Healthy Vegetarian Jam Thumbprint Cookies

Ah, jam thumbprint cookies. They're truly a holiday staple, but if you've recently come into this healthy lifestyle and are wondering how you can possibly still eat your favorite recipe, then you're in luck. Made with ingredients that are staples in almost every household, there's no doubt that even if you're snowed in, you can make these! There's hardly any prep or bake time. Trust us when we say that if you make these for your guests or family, they're sure to be a huge hit.

BLUEBERRY JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Yields: 24 cookies
Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 10-12 minutes

INGREDIENTS
For the cookie base:
-3 cups gluten free oats
-2 tbs flax meal
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp baking powder
-3 heaped tsp coconut sugar (can be omitted-simply makes the cookie sweeter)
-3 mashed bananas
-2 splashes vanilla extract
-2 splashes butter extract
-1/3 cup agave
-1 egg
-3 splashes of almond milk

For the jam filling:
-2 cups washed blueberries
-2 tbs agave
-4 tbs chia seeds

STEPS
1.) Turn your oven on 350 F. Then process the rolled oats in a food processor until they resemble the photo below

2.) add processed oats into a large mixing bowl along with the other dry ingredients (flax meal, sea salt, baking powder, coconut sugar) and mix thoroughly
3.) In a medium mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients (mashed bananas, vanilla and butter extracts, agave, egg, almond milk) and mix thoroughly
4.) After mixing both bowl, pour the wet ingredients into the larger bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix well until the dough begins to stick together. Set to the side and allow to set while you make the filling

5.) For the filling, pour the blueberries into a saucepan on medium heat with the agave. Give it five or so minutes of stirring until the blueberries begin to soften. At this point, begin mashing them into a jam and add the chia seeds
6.) Continue stirring for five or so more minutes, until the contents of the pot resemble a thick jelly. If it is too much of a liquid (which is unlikely), then add more chia seeds and continue to stir on a lower heat. If you're unsure what it should look like at this point, this photo should help:

7.) Take the jam off of heat and allow to sit. Return to the dough
8.) Now it's time to make your cookies! Preferably using an ice cream scooper for even cookies, dish out small, mounded cookies onto parchment paper
9.) Then, using your thumb or any finger, make small indents in the center of each cookie. These indents shouldn't poke a hole through the cookie, but should rather make a small hole to be filled with the jam
10.) Using the slightly cooled jam and a teaspoon, carefully dish enough jam into each indent. Remember: the jam should fill the indent until full, but it shouldn't be spilling over the side. If this is happening, either make the indent larger or put in less jam. Right before putting in the oven, they should look like this:

11.) Finally, time to bake! Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. 11 minutes work best for me, but every oven varies! Keep an eye on these beauties and be wary of burning! After baking, the sweetness of the banana cookie base should contrast nicely with the bitter-sweet taste of the blueberry jam. These can be eaten both warm out of the oven and cooled hours later! Enjoy!