Sugar Free Thumbprint Cookies!

Let's talk food for just a minute here...

How many of  you often feel overwhelmed by the massive amount of information that is out there about food and nutrition?  I honestly believe that if you listen to every single "expert" there is out there, you would probably be forced to result to eating nothing, as tips on diet and nutrition can often be contradicting and counter productive.

This is why it SO IMPORTANT that we learn to eat what is right for YOUR body!  It's important to listen to your body and what it's trying to tell you because I guarantee you that if you eat something that isn't good for you, your body will be sending you that message the next day.

The war on food is raging in our day and I think everyone is forgetting that we're ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!  I am not against people who eat gluten-free, as I  know people who thrive on gluten-free diets, even if I don't.  Same goes for any other diet (Keto, Paleo, etc).  And to those who eat foods that are full of chemicals, overly processed, and full of sugar that is incredilby unhealthy for your body:

I will ALWAYS encourage you to eat healthy because I care.  But I will NEVER look down on you or make you feel like you are less of a person if you choose to eat processed, sugar filled food.  Again, we're all in this together and as we teach with love and compassion we can all help each other on our roads through life.  I eat 100% organic and refined sugar-free because that is how I can function with Lyme disease and how I can still live a life despite my chronic illness.  Not because I'm trying to outrun anyone else in this life.

So without further ado, I'd like to introduce the sugar-free Thumbprint Cookie!  These cookies are completely sugar free, organic, and free of harmful additives and chemicals.  They are made with whole wheat flour and they still melt in your mouth!  They're also sweetened with Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener which is full of nutrients and approved for all kinds of healthy diets! 

Sugar Free Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter (softened, to room temp)
• 1/2 cup powdered Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener*
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. Real Salt
• 1 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour**
• 1 cup organic whole wheat bread flour**
• 1/2 cup of thick, sugar free fruit preserves***
• extra powdered monkfruit for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle position.  Like a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. In a bowl with a hand mixer, beat butter and sweetener on high speed until butter and sugar light and fluffy and white in color.  (This will take about 2 minutes of beating.)  
3. Add the vanilla and salt, scraping down the sides as needed.
4. Switch to low speed and slowly add the flours.  (You may not need to use all of the flour if your dough seems to get to dry.  So add flour gradually until dough forms in a nice ball.  Dough will be slightly sticky.)
5. Form dough into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Remove from the fridge and form 1 inch balls of dough.  Press you thumb lightly into each dough ball to form the indent for the fruit.
7. Scoop a generous amount of fruit preserves into the center of each dough ball.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light, puffy, and slightly browned.  Let cool for five minutes and then remove cookies onto a cooling wrack.  Let cookies cool completely.  Dust with powdered monkfruit sweetener and enjoy! 

*If you don't have a the powdered version of your Lakanto sweetener, you can take one cup of classic Lakanto sweetener and blend it in a blender on high until it is in powdered form.
**Make sure you use the right kind of flour, for if you only use bread flour your cookies will be dry and if you only use pastry flour your cookies will fall apart.
***You can use any kind of fruit preserves that you like.  I used organic, sugar free, wild blueberry jam that I ordered from Thrive market.