Healthier Almond Linzer Cookies for Valentine's Day (flourless, gluten-free)

Here's a healthier version of classic linzer cookies for Valentin's Day. This version uses ground almonds and ground oats instead of flour. This makes the dough a little soft to work with, but the end results are fantastic!!

Read on for the recipe....

Healthier Almond Linzer Cookies (gluten-free)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup oat flour (or 1 cup oats, ground to a fine powder)
3/4 almond flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
fruit preserve or jam of choice, for filling

1. Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.

2. Then mix in egg yolk and vanilla. Add all the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, scraping down bowl as necessary.

3. Tip the contents out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Press dough into a large disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up  (this dough is very soft and really needs to be cold to roll out).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

4. On a well-floured surface (use a gluten-free flour of choice if you need to keep it GF) - Roll out the dough to about 3mm thickness. *This dough is quite soft, and you will need a good amount of flour to keep it from sticking. Cut out your desired shapes (you can use the rim of a drinking glass to cut out perfect circles). In half of the shapes, use a smaller heart-shaped cutter in the center of the cookie - these will be your tops.

5. Bake on parchment lined baking sheets for approx 12 minutes, until golden edges. Allow to cool completely on wired racks.

6. Assemble sandwiches: spread a thin layer of jam between two cookies.
Sprinkle tops with powdered sugar.

7. Share them with someone you love.