Gluten Free Linzer Tarts

I’ve been gluten free since 2007 when my body decided it no longer wanted to tolerate pizza (my fave!) among other gluten filled goodness. When it happened I thought it was the worst thing ever. ‘Gluten free’ wasn’t really mainstream the way it is now and it was really difficult to find substitutes for things. Those days are long behind me because so many people are intolerant or simply gluten free for health reasons. (Added gluten is a class 2 carcinogen in case you didn’t know)

Over the years I’ve tried and failed miserably to bake gluten free treats. It’s not like regular baking, (which I am actually good at) it’s like learning a whole new craft, because the normal rules of baking don’t always apply. My friend Lisa has gotten really good at it and I look to her to show me gluten free recipes she’s perfected. The last time we baked together we made some Holiday Tarts which I showed you here.

This time we are baking gluten free Linzer Tarts, which is really a fancy name for sandwich cookies. We made two kinds, a chocolate filled cookie with hazelnut flour, and a raspberry filled cookie with almond flour. They were both amazingly good and the best part? They’re 100% guilt free! (In addition to being gluten free, these are dairy free, soy free, corn free and sugar free)

Hazelnut/Chocolate

Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor.  Add in the wet ingredients and process until a dough is formed.  Wrap the dough in wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator but leave it in the wax paper and use your hands to roll it into a log shape about 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter.  Cut the log into even slices and lay them out onto your cookie sheet.  Press them flat with the bottom of a glass cup.  Take half of your cookies and use a small cookie cutter to remove a small hole in the center (we used a heart shape cutter).  Again these are super sticky so the faster you can press your cookie cutter into the dough and remove it, the easier it will come out.  Take the excess dough and reshape it into an extra cookie or two.

Bake the cookies for 15 to 17 minutes until they start to look slightly brown and crisp on top.  A note about cooking with nut flour is that it will still be somewhat soft when you remove it from the oven, but will set after about 10 to 15 minutes.

Let the cookies cool while you are making the filling

The chocolate filling:

2 Tbl. coconut sugar

1 cup raw cacao (We used Navitas Naturals)

3 Tbl. Coconut

4 Tbl. Honey

Combine all ingredients with an immersion blender or food processor.

*Do not cook this filling.*  When the cookies are cool and firm, spoon a small amount of the chocolate mixture onto the bottom half and cover with the top half of the cookie (with the hole in the center).  You can serve and eat these immediately.

Store cookies in refrigerator for up to a week (or longer in the freezer).  Serve at room temperature.  Makes 20 to 22 cookies.

Almond/Raspberry

 For the cookie:

4 cups Almond meal (We used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

6 Tbl. coconut oil

5 Tbl. honey

Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor.  Add in the wet ingredients and process until a dough is formed.  Wrap the dough in wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator but leave it in the wax paper and use your hands to roll it into a log shape about 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter.  Cut the log into even slices and lay them out onto your cookie sheet.  Press them flat with the bottom of a glass cup.  Take half of your cookies and use a small cookie cutter to remove a small hole in the center (we used a heart shape cutter).  Again these are super sticky so the faster you can press your cookie cutter into the dough and remove it, the easier it will come out.  Take the excess dough and reshape it into an extra cookie or two.

Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes until they start to look slightly brown and crisp on top.  A note about cooking with nut flour is that it will still be somewhat soft when you remove it from the oven, but will set after about 10 to 15 minutes.

Raspberry Filling: 

All natural Raspberry jam (or jam of your choice).  We used St. Dalfour France red raspberry.

Let the cookies set and cool for a few minutes.  Spoon the jam onto the bottom half and cover with the top half of the cookie (with the whole in the center).

Return cookie sandwiches to oven and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.  Let the cookies cool and set for about 10 minutes before serving.

Let me know if you try these recipes and what you think or if you have some gluten free recipes you love, please share! Comment below, email, instagram or tweet at me!

XO,