Strawberry Linzer Cookies
Both gluten/grain free + vegan, these healthier Linzer Cookies are a perfect way to show a little love to your person (or yourself!) this Valentine’s Day. Yes, the made-up holiday is very much over-hyped, but using it as an excuse to spread some love? I’m in. These cookies definitely take some patience and attention, but are super simple + really delicious! The lemon shortbread is the perfect counterpart to the gooey strawberry jam. Feel free to swap the strawberries for a different berry if you’d like (raspberry would be great)!
INGREDIENTS:
(makes about 10 double stacked cookies- depending on size)
1.5 cups almond flour
1.5 cups coconut flour
1 cup melted coconut oil (refined, if you don’t like coconut flavor)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
FOR STRAWBERRY JAM:
300g frozen strawberries
2 tsp tapioca starch (or arrowroot) + 2 tsp water
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch salt
RECIPE:
Heat oven to 350. Make jam by cooking frozen strawberries over low/medium heat until they start to soften and break down. (You could also microwave this step if you want.) Add strawberries (and juices) to a blender with lemon juice + pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.
Add back to the pot over low/medium heat. Make the tapioca slurry (the thickener here) by combining the tapioca starch with the water in a separate little bowl. Once incorporated, pour into the jam and stir well. Let things simmer (not boil) for 3-5 minutes (stirring occasionally), until jam starts to visibly thicken (it will also thicken in the fridge!). If it still seems way too thin/drippy, make another “slurry” with 1tsp tapioca/water at a time. Once done, pour into a container or bowl and throw into the fridge to cool.
Make dough by combining almond flour, coconut flour + salt. Add in melted coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon zest/juice + vanilla. Mix until fully combined.
Divide the dough in half and roll each section out over two different pieces of parchment paper (so it doesn’t stick) on your counter. It should be about 1/4 inch thick, but that’s totally your preference (they won’t rise much at all in the oven). At this point, I slid both dough “sheets” onto the back of a sheet pan and put into the fridge for 10 minutes to firm it up a bit more and make it easier for cutting. This is totally optional– if your dough seems fine to cut, go for it! Just be gentle as it’s a fragile dough in general.
*You can roll everything out on one long piece of parchment and skip all of this if you want! I’m airing on the safe side as the dough can sometimes get too soft/break
Grab 1-2 baking sheets, depending on how many you want to cook at once, and line with parchment. Once you’re ready to cut, grab a circle cookie cutter (or glass like I did) and press into dough, carefully removing and placing onto your parchment-lined pan. Do this same thing for the “top” cookie, except use a small heart shaped cutter (or use a small, sharp knife and toothpick, like me!) to take out a little of the center. Repeat with the excess dough until you’ve used it up.
Bake cookies for about 7-9 minutes, depending on thickness/size. They should start to get a little golden on the sides. Let them cool completely for at least 15 minutes after before touching. Grab your jam from the fridge and spoon about 1 tbsp onto each cookie, spreading around and gently pressing the top cookie down.
Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 10 days!
