These kid-approved healthy jam drop cookies are vegan, gluten-free and sweetened with maple syrup. This is a super simple recipe, using just 6 ingredients + 1 bowl!
These gorgeously golden healthy jam drop cookies are absolutely delicious thanks to my new found love, buckwheat flour.
Buckwheat flour is rich and nutty and creates the most wonderfully textured cookies. And despite its name, buckwheat flour doesn’t actually contain any wheat, making it a wonderful gluten-free flour alternative. Buckwheat flour can be found at some major supermarkets or most health food stores.
I also love these cookies because the dough comes together in mere moments. It’s as simple as popping all of the ingredients into one big bowl and giving it all a good mix. Miss G. had the best fun stirring these babies together and enjoyed rolling them into little balls even more. I did however take over once the jam had to be added to the centre of each cookie as my lovely little helper was hell bent on emptying the entire blueberry jam jar onto one cookie.
The texture of these jam drop cookies is wonderful. They have the most gorgeous crunchy outer layer but the inside remains tender and almost gooey.
Being free of refined sugar, eggs and gluten these jam drop cookies also make the perfect addition to any lunch box.
Also, these cookies freezer beautifully. Just be sure to store them in an air-tight container to lock in freshness.
To create your own batch of gorgeously golden jam drop cookies follow these simple steps…
Begin by preheating your oven to 180 degrees celsius (350F) and line 2 cookie trays with baking paper.
Place the buckwheat flour, almond meal, cinnamon, maple syrup and vegetable oil into a large bowl and mix to combine.
Take heaped tablespoons of the mixture, roll into balls and place onto the prepared trays, spacing the cookies evenly apart (leaving 2-3 centimetres in between each cookie).
Use your thumb to make an indentation in the centre of each ball. Spoon half a tablespoon of jam onto the centre of each cookie.
Pop into the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden and cooked.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before placing the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve alongside a little fresh fruit for a delicious morning tea or lunch box treat. Enjoy x
MORE COOKIE RECIPES FOR KIDS
Banana Peanut Butter Choc Chip Cookies
Apple Mixed Berry and Almond Cookies
One Bowl Carrot and Blueberry Breakfast Cookies
Banana Peanut Butter Choc Oat Cookies
Blueberry Cookies with Dark Choc Drizzle
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healthy jam drop cookies
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 20–24 cookies 1x
Description
These kid-approved healthy jam drops are vegan, gluten-free and sweetened with maple syrup. This is a super simple recipe, using just 6 ingredients + 1 bowl!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300 grams) buckwheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) almond meal (ground almonds)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil (olive oil or macadamia nut oil are great choices)
- 1/3 cup (110 grams) store-bought blueberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (350F). Line 2 cookie trays with baking paper.
- Place the flour, almond meal, cinnamon, maple syrup and vegetable oil into a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Take heaped tablespoons of the mixture, roll into balls and place onto the prepared trays (space the cookies evenly apart – leaving 2-3 centimetres in between each cookie).
- Use your thumb to make an indentation in the centre of each ball and spoon half a tablespoon of jam onto the centre of each cookie.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool slightly before placing the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy x
Notes
Recipe adapted from Donna Hay Fresh and Light Magazine (Issue 1).
Cookies are best kept in an air tight container. Will keep for 3-4 days.
Cookies are freezer friendly. Store in an airtight snap lock bag. Will keep for 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 14 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Hi, I don’t like the taste of maple syrup. Can I use golden syrup instead? I understand that I would introduce sugar…
Thanks and love your blog!
Hi! Although I haven’t tested this recipe with golden syrup, I imagine the results would be very similar (just a slightly different flavour). Happy baking and please report back, I’d love to know how you go! X
Could I use a different flour instead of buckwheat? I just don’t have any in the cupboard. Thanks
Although I haven’t tested this recipe using plain flour, I imagine the results would be very similar. If you do bake these please report back, I’d love to know how you go. Happy baking xxx
I love buckwheat flour and look forward to trying these!
Hi there
I do love your site – it’s really beautiful – and your recipes – the ones I have made have been delicious – but I do wonder if calling a lot of your recipes sugar free is misleading. Maple syrup is 2/3 sucrose (same sugar in table sugar) so whilst maybe better than using sugar itself it is not sugar free. I would happily scoff all of your recipes which contain maple syrup but I would only give them to my older children as a treat and I wouldn’t want to give them to my baby.
I won’t be using the term ‘sugar-free’ any longer. Thanks
Hi, these look delicious, but really not “sugar free” as you stated on your FB post- maple syrup is a sugar and jam is full of sugar. That is not going to stop me making them 😀
And if you get really technical, flour is a carbohydrate which is a type of sugar too. I meant no refined sugar. Next time I’ll try to be more clear. Happy baking xxx
These were wonderful and so easy. I used a combo of whole wheat pastry and barley in place of the buckwheat flour. My batter was super wet and I worried they wouldn’t come out but I baked them for 19 minutes and they were perfect. I will reduce the syrup to 1/2 cup next time. Thanks!
I just wanted to say that I really really love your page. Such wonderful ideas for me and my 13 month old daughter. Keep up the good work!
Made these this morning using rice malt syrup and hardly half teaspoon of St Dalfour fig spread in the centres (my thumb holes were small). Yum yum.
My 9mth old grabbed a taste of one without the jam out if my hand and gobbled it up (rice malt syrup being a better choice I wasn’t worried ).
I would be keen to try with cocoa nibs or similar dropped in the centre… or would fresh berry and chia jam work mmm
Delicious, I made with half spelt flour, half plain flour, I didn’t have any almond meal so used desiccated coconut instead, although I had less of that than needed so added less oil and syrup.
Hi- I would love to try those, as sounds super easy (+ I have some buckwheat flour to use); however, my little boy is allergic to nuts and cannot tolerate ground Almond. Is there an alternative you could suggest?
Thanks in advance.
J
Hi, I was given your website last week and have made something every day so far… These were another huge hit with my two boys aged 2 and 5. Great recipes, thanks!
I used date syrup and honey instead of maple syrup. For the jam, I warmed frozen strawberries and blueberries, added a drizzle of date syrup and chia seeds, then blended with my stick blender… Used this ‘jam’ in the holes.
YAY! So happy you enjoyed the jam drop cookies – thanks for letting me know lovely. Kayla xx
Hi, I don’t have almond meal, is almond flour the same? Or can i use plain flour? thank you.
Hi lovely. Use your almond flour, it’s the same as almond meal (we call it ‘meal’ in Aus). Hope that helps. Happy baking. Kayla x
I had a hankering for something sweet (we don’t eat sweets often) & I LOVE buckwheat flour & had all the ingreds in the cupboard. So I set about making these beauties. I stuck to the recipe with a couple of tweaks. I used sugar free maple syrup, added a li’l almond essence which gave them a delicious macaroonesque flavour, used melted Nuttelex in lieu of oil & made my own berry jam with mixed berries, lemon juice, stevia & chia. So all in all – sugar, wheat & gluten free! These were a big hit. I might try them with oil next time as I think the Nuttelex may have made them a touch dry…oil prob would have given them the right amount of moisture. But they were rippingly good & a BIG thumbs up 👍🏻