Description
These gluten-free Linzer cookies are the perfect gift for Valentine’s day, the holidays, or any special occasion. With two layers of butter cookies filled with sweet jam, these are not only beautiful and delicious, but also dairy-free too!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dairy-free butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free flour blend already includes it)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 ounces raspberry jam or other red preserves
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Beat Butter & Sugar: Beat the softened dairy-free butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add Egg & Vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free measure-for-measure flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Gradually add this dry mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, mixing well after each addition until you get a homogeneous cookie dough.
- Chill Dough: Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Roll Out Dough & Chill: Roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Place the rolled dough (still between the sheets of parchment paper) in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm it up before cutting.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 170°C (350°F).
- Cut Dough: Once the rolled dough is done chilling, use a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into round circles. Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts from half of the round dough circles (You should have equal number of both shapes).
- Bake Cookies Until Golden: Arrange the cookies on a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges turn golden.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Assemble Linzer Cookies: Spread jam on the fully round cookies. If the jam is too thick, gently warm it up. Gently place round cookie with a smaller heart-shape in the middle on top of the jam-covered bottoms, pressing lightly. Optionally, dust the top cookie layers with powdered sugar before assembling or fill the cut-out holes with more jam after assembling. Let the cookies set before serving.
Notes
Butter: I used dairy-free butter to keep this recipe dairy-free. However, if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use regular butter instead.
Sugar: I used regular white sugar, but cane sugar or light brown sugar will work too. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using granulated monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index).
Egg: The egg helps to better bind the ingredients together, so make sure you add it in.
Vanilla Extract: I like adding a bit of vanilla extract for flavor, and highly recommend adding it.
Gluten-Free Flour: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free measure-for-measure flour (a gluten-free 1:1 substitute for regular wheat flour) that is made up of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch or potato starch). I do NOT recommend using a gluten-free flour blend is that is made up of heavier flours/starches (such as garbanzo bean flour).
Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours, and helps to better bind the ingredients together. If your gluten-free flour blend does not already include xanthan gum, make sure to add it in.
Baking Powder: Baking powder is the only leavening agent in this recipe, so make sure to add it in. If you are Celiac or gluten-intolerant, make sure to use gluten-free baking powder.
Ground Cinnamon: A pinch of ground cinnamon adds a nice flavor, but feel free to leave it out if you don’t enjoy cinnamon.
Jam: I used raspberry jam for a beautiful red color, but you can use other types of red-colored jams too (strawberry, mixed berry jam etc).
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is sugar that has been processed until it has a super-fine powder-like consistency. If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using powdered monkfruit sweetener (a 1:1 powdered sugar substitute that is zero glycemic index).
Storing: Once the gluten-free Linzer cookies are fully cooled and the jam has set, store them in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Chilling & Assembly Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western
