Almond Raspberry Sandwich Cookies [Recipe]
Sandwich cookies will forever remind me of home and my grandma who kept them in a blue tin box. She passed me her recipe, but I made some alternations, though. If you like the aroma of toasted almonds like me, you definitely won’t mind.
Flaky and crunchy cookies with raspberry filling are tip-top combinations. I like to make my cookie dough thin, so they are extra crispy. You can eat them alone with a cup of tea, but they are much tastier with a bit of sourness in the middle layer.
What Makes These Almond Raspberry Sandwich Cookies Special?
These almond cookies have both almond flour and almond butter in their composition. This makes them have a strong almond aroma and relish. I like to smash that toasty taste with a touch of acidity and freshness of the fruit.
Raspberries are my favorite, as they have a woody undertone that blends perfectly with the nutty flavor of almonds. They don’t look fancy, but they are real tea-time treats. I made them heart-shaped to mark this month of love.
How to Make Almond Raspberry Sandwich Cookies?
You really don’t need many different ingredients than for other shortcrust pastries, though. Just ordinary ingredients, with some almonds incorporated this or that way. Here’s the list of what you need for these 5 o’clock tea cookies!
- Flour – You can use all-purpose or cake flour. Just be careful with the amount of butter used then, as some absorb more liquid than others.
- Almond flour – You can grind almonds yourself and sift them, or not if you don’t mind a rougher texture.
- Butter – Softened butter is the only liquid ingredient here. Its amount varies on the type of flour you use.
- Almond butter – I like to make my own butter by toasting almonds and blending them with some honey. You can use store-bought or not at all. Also, the almond extract will work finely, as well.
- Sugar – I used white, but brown is also a fine choice.
- Vanilla extract – A bit of sweet vanilla will complement the bitterness of almonds. You can use vanilla sugar as well.
- Baking powder – Baking powder is there to create a spreadable dough and prevent cookies from cracking. You can use baking soda as an alternative.
- Raspberry jam – The jam should be on the thicker side, so it doesn’t drip. You can use any jam you like, though.
Now that you have all the ingredients, let’s bake some cookies!
Step 1: Making the dough
Combine all dry ingredients: flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Melt butter and almond butter, then add them to the dry-ingredient blend, followed by a splash of vanilla. Mix it on low with dough attachments first, then speed up until the dough is formed.
I like to knead it by hand close to an end to feel the texture. Be free to add some more butter than it’s written in the recipe, as some types of flour soak up more liquid. The dough should have a play-dough-like texture. Soft but not sticky, spreadable but not elastic.
Swathe it in plastic foil and leave it in the fridge for an hour for easier spreading.
Step 2: Spreading out
Cover the surface with flour and spread out the dough thinly, like gingerbread cookies. To ease yourself, separate the dough into smaller balls, 4 or 6, as they will be simpler to thin. Take the mold and press it to the dough and gently remove it from the counter using a knife.
Put the parchment paper over the cookie tray, but don’t grease it at all. Arrange the cookies leaving about half an inch between them. They won’t change the size much, so that’s enough.
Step 3: Baking
They are ready for baking immediately. Preheat the oven to 350° F (≈180° C) and leave them in for 10-15 minutes, depending on how strong your oven is. If you want them crispier as I do, wait till they are brown on the edges, or remove them as soon as they are golden on top.
Step 4: Filling
Wait for the cookies to chill, for about 10 minutes. Take about half of a teaspoon of jam and spread it on one cookie, then cover it with another. Dust them generously with confectioner sugar.
How to Store Almond Raspberry Sandwich Cookies?
You can keep the cookies at room temperature for 10 days, a month in the fridge, and 4 months in the freezer. They have no dairy or eggs in their composition to go bad, so that’s the reason for their long shelf-life. You can freeze the unbaked dough, as well, and make cookies later.
They will taste the same, to be honest. Choose airtight containers for refrigerating, zip-lock bags for freezing, and tin containers for room temperature. Tins will keep them fresh forever, though.
Almond Raspberry Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Cookie cutter
- 1 Parchment paper sheet
- 1 Cookie tray
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (380 grams)
- 1 cup softened butter (225 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- a pinch of salt
- 1 cup almond flour (≈120 gams)
- 3 tsp baking powder (≈12 grams) That’s one package.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup almond butter (≈100 grams)
Raspberry Filling
- ½ cup raspberry jam (≈100 grams)
Instructions
Making the Dough
- Combine all dry ingredients: flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Melt butter and almond butter, then add them to the dry-ingredient blend, followed by a splash of vanilla. Mix it on low with dough attachments first, then speed up until the dough is formed.
- I like to knead it by hand close to an end to feel the texture. Be free to add some more butter than it’s written in the recipe, as some types of flour soak up more liquid. The dough should have a play-dough-like texture. Soft but not sticky, spreadable but not elastic.
- Swathe it in plastic foil and leave it in the fridge for an hour for easier spreading.
Spreading Out
- Cover the surface with flour and spread out the dough thinly, like gingerbread cookies. To ease yourself, separate the dough into smaller balls, 4 or 6, as they will be simpler to thin.
- Take the mold and press it to the dough and gently remove it from the counter using a knife.
- Put the parchment paper over the cookie tray, but don’t grease it at all. Arrange the cookies leaving about half an inch between them. They won’t change the size much, so that’s enough.
Baking
- They are ready for baking immediately. Preheat the oven to 350° F (≈180° C) and leave them in for 10-15 minutes, depending on how strong your oven is. If you want them crispier as I do, wait till they are brown on the edges, or remove them as soon as they are golden on top.
Filling
- Wait for the cookies to chill, for about 10 minutes. Take about half of a teaspoon of jam and spread it on one cookie, then cover it with another.
- Dust them generously with confectioner sugar.
