Gluten free vegan birds nest cookies

During the xmas holidays, I did a little minor baking and decided to make up some of these delicious lovelies.  If you have ground flax seed on hand, they really work beautifully without eggs and no one will ever know they’re gluten free.
birdsnestcookies1

 

Gluten free vegan birds nest cookies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: gluten free desserts
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 TBLS flax seeds
  • 6 TBLS warm water
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil or butter
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1.5 cups ground or finely chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup dessicated unsweetened shredded coconut
  • raspberry or strawberry jam to fill cookie centers
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Grind or chop walnuts and set aside
  3. Put flax and warm water in cup and leave to gel about 5 minutes
  4. Cream butter and sugar together with a mixer and add flax mixture
  5. Add vanilla, flour and salt and mix with hands
  6. Add in walnuts until well mixed
  7. Roll into 2 inch balls and roll in coconut until well covered and place on cookie sheet
  8. Push down center of each cookie with a wet finger creating a nest
  9. Add a little jam to each center
  10. Put cookies in preheated oven and bake 12 minutes
  11. Remove from oven and leave to rest until cool
  12. These cookies are very delicate when warm and need to be completely cool before removing from the pan.