Vegan thumbprint cookies

I first read about the life changing vegan cookies on One Hot Stove.  And I knew I had to try it. How can you resist? Forgiving recipe, and half of it was toasted nuts. So I mixed up a batch of dough and baked them.  And so glad I did - They are hearty; not too sweet  and the marmalade thumbprint in the middle feels like a nice surprise. They are made with wholesome ingredients so you could even have a couple for breakfast with a cup of tea and still feel good about it.

I deviated from the original recipe a little. I toasted all the ingredients first. I also reduced the oil a little and used white whole wheat flour. I skipped the salt because I used salted and toasted pistachios. 

Vegan thumbprint cookies (barely adapted from the kitchn)

4 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 c bulgur

1/4 cup poppy seeds

2 cups  nuts toasted ( I used almonds, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds)

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1 c white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup oil

1 cup agave nectar

Jam or marmalade for the thumbprints

Oven temperature = 350 deg F

Baking time  is around 15 mintues

Dump 4 cups of oats, the bulgur and the poppy seeds into a large wok or skillet and toast on a medium flame.  It is done when the oats will start smelling nutty and turn a very light brown. Turn off the heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool lightly.

I toasted the nuts in the microwave - quicker and easier. Spread the nuts out on a paper towel, place in microwave and toast in bursts. 60 second bursts for the almonds; 30 second bursts for the smaller nuts.

Pulse the nuts and the oats in the food processor.  Put it in a mixing bowl and add the hemp seeds,oil and the agave. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add the flour and mix again. The dough should come together. It will look sticky and wet.  You can refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes to firm it up. Add more flour a couple of tablespoons at a time if the dough is too sticky even after the resting time.

Roll into balls the size of a whole walnut and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Make an indentation in each ball with the back of a 1/2 tsp measure and fill with about 1/2 a teaspoon of jam. I filled the cookies with orange and grapefruit-cranberry marmalades and some peach ginger jam.

Bake the cookies until they are slightly browned (about 15 minutes). Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Keeps for about 3 days at room temperature

Notes to experiment: Use roasted apricot puree instead of jam. Use a combination of oil and applesauce as suggested by commenter. Reduce agave to 3/4 cup. Use a combination of oats, quick cooking barley and millet for a different flavor