Jam Dot Cookies and Garbage Peeping Toms


Hi everyone. As I looked at my uncovered recycling bins on the curb this morning, I was a bit self-conscious about the fact that every passerby sees what we eat and we eat healthy foods! It’s so personal. Just thought I would share that…

The topic of healthy snacks and modeling healthy eating came up with a friend yesterday:

“Hi Alma – My 7-year-old niece is staying with me next
week. I want do model positive cooking experiences
for her (I didn’t have good kitchen or dinner
experiences as a child). I’m going to use some of
your recipes during the week for dinner and for dips,
plus the pre-planned menus (like “breakfast for
dinner”), which I think will be fun and positive. I
don’t know what to do about good snacks – I don’t want
to completely deprive her of sweet stuff, but don’t
want to have pre-packaged cookies in the house. Any
suggestions for snacks? Thanks!”

Here’s the recipe for Jam Dot Cookies that my friend Michelle gave me. They are very delicious.

Jam Dot Vegan Cookies (don’t be turned off by the word Vegan)

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup pecans
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

1/3 cup all-fruit jam (any flavor)

Tip: fill some of the cookies with either raspberry
or apricot jam
Chocolate Dot Cookies: fill the centers with a few
nondairy chocolate chips

Toast nuts and oatmeal on a cookie sheet at 325 degress (I don’t always if I am in a hurry) about 6 minutes. In a food processor, make oatmeal into powder and then add the nuts and pulse until it is a coarse meal. In a big bowl, add oats and pecan mixture and all other ingredients. Form into 1″ balls and lay on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 1″ apart. With a fingertip, make a little indentation in the center of each cookie and place in it 1/2 tsp of jelly. Bake at 350 until they start to get a little brown on the bottom, like 20 minutes or so. I freeze these and they can even be eaten frozen. Enjoy!

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2 Responses

  1. Have you actually SEEN people looking through your recycling? ‘Cause if you did I’m sure it was someone who LOOKED like me, but couldn’t have been me. I would never search through your your personal garbage to get amazing new ideas on how to eat healthier. You believe me, right?

    Back to the Jam dots. These are a fav in my house too (although with out the almond extract)and I’m so excited to see my name up in lights on the blog. I do have to give a little credit to the chef who shared the recipe with me (I wish I could have invented such a cookie!)– Fran Costigan. She makes healthy and healthier dairy free versions, of some amazing desserts. This one came from her book “Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally.”

    One more thing, I love Take Back the Kitchen and am proud to announce my groupie status!

  2. Where can you get whole wheat pastry flour? They don’t seem to have it in the supermarket. And can you use regular whole wheat flour instead?

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