I’ve been making these irresistible cookies since opening my first Sprouts Café in Trumbull, Connecticut, years ago. I now make them with agave nectar and sprouted spelt flour, and they’re better than ever.

　　

Ingredients

makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

　　2 cups raw almonds

　　2 cups regular rolled oats (not quick cooking)

　　2 cups sprouted spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour

　　1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/3 cup light agave nectar

　　1 cup canola oil

　　1 cup juice-sweetened raspberry preserves or another flavor of your choice

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

Place the almonds in a food processor and grind to a fine meal, about 1 minute. Remove and set aside. Place the oats in the food processor and grind to a fine meal. Return the almonds to the food processor along with the flour, cinnamon, agave nectar, and canola oil. Pulse to combine all the ingredients. Roll the dough into walnut-size balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Using your thumb, press an indentation into the center of each ball. Fill the indentations with preserves. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.