Dear Supporters

We wish you all a happy Festive Season and a peaceful new year.

We leave you with vegan and gluten free Linzer Wreath cookies lovingly handmade and photographed by Eva (helloo multi-talent)!. 

Wish we could share them with each one of you in real life.

See you in 2020!

With much love and gratitude,

Emi & Eva

Eva's recipe for vegan and gluten free Linzer Wreaths 

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1)
• 2 cups almond flour (not almond meal)
• 1 cup vegan butter, softened (I used Earth Balance sticks, do no sub margarine)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ~1/2 cup of your favourite jam
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Optional decorations: royal icing, food colouring, sprinkles (I like Sweetapolita’s vegan, gluten free sprinkles), fondant

Tools for wreath decorations: piping bags, couplers, wilton 352 leaf tip (for leaves), wilton number 1 round tip (for berries, pinecones, branches, etc.)

Directions

1. Beat butter and sugar together until smooth with stand or hand mixer (will take several minutes). Add maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla and mix again until smooth. 
2. In a separate bowl, measure out and sift gluten free four and almond flour. Once combined, fold into your wet ingredients. Once all ingredients come together into a dough, form into two disks and wrap each with plastic. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour.
3. When you’re ready to roll out your dough, prepare your surface by laying down two large pieces of parchment paper and dusting them liberally with gluten free flour. Working with one disk at a time, unwrap from plastic and place between parchment paper sheets. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out until about 1/4 inch thick, working for even thickness throughout.
4. Dip your preferred cutter (I used a 2.5 inch scalloped round) in gluten free flour and cut two cookies out for each linzer (a top and bottom). Lay them on a parchment or silicone mat lined cookie sheet. Then, use a small cutter to cut the window hole in half of your cookies. I used a 3/4 inch inner circle. Place the entire cookie sheet in the fridge again to chill for 30 minutes before baking.
5. Preheat your over to 350F. Place cookie sheets into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, rotating halfway. Remove and cool completely on cooling racks.
6. Once cool, spread a teaspoon of jam onto the bottom cookie and top with your window cookie. Repeat for all cookies - this recipe should yield approximately 15 linzers (30 pieces before assembling).
7. Decorating: The finished linzers can be simply dusted with powdered sugar or intricately decorated with wreaths made from royal icing. If decorating with wreaths, it is recommended that all piping is done before the jam topped cookie bottom is adhered. 
8. Keep finished cookies refrigerated and enjoy within six days creating.

Tips:

• If piping on the wreath, build up leaves by allowing a ring of leaves to dry before adding another ring on top.
• Fondant decorations (like bows) can be made in advance so they harden and become easier to use in decorating.
• Wilton baking products (food colouring & fondant) are my go-to because vegan products are easily found with a circled v logo.
• Sprinkles must be added quickly for them to adhere to the royal icing before it dries.
• Be generous with food colouring to get deep, realistic shades of foliage from nature.

Links:

Inspired by The Banana Diaries 

Royal icing mix 

A Royal Icing Recipe 

Sweetapolita vegan sprinkles: 

Kitten & The Bear Jam (Strawberry, raspberry and cream)