Joy Bites.jpeg — A healthy treat to boost your mood.

Naturally sweetened lemon thumbprint cookies with Mood Nectar and chia berry jam.

These cookies are going to make you happy in more ways than one. Not only are they insanely bright and tasty in flavor, they also pack a full serving of Mood Nectar in every two cookies. Mood support meets tasty treat; yes please! When I formulated Mood Nectar--a formula featuring organic hibiscus and uplifting aromatic herbs--I always envisioned making healthy fruit-filled treats with it. I suppose my years running Joy Ride Pops left me swooning over the way fruit and herbs can combine in a way that makes every cell in your body happy to be alive.

So, yes, I am fan girling pretty hard over these ones. For how they taste, for how they make you feel and for all the nutritional needs they meet, too!

Fiber - check.

Healthy fats - check.

Antioxidant rich berries - check.

Mood support herbs - check.

These Joy Prints make for a great afternoon pick me up (or heck even a mid morning snack). When it’s safe to gather in numbers again, they are also a super fun treat to serve up to groups. Think of them as a healthy, non-inebriating social lubricant. :)

Ingredients:

Makes 14 cookies, 7 servings

2 C (scant) strawberries (fresh or frozen)

2 tbsp + 1 tsp mood nectar

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp chia seeds

Small squeeze of lemon juice

½ C oats

½ C pumpkin seeds

½ C cornmeal

¾ C flour (gluten free if desired)

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼ C grass fed butter, fully softened (may sub 3 Tbsp olive oil + 3 Tbsp nut or seed butter)

¼ C maple syrup

1 Tbsp lemon vest

2 Tbsp lemon juice

½ Tsp vanilla

Directions

Jam

Place fruit in a small saucepan and heat on medium, stirring and smooshing every so often as you go. Once fruit reaches a simmer, smoosh berries to desired consistency with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Remove from heat, add honey and a squeeze of lemon juice and stir until fully incorporated. Add chia and Mood Nectar, mix well. Move jam to a bowl and place in fridge to cool. (Note: if you are making the cookies right away, you may want to stir the jam a few times in the fridge to speed cooling.)

Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350.

Add oats and pumpkin seeds to a food processor and pulse about 8 times for two seconds each until you get a medium course crumble. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands or in a standing mixer with the paddle attachment until all ingredients are fully incorporated. (*See note below if using oil and nut butter.)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then scoop your cookies onto the sheet using a rounded tablespoon of dough for each one. Using your thumb and/or finder tip, make an indent in the center or each cookie. You may have to play around a little bit to find what works best for you. Be sure to make a pretty big indent, as these cookies take a lot of jam (where all the mood magic is)!

Bake cookies for 12 minutes. Remove and let cool on the pan for 20 minutes. Scoop a spoonful of jam into each cookie. Remember, they get a generous dollop--more than your average thumbprint cookie. There should be just the right amount of jam for the cookies, but if there is extra save the remaining jam for toast, oatmeal, etc.

Cookies can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.