MAPLE BLUEBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES

These soft, lightly spiced oatmeal cookies have a sweet surprise in the middle: a pocket of syrupy blueberry-maple jam. The jam helps keep the cookies soft and tender for days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature, so you can bake a batch over the weekend and snack on them all week long.

Makes: 30 cookies

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes, plus cooling

For the blueberry-maple jam:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

(no need to thaw)

3 tablespoons maple syrup, or to taste 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

(see note)

Pinch of fine sea or table salt

For the cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened, more for pans 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon baking soda

3 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1. In a small saucepan, combine berries, maple syrup, lemon juice, zest and salt.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer vigorously for 12 to 22 minutes, or until the jam has thickened; most of the liquid should have evaporated, and what’s there should look syrupy rather than runny. Transfer jam to a bowl. Refrigerate or freeze until cool, about 20 to 30 minutes. (Jam can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.)

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or reusable silicone liners.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg until fully incorporated. Then beat in vanilla extract, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and baking soda. Set mixer on low speed and beat flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Stir in oats and nuts. (Dough can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.)

5. Spoon or scoop out large tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie. Use your thumb or a spoon to make a thumbprint. Spoon a heaping ½ teaspoon of jam into each thumbprint. Top jam with an additional 1 tablespoon of dough and press around edges to lightly seal the cookie. A little jam will seep out, which is good; it will give the baked cookies a nice rippled look.

6. Bake for 15 to 23 minutes, or until the edges turn deep golden brown and the centers are firm. Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Note: It’s easier to zest the whole lemon before halving it to squeeze the juice.