary Estella. Be careful when grinding the nuts for the dough so you don’t accidentally make nut butter. Feel free to vary the type of nuts and jelly you use — you can even fill the cookies with melted dark chocolate! You can also use whole wheat pastry flour if you don’t have spelt on hand.
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup rolled oats, lightly ground in a food processor or blender
1 cup almonds or pecans, lightly ground in a food processor or blender
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 ounces fruit-sweetened jelly or whole pecans
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine flour, ground oats, ground nuts, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine syrup, extracts, and sea salt, and whisk to emulsify. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.
Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place on lightly oiled or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Make an indentation with your thumb in each cookie. Fill the indentations with jelly or a whole pecan.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
