Apricot Thumbprint Cookies

These delicious and fun-to-make cookies are perfect with afternoon tea. Variations in flavor can be made by substituting different nuts and juices as shown in the Orange Hazelnut adaptation below.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup almonds (ground into 1½ cup meal)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup cold-pressed vegetable oil or melted, unsalted butter
1/3 cup apricot juice (or apple)
1/3 cup maple syrup or concentrated fruit sweetener
1 teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla
Apricot preserves (fruit-sweetened)
Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix oil, juice, syrup, extracts together. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well, kneading a little. Form dough into balls and flatten to make circles. Place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Indent each cookie with your thumb or your child's thumb and put ½ teaspoon preserves in the imprint. Bake 15 minutes, until edges turn golden.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Makes 24 cookies

Orange Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
Replace almonds with hazelnuts. Replace apricot juice with orange juice. Add ½ teaspoon orange zest to dry ingredients.