This month has been INSANE. We've all seen the memes - January felt like it lasted 2018287324 days and let me be the first to say THANK GOD it's over. I feel like it was one things after another  - things going wrong at work, won't weather, days just not being long enough to get everything - or seemingly anything - done. Luckily, amongst the chaos, I had a little bit of a plan: #BeYourBestBabe2019! I loved creating this challenge with Nathalie, my partner on the Real Good Podcast, and I loved participating in it even more! The challenge was broken down into 4 weeks, each week with a different focus, and each filled with simple and fun daily challenges designed to help the crazy month be as productive as possible. It was fun, and even though the month flew by, I feel like I can actually look back and realize I had a pretty successful month! 

One thing I did several times this month, no checklist reminders needed? Made batches of homemade cookies! It's one of my favorite ways to decompress and satisfy a sweet tooth. And this past  month? I made some REALLY great batches of cookies. And after posting about them on my IG, I got tons of requests for recipes! I'm still working on my super duper chocolate chunkers but I've damn near perfected these Healthier Jam Thumbprint Cookies and it was time to share. They're buttery, soft, and full of flavor, and then topped with your favorite jam! Even better? I made them nearly entirely sugar-free! You can always add more sweetness if you like, but I'm all about adding less sugar so I can eat more cookies - ya know what I mean?! Recipe below, babes!

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups AP flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (vegan or regular, unsalted), softened to room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (or you can always just use stevia or brown sugar here, instead! You've got options. ????)
1 large egg yolk (or 2 tablespoons mashed banana, to keep 'em vegan)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup jam or preserves of your choice (I like raspberry but could only find seedless for this batch)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt. 

In a larger mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add in the egg yolk or banana and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Begin to pour the dry ingredients into the larger, wet ingredient mixing bowl about a cup at a time, mixing consistently until a uniform dough forms. Chill dough for 20-30 minutes.

Scoop 1 inch balls of dough two-inches apart onto your cookie sheet and gently press your thumb into the center to make a small indent for the jam to sit comfortably inside of. Once your cookies have all been pressed, scoop your 1/3 cup of jam into a small bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds to soften. Mix the jam after warming and gently scoop hefty teaspoon-sized amounts into the thumbprint in each cookie, filling to the brim.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10-11 minutes, or until bottoms and edges are beginning to turn golden brown in color. Remove the cookies from the oven and place them onto a cooking rack. Once completely cooled, enjoy immediately or wrap and save for up to three days!

This recipe has quickly become a favorite in our house - which is funny, because jam-filled cookies were literally my least favorite for YEARS! I don't know if I'd just had too many fig newtons forced on me as a kid or if the jam my cookies were being topped with just wasn't as up to par, but I never liked them until now! These ones are soft, buttery, and topped with the perfect amount of sweet jam on top. I am super guilty of eating a half-batch in a day. Thank goodness they're HEALTHIER! 

If you're interested in following along with the #BeYourBestBabe2019 challenge, head here and print out the challenge calendars. You can do them week by week or all at once - just enjoy the extra productivity and see if it makes you feel like you're being YOUR best babe this month!