Almond & Coconut Thumbprint Cookies (GF)

So simple to make but so delicious to eat, these little cookies are made of all the good stuff. I make these often as they are the perfect afternoon snack. I love the versatility of dates, in this recipe I use soft medjool dates which you often find in the fridge section, their toffee and caramel flavour adds a wonderful richness and depth.

You can feel extra virtuous by making your own seasonal jam to fill the cookies. Raspberry, strawberry or fig works well or just grab the nearest jar you can find.

Vegan: replace honey with maple syrup

Oil Swaps: You can use coconut oil or a combination of both.

If you can’t find soft medjool dates – see note below on how to use a drier version.

Food processor

• 100ml olive oil
• 150g soft pitted medjool dates
• 150g ground almonds
• 150g oats (gluten free if avoiding gluten)
• 40g desiccated coconut (opt)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey for sweetness (opt)

1. Preheat the oven to 170c. If using coconut oil, melt in a small saucepan.
2. Blitz the oats in a food processor until you have a scruffy flour. Add the dates and blitz again until the dough is pinch-able between your finger, about 2 minutes. Have faith it will happen.
3. Add the almond flour and pour the olive/coconut oil in slowly until the dough comes together. Taste for sweetness. Add the maple syrup or honey if you feel it is not sweet enough.
4. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Take a heaped tablespoon of cookie dough and shape into discs in your hand. Stamp and indent into each cookie and place on the the baking tray.  Fill each gap with a teaspoon of jam.
5. Bake for 20minutes or until golden around the edges. Keep an eye on them, for some reason they darken quite quickly. Let them cool on the tray. They keep well for a few days in an airtight container but they won’t last that long!

Medjool dates are softer and plumper and can be found in the fridge section, normally with the fruits. If you cant find Medjool and you can only find the drier version, boil some water and add 1/2 cup boiling water to 1 cup of dates to soften. Let is soften in the water for about 10min and drain well, use as directed.