I developed this recipe in collaboration with Wild Blueberries of North America.

Little kids are tactile people. They want to touch everything, particularly everything we don’t want them to touch. I remember baking a picture-perfect lemon tart to bring to an Easter gathering a number of years ago. My then toddler asked oh-so-sweetly if she could carry it to the car. Wanting to honor her desire to be a big girl, I reluctantly said yes. When she handed me back the tart, I noticed her little thumbs jammed into the edge of the pastry, collapsing both crust and curd.

It was a lesson for me about letting go of perfection (and being smart about when I let her assert her independence). And it got me to think about getting kids involved in cooking in ways they’re well suited for. These Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies are exactly that since, unlike my lemon tart, jamming thumbs into baked goods is part of the process.

The recipe starts with a wholesome gingerbread dough that relies on whole-grain flour and a little less sweetener than a typical cookie. The filling is a quick jam you pull together by mixing wild blueberries (defrosted from the freezer) with chia seeds and a bit of honey. The chia helps the wild blueberries gel and adds a little nutrition boost.

After that, all that’s needed are hands (big or small) to roll out the dough and thumbs (big or small) to hollow out the cookies.

If this sounds like a treat you and yours would like to tackle, you’ll..