HEALTHY COOKIES...

I decided to get out of my comfort zone today (chocolate chip cookies) and try a new recipe. These are reminiscent of thumbprint cookies, but without all the butter and eggs. In fact, they remind me of a Nutrigrain bar. I found this in my file of newpaper clippings of "recipes to try someday" from 2008!

Jam Dot Cookies

Chef Dean Rucker

1 c. whole wheat flour, sifted
1 c. slivered almonds, ground into a coarse meal
1 c. oats, ground into a coarse meal
1 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 c. canola oil
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. orange juice
1 t. vanilla

Apricot jam or your favorite fruit spread

Preheat oven to 375 and prepare a baking sheet with nonstick spray. In a mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients. (I used a combination of almonds and pecans to make 1 cup, and pulsed in my Magic Bullet) In a seperate bowl, combine the next four ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.

For each cookie, scoop 1 Tablespoon of batter onto cookie sheet. Using your thumb or the back of a spoon, make a well in the center of each cookie. Fill with 1 teaspoon of the jam. Repeat until all are filled. Bake 15 min. or until golden brown.

Nutrition information per cookie: 100 calories, 4 g fat, 1 mg sodium, 14 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein