Almond and raspberry thumbprint cookies

55 MINUTES | MAKES 16 | EASY

frozen raspberries 200g

vanilla bean paste 1 tsp

maple syrup 50ml, plus 1 tbsp

chia seeds 1½ tbsp

rapeseed oil 50ml

almond extract ½ tsp

ground almonds 190g

flaked almonds 30g, finely chopped

1 Put the raspberries in a medium pan with the vanilla pod and 1 tbsp of maple syrup. Simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes or until the berries start to break down. Stir through the chia seeds and cook for a further 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely, in which time it will thicken considerably. Spoon into a bowl and set aside until completely cool.

2 Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Whisk together the remaining maple syrup in a medium bowl with the oil and almond extract. Add the ground almonds with a pinch of salt and mix well until a soft dough forms.

3 Spread the chopped flaked almonds out on a small plate. Taking tablespoons of dough, roll into balls and then roll into the almonds. Transfer to the baking tray, spacing them 5cm apart. Using your thumb, make a hollow in the centre of each dough ball. Fill each hollow with ¼ tsp of the chia seed jam. You will have some jam left over – it will keep in the fridge for up to a week. 4 Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and leave for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. Leave until completely cool and firm.

PER SERVING 134 kcals | fat 11.1G saturates 0.9G | carbs 4.4G | sugars 3.7G fibre 0.7G | protein 3.8G | salt 0G