Sweet and pretty — but much healthier than typical Valentine’s Day fare…
You guessed it, these gut-friendly Linzer cookies fit the bill!
These jam sandwich cookies are made with ground nuts (hazelnuts or almonds), flavored with a hint of cinnamon, and filled with raspberry jam. I use ground soaked and dehydrated almonds, sprouted spelt pastry flour (sifted as I show here), and a lot less sweetener in my traditional foods variation.
While rustic, these cookies are the perfect opportunity to show a little TLC to family and friends (or yourself!) on Valentine’s Day. Enjoy with a cup of hot tea and all the people you love! 🙂
Gut-Friendly Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup crispy almonds *
- 1/2 cup grass-fed butter unsalted, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup Rapadura
- 1 large organic or pastured egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sprouted spelt or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup all natural raspberry jam or jam of your choice
Instructions
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Finely grind crispy almonds* in a food processor with the blade attachment.
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Set aside. Cream butter until fluffy and pale yellow.
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Add Rapadura and continue beating until combined.
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Add egg yolks, lemon zest, and extracts, and combine.
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In a separate bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, and salt together.
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Sprouted flour can result in a crumbly dough, so take care when handling.
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Add flour mixture and ground almonds to butter mixture.
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Turn dough out onto waxed paper and refrigerate until chilled (1 hour or overnight).
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Roll dough out to about 1/4-inch thick.
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Using round or heart-shaped cookie cutters, cut out the cookies. If you do not have 2 different sizes of heart shaped cookie cutters, linzer cookie cutters are available. In 1/2 of the cookies, use a smaller size cutter to cut out a hole in the center.
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Using a thin spatula, carefully transfer cookies to lightly greased baking sheets.
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Bake just until firm to the touch (about 10 to 12 minutes).
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Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.
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Assemble when thoroughly cooled by spreading a very thin layer of jam on each solid cookie.
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Fill with jam just before serving as the jam will cause the cookies to soften.
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Finally, top each with a cut out cookie and serve.
Recipe Notes
- *If you don't have crispy almonds on hand, you'll need at least a day and a half to prepare them. But don't worry, it's easy!
- In a large 1/2 gallon jar, cover 4 cups almonds with filtered water and 1 tablespoon salt. Allow to set overnight in a warm place, such as the top of your refrigerator.
- The following morning, drain, spread on your dehydrator trays and dry at a temperature below 150 degrees Fahrenheit until completely crisp. The drying process may take up to 24 hours.
Enjoy! Will you be making these Linzer cookies for someone special soon?
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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