Apple-Filled Nut Butter Thumbprints

Makes about 4 dozen

Nut butter:

1 cup raw, unsalted almonds

1 cup raw, unsalted cashews

1⁄2 cup raw, unsalted walnuts

1⁄4 cup granulated sugar

3⁄4 cup packed brown sugar

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1⁄2 cup nut butter (from recipe above)

1 egg

1 ⁄2 cups flour

1

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon ground

cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Apple filling:

1⁄4 cup (1⁄2 stick) butter

1⁄4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and very finely diced

Unsweetened coconut flakes for topping Make nut butter:

Roast nuts in

350-degree oven

8 to 12 minutes or until fragrant and slightly golden brown. In food processor or blender, blend nuts until creamy. The nuts will go through multiple stages — chopped, ground, clumpy — before becoming creamy. During the clumpy stage, you may have to scrape down the sides. (Makes about 1 1⁄2 cups.)

Make dough: In a bowl, beat together sugars and butter. Beat in nut butter, then beat in egg. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Stir flour mixture into batter, mixing until it is all incorporated. Refrigerate dough 4 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, make apple filling: In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, water, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Melt over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add apples and return to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Bake and assemble cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from fridge and roll into balls a little smaller than 1 inch in diameter. Place evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes or until a light golden brown; tops will crack. Remove cookies from oven. Using your thumb or end of a wooden spoon, press an indentation into center of each cookie. Let cookies cool.

Fill indentations with about ⁄2 teaspoon of apple filling

1 and sprinkle with coconut.

Note: You will not use all of the apple filling. Half a batch will be plenty for the cookies. Or, use leftovers to make apple French toast or spoons over ice cream. Likewise, you’ll have leftover nut butter; store in fridge. Or, make half a batch.