These (almond)-buttery cookies filled with lush apricot jam make for a simple, yet absolutely scrumptious quick sweet treat.
I just love the contrast between the nuttiness and the sweet / tart / fruity flavor of apricot jam together. These cookies were a "love at first bite" :)
There's just something sort of special about apricot jam in general. It's just so visually appetizing in a dessert. Juicy, and bright... and you'll love seeing it peek out of its little "envelope" in these cookies.
P.S. If you don't feel like fussing with "envelopes" here, you can always go for a good ol' thumbprint shape-cookie here instead.
Lastly, if you love this flavor combo, or just want more apricot jam recipe ideas, you might enjoy these sticky apricot jam bars, these apricot slices, apricot hamantaschen cookies, or this sachertorte ice cream, to name a few of the many apricot-inspired recipes on this website..
Almond Apricot Cookies
Almond-buttery cookies and lush apricot jam make for a simple, yet absolutely scrumptious quick treat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 6 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 6 tbsp oat flour
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp smooth natural almond butter*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp pure almond extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Apricot Filling
- 5 tbsp apricot jam of your choice**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a small cookie sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Process all cookie dough ingredients in a food processor until the mixture begins to form a ball (note if the mixture is too sticky, add a bit more flour, if too dry, add a bit more maple syrup). Form the mixture into a ball with your hands and knead briefly, then flatten into a disk.
- Place the disk between two sheets of parchment paper on a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll out into an ⅛" thickness. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut out squares out of the dough -- I usually get about 4 squares (approx 2" x 2") on the first pass, carefully transfer those onto the prepared cookie sheet, then gather remaining dough scraps, form into a ball again, and repeat the process of rolling out and cutting out more dough squares until you run out of dough (should get about 6 squares total).
- Place about 2 teaspoon of jam (or just under a tbsp) into the middle of each square of dough, then carefully gather 2 opposite edges of the cookie dough and connect them together over the jam, placing one edge slightly over the other and forming what appears to be an envelope in the making, or as though you are wrapping the jam in a blanket...
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 6-7 mins until the edges become slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool a few minutes (they will firm up a bit as they cool off). Enjoy!
Notes
*For best results, the almond butter should be pretty creamy / runny. I.e. this recipe won't work with the hard/dry leftovers at the bottom of an almond butter jar! I recommend getting as creamy of a jar as possible, and then mixing it thoroughly once opened to incorporate all the oil in so the butter becomes smooth and uniform.
**You can use a homemade refined sugar-free jam here. Or can use store-bought fruit-sweetened apricot jam - that's what I used here (St. Dalfour brand). This easy no-cook apricot jam recipe is another option.
Maria says
Hi! Are you sure the proportions are correct? With 6 tablespoons of flour, the mixture turned out almost liquid. I had to triple the amount of flour (or even add a bit more), and only then did it become a dough that could be rolled out and cut. As a result, there was a noticeable flour aftertaste, and the jam became too runny during baking. Overall, the taste wasn’t bad, but I think it could be much better if the ingredients were more balanced.
Audrey says
Hi Maria. That's interesting. The amounts I noted are what I normally use. Sometimes there's a variation in how fine flour is ground, how runny the nut butter is, etc. that might affect the consistency so I adjust it by a few tbsp as needed, but I find the formula overall is close to what usually works. I appreciate you sharing your experience though -- I'll keep it in mind next time I get to do a bit more recipe testing. I'm glad they were not a complete waste though :)
Tea says
I fell in love with the looks of these cookies, and couldn't wait to make them; even saved up some of my precious homemade apricot jam to make them. I even tripled the dough in anticipation.
..but this recipe did not work for me at all. The dough was no trouble at all to roll out and transfer to the cookie sheet, but it *would not* bend at all. At the slightest touch upward it would break apart. Looking back, it makes perfect sense that it would, as there is nothing to bring any elasticity whatsoever to the dough. Maybe if I'd added some psyllium and water, or some starch... And yes, my almond butter was creamy.
Also, I think you might want to consider reviewing the measurements for the flavorings, as even with 1/3 the amount, I thought it was way too much. A whole teaspoon of almond extract for not even a half cup of flour sounds rather brutal.
But the dough bakes up to a fun crunchy texture if it's rolled out - better than if shaped into thumbprints, so I might give these a go again just as cut-outs, if I don't figure out a way to fill them while they're flat. I did bake a few just as squares topped with a blob of jam - they were quite nice, but hardly practical as cookies :).
Audrey says
Hi Tea. Thanks for sharing your experience and observations. The flavors are to my taste and liking, but they are easy to adjust :)
As for the cracking, I don't have any trouble with that so long as the dough is at the right consistency. It sounds like it just wasn't quite there in terms of moisture, possibly to do with tripling the recipe -- sometimes things work differently in different quantities in the way they come together. I don't normally add any psyllium, etc. to these and am able to make them bend just by monitoring the pliability of the dough. For me, less ingredients is "more" typically.
That said, this dough makes good thumbprint cookies, indeed :) so it's a good way to save the dough.
Either way, I'm sorry it didn't work out as planned for you. Not every recipe works out for everyone, and I appreciate hearing your experience.
For what it's worth, if anyone else reading runs into a similar issue, you can always return the dough back to the processor and add more moistening ingredients and try again to get it to a pliable enough consistency.
Tea says
Almost didn't see your reply. Was reviewing my experience with this recipe to consider making something similar again, so accidentally and unexpectedly came across your response.
I had an idea: I'm assuming you made this dough with storebought oat flour? I always make my own from rolled oats. I do grind it *very very* finely, but *could* it possibly be that this difference makes or breaks the texture of the dough? Either because rolled oats are slightly steamed (vs storebought oat flour which is ground from the raw groats) - *or* the subtle difference in coarseness with homemade flour.
Because I distinctly remember my dough being quite moist, and it didn't break due to lack of moisture, but lack of elasticity.
I wonder in your vast baking experience if you've ever made something from homemade oat flour *and* storebought and witnessed a difference in how the dough behaved?
Re flavoring: My almond extract (Nielsen-Massey) is no doubt *much* stronger than the brand you are using; it truly wasn't a matter of preference, I *would* have ruined the recipe if I followed the listed amount. With that in mind, just gentle advice: it might be worth considering putting a little note in the recipe for people to consider the strength of their extract before putting it in.
Audrey says
Tea, thanks for further sharing your thoughts. Maybe you’re onto something here. I have not tried making this type of cookie with homemade oat flour but I can see that possibly creating a difference. I used store-bought here. By the way I make this kind of cookie a lot with rice flour so if that’s something you have on hand, you can try that out next time.
As for the almond extract, I think you’re onto something here again. I actually tend to avoid the brand you mentioned because their flavors tend to be very strong and not to my pallet personally. I had a similar experience using that brand for rose water flavor and my recipe came out absolutely unpalatable whereas I’ve made it many times before and since with a different brand of rosewater and it came out wonderful each time. Since then, I kind of just avoid it all together. The almond extract I use is an organic one from the brand Simply Organic and I tend to get good results with it. It's not too overpowering. So if your current one is much stronger, I would definitely recommend using way less then...
Ari says
how many cookies will this recipe yield? I’d like to make at least a couple dozen.
Audrey says
Hi Ari. The recipe makes just 6 cookies, but you can multiply it as needed to make more. Personally I find smaller batches easier to work with. You can double to make a dozen, and then just make more double batches as needed. Enjoy :)
Nancy says
Hi, Can this be made w/peanut butter? Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Nancy, yes. Just keep in mind each nut butter brings its own flavor to the mix. But yes you can def use another nut or seed butter if you prefer, so long as it's smooth and creamy. Happy baking :)
Rebeca Garmizo says
Can't wait to try these. Thank you for sharing your beautiful creative creations.
Audrey says
You're most welcome. Enjoy them :)