Gluten-Free Strawberry and Chia Seed Newton Cookies

Step 1

To make the dough, stir together the chia seeds and 3 tablespoons of orange juice and set aside to gel. Add the rolled oats to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into a fine but rough flour. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour and set aside. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, vanilla extract and coconut oil to the bowl and continue to pulse to combine mixture into a ball. Turn out the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, form into it a round flat disk and cover it tightly with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 2

To make the filling, blend the jam, dried fruit, lemon juice and salt in the bowl of a small food processor until smooth. Add the chia seeds to the mixture and set aside.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a piece of plastic wrap over a work surface and dust it with some of the reserved oat flour. Place the dough onto the floured surface and cover with another sheet of plastic wrap to prevent the dough from sticking. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thin piece the size of a 14-by-6 inch rectangle. With a pizza cutter or knife, trim the excess cracking edges to shape straight edges.

Step 4

Spoon the filling along the center of the dough in one straight line leaving 2 inches along the bottom and top of the dough clean. Fold each side over the prepared filling and press the dough firmly to seal each layer. Cut about 10 equal slices into small rectangles from the long cookie strip and place closely together onto the parchment-lined baking sheet seam-side down.

Step 5

Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Cookies can be stored in airtight container up to 3 days.