Cherry Charoset Chocolate Linzer Cookies

by Lora Wiley-Lennartz
Cherry Charoset Chocolate Linzers
In addition to desecrating knödel, I figured I should go whole hog or traif and repurpose charoset.
It’s not my first time, I once made charoset truffles and have even used it to stuff French Macarons. I need to go to Passover jail. Do not pass go….
However, I promise these cookies are so delicious and contain no flour. The chocolate cookie contains almond flour and melted chocolate in the batter making it flavorful and chewy.
The charoset is a variation of a traditional recipe. I used dried cherries and red currants as the star ingredients but use your own favorite recipe if you like.
You can make these into straight up sandwich cookies but I went all fancy and made a Linzer style. I’m a fan of a preview window on top of a cookie.
These cookies are packed with sweetness and have a lot going on flavor-wise. I made large cookies, if I had to do it over again I would have used cutters half the size.
You can make the cookies and the charoset beforehand but be sure to assemble them closer to serving. Mine did not get soggy but they got a bit bendy when sitting around too long.
Bendy or not, the neighbors I handed them out to gave me rave reviews. Maybe I won’t have to go to Passover jail after all.

Chocolate Cherry Charoset Linzer Cookies


Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Jewish
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings 1 Dozen
Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

For the chocolate cookies:

  • 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
  • 3 cups almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon plus 1 pinch salt divided
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons honey

For the cherry charoset:

  • 1 cup chopped raw walnuts
  • 1 golden apple peeled and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup red currants
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons sweet red wine I used Manichevitz cherry wine

Instructions

Make the chocolate cookies:

  1. Chop the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler.
  2. In a separate bowl whisk together the almond flour and salt. Set aside.
  3. Beat the egg white with the whisk attachment of your mixer. When the egg white turns foamy, add a pinch of salt. Beat until stiff peaks form.
  4. Beat a cup of powdered sugar into the egg white one heaping tablespoon at a time until fully combined.
  5. Add the melted chocolate, vanilla extract, and honey to the egg white mixture and thoroughly combine.
  6. Add the almond flour mixture until just combined. The dough will look crumbly but when you pat it together, don't worry, it sticks together fine for cutting.
  7. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  8. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  9. Roll the dough out onto a lightly powdered sugared work surface.
  10. Cut out the shapes with the larger cutter. Note: I used an extra large cutter (3") so I only got 8 cookies out of this recipe. If you use a 1+1/2 inch cutter, you will get double that amount.
  11. Place half of them on the prepared baking sheets.
  12. Use the smaller cutter to cut out the middles of the other half of the shapes. Collect the scraps and create more cookies, separating the solid and cutout cookies on separate baking sheets.
  13. Place in oven and bake the solid cookies for 10-12 minutes. Bake the cutouts for 8-10 minutes
  14. Remove from oven and transfer the cookies to cooling racks.

Make the cherry charoset:

  1. Place the walnut pieces in a naked small frying pan and toast over a medium flame. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Place the rest of the ingredient in a food processor and pulse a few times.
  3. Add the toasted walnuts and pulse to combine.
  4. Pulse until the mixture comes together and a thick consistency.
  5. Assemble the Cookies:
  6. Using a small spreader or butter knife spread a layer of the charoset on the solid bottom part of a cookie half.
  7. Place a cutout cookie on top.
  8. Repeat until all the cookies have been paired.
  9. Arrange the cookies on a serving platter and serve.

Like Linzers? Check out these other holiday-inspired Linzer Cookie recipes:

Advent Calendar Hibiscus Linzer Cookies

 

Glühwein Hazelnut Linzer Cookies

 

Hot Pepper Jelly Cashew Heart Linzers

 

Chocolate cinnamon Ganache Filled Linzer Cookies

 

Cashew Vanilla Bean Linzer Cookies with Pink Grapefruit Curd Filling

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