Lalo's Famous Cookies

I never thought I'd see the day when I actually advocated a healthy cookie. The very term seems like an impossible oxymoron to me, but with Memorial Day weekend in Montauk right around the corner, I have little other choice at the moment but to try to eat sensibly. Incidentally, I've always been a fan of sandy cookies that involve some sort of jam, so when I came across this recipe in Gwyneth's cookbook, I tagged it right away as something to make in the very near future.

It's a recipe of her mother's, and believe it or not, there isn't a single bad ingredient in it--no sugar, no white flour, no eggs. It's a completely healthy, vegan cookie. So healthy, in fact, that Gwyneth claims she lets her kids eat them for breakfast. And the kicker? They are absolutely delicious. Truly. I ate six of them in one sitting, barely pausing for a breath. Bake them this week and see for yourselves. xo

Lalo's Famous Cookies
From My Father's Daughter, by Gwyneth Paltrow
Ingredients:
4 cups barley flour
3 cups raw whole almonds crushed in a food processor (about ten 2-second pulses)
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup canola oil
1 cup real Vermont maple syrup
Your favorite jam (I used strawberry) 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except for jam together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Form into tablespoonful balls and space them evenly on cookie sheets. Using your index finger, make an indent in each cookie. Fill each indent with a small spoonful of jam. Bake until cookies are evenly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool before eating.