How is this colder weather treating you…?! If you’re down here in the Southern Hemisphere with me that is. The temperature has been getting progressively cooler, which has got me thinking about mid-winter overseas escapes already. Have you got anything planned? I’m not sure I’ve told you yet, but we’ve booked a trip to Canada for July. I cannot wait. We’re heading to Vancouver first, to see some friends and of course explore the beautiful city. Apparently, it’s one of the top most liveable cities in the world, Just sneaking in ahead of our very own Auckland! Then we’re off inland to the Rocky Mountains to visit Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. I’ve heard rumours of mountain bears, elks, and towering ice-capped mountains on either side of the roads. So as long as I can find some good plant-based eats along the way, I’m thinking it’s going to pretty much be the perfect holiday.
Meanwhile, recipe time – these deliciously cute Jam Drop Cookies. Friends I am so excited for you to try these – and we’ve made a brand new VIDEO to show you how! I know I get pretty revved up about every new recipe (can’t help myself, #addictedtofood). But truly, I’m going to have to say these are right up there in my top-of-2017-recipes thus far. Easy, tasty, and healthy too – they pretty much tick all the boxes.
Yes these dreamy Jam Drop Cookies are…
- Made with 10 simple ingredients
- Just 15 minutes to put together
- A wonderful source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, a fantastic anti-inflammatory
- Delicious as is, but even better dehydrated (crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside), and
- Will bring back all your favourite jam-filled cookie memories of childhood.
So let’s get cooking! Forward this recipe to a fellow cookie-loving friend, grab your ingredients, and make these lovely jam-filled bites this weekend. It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday too, and you can be sure your mama will love you forever if these cookies turn up at her door!
Chewing on Chia
The real magic of these cookies is the deliciously fresh raspberry jam in the centre. Unlike store bought jams, most of which are made with at least 50% white sugar, the raspberry jam I’ve put in these contains a mere two teaspoons of unrefined organic brown rice syrup to sweeten. In the absence of sugar and heat to thicken our jam, I’ve used chia seeds which have a miraculous ability to absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid. Making them the perfect plant-based compassionate alternative to gelatin (made from boiling the skin, cartilage, and bones of animals… honestly, I shudder to think how much jelly I ate as a kid). But also, the perfect setter for our gorgeous raspberry jam.
I’ve spoken in depth about the benefits of chia seeds before, so if you’re needing a refresher head to my 7 Reasons to Check Out Chia post here. In summary though, they’re…
- One of the highest sources of omega 3’s in the world, 28 times more than salmon;
- Made up of a whopping 20% complete protein, just as much as the standard gym-bunny-loving fare of chicken breast (find a full list comparing plant-based proteins to animal ones here) – plus they’re a complete protein, meaning all essential amino acids are contained;
- Packed full of fibre (37%), great for keeping our gastrointestinal digestive system healthy;
- High in anti-aging antioxidants, with twice the antioxidants of blueberries;
- Brimming with vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium – in fact chia have more calcium than dairy milk, more iron than raw spinach, and more potassium than bananas;
- Provide sustained energy from their healthy fats being utilised for fuel; and
- Are beneficial for weight management, satiety and diabetes
In fact, the magical chia features in my Top 75 Sources of Protein, Iron and Calcium posts – so it truly has a lot going for it!
I’ve used these certified organic chia seeds from BioBalance here. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s particularly important when sourcing products from developing countries (chia seeds come from South America), that you only purchase certified organic or fair-trade products. This means that the farmers have been paid a fair wage for their labour, and their communities are allowed to thrive. By going one step further and choosing certified organic, you are not only ensuring a fair wage for these families, but are also helping to keep our nasty Western-designed pesticides out of their precious soils. Certified organic is not just good for your health, it also ensures the health of our planet and communities too.
Back to our cookies – they are delish! Just a few simple ingredients in a food processor for the base, roll ‘em up, then flatten em down into little half moons. Blitz up your raspberry chia jam in a blender (I use a Vitamix – oh, did I tell you we now have them in store? Yes we do! Amazing. LOVE my Vitamix – you can read about them and order here – you will NOT regret it). Then plop the jam in the middle and pop in the fridge or freezer to set.
OR….. if you own a dehydrator (again, my personal fav is this Excalibur here, I have the 9 tray black with clear door and wax lyrical about it all the time on Instagram, if you’ve been watching my insta stories of late), then dehydrate them! 24-32 hours at 41-46 degrees °C (105-115 degrees °F), and you’ll have yourself a crispy cookie outer, with a chewy Mrs Higgins style inner. Oh my, these are good. To be honest, I made two batches of them, and only dehydrated the second, and by the time the dehydrator had finished there were only two measly cookies left. They’d all been pinched during the process, they were that good! (Okay, I admit, I was one of the pinchers, but still…).
So I’ll leave you here, with these cookies and jam-filled dreams. Oh and I hope you love our VIDEO! If you are liking the vids, would LOVE love love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel, simply click here and hit the subscribe button. And when I share these on Facebook on Saturday, like and tag your friends in the comments below! Would mean the world to me so me and my girls can keep making more of them. They’re fun! And I hope you like them too.
If you make these glorious Jam Drop Cookies, share your pics with me on Instagram! (use the tags @begoodorganics and #begoodorganics in the main caption and @begoodorganics in the image, so I don’t miss you from my feed). You can also post your pics over on my Facebook page here, or leave me a comment and photo below.
Have a wonderful weekend, give your Mum an extra big cuddle on Sunday, and if you’re feeling extra loving, make her these cookies! Til next week, stay happy and well.
PS If you like this recipe, pin it on Pinterest, share it on Facebook or Twitter, or recreate it on Instagram. As you know I share all my recipes here entirely for free, so the absolute best way to say thank you is to share them with your friends! If you’re not already subscribed to my weekly recipe emails, be sure to do that here, and don’t miss my next video by subscribing to my YouTube channel here.
Please note – if you are wanting to meet any of the specific dietary requirements below, please read my recipe notes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c rolled oats
- 1/2 c almonds
- 1/2 c desiccated coconut
- 1 c medjoul dates about 7, loosely packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Raspberry Jam
- 1 c raspberries
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tsp brown rice syrup
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 2 tbsp freeze dried raspberries optional
Instructions
- Blend the jam ingredients in a blender, scraping down the sides of the blender and blending again until combined. There will still be some texture and crunch in there from the chia seeds. If using frozen berries leave them to defrost before blending. You may not need to add the hot water, but if the jam isn’t blending add away. Set aside to thicken.
- Blend the cookie ingredients in a blender or food processor until combined but still with some texture. If your processor isn’t that strong, blend the almonds and oats separately first until a couscous like texture, then add the dates one by one while the blender is on medium.
- Form the cookie dough into large tablespoon sized balls and roll between your hands. Flatten between your hands, then carve out a hole in the cookie with your thumb (see the video above on how to do this).
- Raw version: Fill with a tablespoon of jam until generously full then place in the fridge to set overnight, or in the freezer for an hour or two. Store for up to a week in the fridge. Or…
- Dehydrated version: Place the cookies on a tray, and dehydrate for 32 hours at 41 degrees °C/105 °F, or shorter at 46 °C/115 °F. Store in a sealed container for up to a week in the fridge (but I promise they will all be gone before that!).
Recipe Notes
- To make these gluten-free, replace the oats with 1/4 c almonds and 1/4 c desiccated coconut. Alternatively, you can use an equal measure of activated buckwheat.
- Use activated almonds if possible.
- If you want a nut free option you can either use sunflower or watermelon seeds.
- You can use fresh or frozen raspberries for the jam. If you’re using frozen raspberries make sure to let them defrost first so they blend properly.
- Medjoul dates provide a lovely stickiness. However, if you don’t have these on hand you can use regular dates – just them soak in a bit of hot water first to allow them to soften (add 1 tbsp of coconut oil if necessary).
- You can make these as they are, refrigerated and raw but my preferred way is dehydrating them. I dehydrated mine for 32 hours at 41 °C/105 °F (or slightly less time at 46 °C/115 °F). If you do choose to dehydrate them, try press the cookies down to be thinner and flatter.
- Depending on the size of your blender you may want to double the raspberry chia jam raspberry, as it’s easier to blend when there is more volume in the blender. Then simply refrigerate any leftovers and use as a spread throughout the week.
