Vegan Strawberry Jam Empire Cookies

For the jam:

1. In a small sauce pot, cook the frozen California strawberries over medium heat until you can mash them either with a fork or a potato masher. Add lemon juice and white sugar and stir until the sugar is melted.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the chia seeds. Let sit for about 10 minutes for the chia seeds to hydrate. If you want a thicker jam, you can increase to 2 tbsp chia seeds, but I like the jam soaking into the cookies a bit so I kept it at 1 tbsp. Transfer to a jar and let cool.

For the cookies:

1. Using a mixer, cream the sugar and vegan butter together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix to combine. Add the flour in 3 increments, alternating with the soy milk, mixing between each increment until everything is incorporated. The dough should clump together well when you squeeze it. Shape into two flat discs and cover with cling film or plastic alternative to let relax in the fridge while the oven preheats.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Take one disc of dough out and roll to about ¼ - 1/3 inch thickness. Use a 3 inch round cookie cutter and cut as many out as possible. Place on a lined baking tray with about 1/2 inch of space between the cookies. They shouldn’t expand, but the extra space makes it easier to remove the cookies once baked.
4. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the bottoms are a golden brown (you may see the top edges starting to get lightly golden too). Remove from oven and let set on the tray for a minute or two before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely. Repeat with the other disc of dough until all cookies are baked.

For the glaze:

1. Combine icing sugar, lemon juice and water in a bowl until smooth.

Assembling the cookies:

1. Start by pairing up the cookies that match each other the best, golden bottoms facing inside. On the tops (strategically the uglier tops), spread about ½ tsp of the glaze. It’s okay if it drips off the side a bit, they’ll be messy but still delicious! On the bottoms, spoon about 2 tbsp of the chia jam on each cookie. Don’t spread all the way to the edge, they’ll squish as you sandwich the two pieces together.
2. Add the tops to the jammy bottoms and let the cookies sit for about 15 minutes before eating! The jam will soften the cookies and make them tender and delicious! Store in an airtight container once the glaze has completely hardened, and eat within a couple days.