Chocolate & Strawberry Cookies

For my first post, I thought I'd share a recipe I've been making for years. It's fairly quick and simple, and easy to make in any quantity, so it's perfect for filling the home cookie jar or making larger amounts for bake sales and parties.

1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup rapeseed (canola) oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4.
Mix together the jam, sugar, oil and extracts until they form a paste.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.
Add the paste to the dry ingredients in small amounts, mixing well. When you are done, you should be left with a dough.
Break off bits of the dough and roll them into walnut-sized balls. Place them on a cookie sheet/baking tray a reasonable distance apart - the dough spreads quite far. Flatten each ball just a little.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins, then leave to cool.

Notes:
-Try different flavoured jams - raspberry and blackcurrant work well.
-For a crunchier cookie, bake for longer.
-The dough can be made in bulk, wrapped in cling film and put in the fridge. Then, when you want a couple of cookies, you can just break a bit off and bake them to order.