Vegan Linzer Cookies

'Tis the season to make a batch of the most beautiful Christmas treats: Linzer Cookies! These beauties have a delicious, tender hazelnut base, a tangy raspberry filling, and they're gluten free and vegan.

Heading to a holiday cookie exchange? These Linzer cookies are always a winner. They're absolutely gorgeous, and you can make them as easy or as fancy as you'd like.

What are Linzer Cookies?

If you've never made them, Linzer cookies are essentially a sandwich cookie. Originating from Austria, the traditional recipe involves a buttery cookie base accented with almonds.

The recipe actually started as a tart, which was then filled with preserves. It was then used as a cookie base, with the jam in the center. The top cookie typically has a cutout so you can see the jam filling.

The traditional cutout is another circle, but you can also use a heart, stars, Christmas trees, or any other festive, small cookie cutters you have on hand. They make for a stunning Christmas cookie!

Instructions

Our vegan Linzer cookies aren't all too different from the traditional recipe, but they do require a few swaps.

For starters, we use vegan butter in place of regular butter. It's easy to find in most grocery stores, and it functions very similarly to real butter. Make sure to let it come to room temperature before making these cookies!

When it comes to sweeteners, we use a mixture of regular cane sugar and maple syrup. Since these don't contain any eggs, maple syrup helps bring some moisture back into the cookie. Both vanilla and almond extract add plenty of flavor.

Traditional linzer cookies are made with ground almonds, but we opt for hazelnuts. They're completely interchangeable - it's up to you and your preferences!

To prepare them for the recipe, first make sure the skins are mostly removed. We purchased blanched hazelnuts with the skins already removed.

If you can't find these, here's how to remove them on your own. Spread hazelnuts on a sheet pan in a single layer, and roast at 375˚ for 10 minutes. Rub the hazelnuts between a clean dish towel, and the skins should easily fall off.

Once the skin is removed, grind the hazelnuts in a spice grinder or food processor. When they form a fine powder, they're ready to add to the recipe!

When the dough is ready, divide it in half. Use one half to make regular circular cookies. For the second half, cut into regular circles, then use another, smaller cutout in the center of the cookie. You can use any shape you'd like.

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When it comes to the jam filling, use any kind you like. We opt for a seedless raspberry jam, which perfectly complements the hazelnuts. We also love these with apricot jam.

To be honest, you could even fill these with something like caramel. Check out these amazing cookies from our friend Bea - they look incredible with the caramel filling!

We dust powdered sugar on the top cookie before sandwiching the cookies. It's an optional step, but it looks beautiful and of course tastes great.

More recipes for your vegan cookie exchange

After you make a batch of these vegan and gluten free raspberry Linzer cookies, try a few more of these for your cookie exchange:

• Gluten Free Vegan Samoa Cookies.With a shortbread crust, homemade caramel filing, toasted coconut and dark chocolate drizzle, these are SO good, albeit a bit messy.
• Vegan Peppermint Patties. Not exactly a cookie, but still the perfect addition to your cookie exchange!
• Tahini Thumbprint Cookies with Date Caramel Filling. Why not try something new this year?
• Double Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies. Homemade chocolate shortbread, dipped in chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes. So festive!
• Vegan Orange Gingerbread Cookies via Camille Styles. Love the addition of orange!

If you make these Vegan Raspberry Linzer Cookies, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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