Flaky biscuits filled with red sweet jam are simply adorable Christmas decoration
and equally great choice to satisfy your sweet tooth
For the past few days I’ve been coming back to the message I read in the beginning of 2017.
It went something like this:
“If you die within the next year, what do you want the world to be left with? How would you spend those 365 days?”
To be honest, I didn’t spend them exactly how I wanted and planned. But I made some pretty good food this year which I hope you have enjoyed through my recipes as well, so I guess I did make one good thing.
But since I feel haunted with that message, I think I will spend the rest of the year making plans what I would like the next year to be. At least from the point where I can do something about it.
So to come back to Linzer Cookies… Linzer are one of those cookies I could enjoy looking at, over and over again. From far, they appear as little snowflakes but then, when that red color lurking out of that small hole on the cookie catches your eye, it just makes you want to eat it right away. 🙂
I’ve never made Linzer Cookies in a “classic” version so I didn’t know what to expect when I started experimenting with this gluten-free and vegan version. However, I was lucky enough that my experiment was successful so I can share a recipe with you guys!
These Linzer cookies are crisp, but have that crumbly texture as well, something like a shortcrust pastry. They are moderately sweet but you can always adjust the final taste with the choice of the jam you will use to fill them. In any case, they are not hard to make but please make sure to read the recipe (and notes) thoroughly and be careful when handling with them.
Happy baking and Merry Christmas, friends!
LINZER COOKIES {vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free}
this recipe firs appeared on culinary postcards, author: Iva Savić
- makes 8 Linzer cookies*
- Prep time: 15 min > Baking time: 10 min > Total time: 25 min
- for things marked with * see Notes at the bottom
Ingredients
1/2 cup finely grounded almonds
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup millet four
3 Tbsp tapioca starch
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp powdered raw cane sugar**
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3 Tbsps almond milk
jam of your choice***
powdered vanilla xylitol****
- Melt the coconut oil in a small pot over a low heat and add amond milk when melted. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine almonds, flours, baking powder, salt and sugar.
- Add the oil-milk mixture to dry mix and stir with a wooden spoon until it holds together (if needed, add a tsp of milk at a time), then put it on the floured surface and knead for a few times until you form a cookie dough.
- Put the dough in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- Take the dough out of the fridge after 10 min then place it on a silicon mat or baking paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut out all the dough, then make a small hole on 1/2 of the cookies you cut out (those will be your tops).
- Gently transfer cookies to baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake on 350F for 10 minutes. If you want them a bit crunchier, bake for another 1-2 minutes.
- Take them out and allow to cool on the cooling rack.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the jam you will use for filling them and powdered sugar to dust their tops.
- Once the cookies have cooled down, dust the tops (the ones with holes) with powdered sugar.
- Take the bottom cookies and spread about 1/2-1 tsp of jam on them, then seal them with top cookies.
Notes
*This amount of dough will give you 16 round cookies which makes 8 “sandwich” cookies (Linzer cookies) and 16 small cut-outs from the tops you made for Linzers. You could reroll these cut-outs and make another Linzer or two but I like having these little leftovers to nibble on.
Also, feel free to make a double batch immediately. 🙂
** I tried working with coconut sugar as well, but I didn’t like the texture it gave me, nor the taste – it was too strong for this delicate cookie where the jam should carry all the taste. But if you prefer that healthier version, the recipe will work.
***Here I used rose petal jam to enhance the sweetness of the cookies but you could use any jam you like, either classic one or chia jam. Go with raspberry, cranberry or strawberry for that red festive color.
*** I made powdered vanilla xylitol as explained here. You could use other sugar, such as raw cane as well, even without the vanilla flavor.
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