Gluten-Free Linzer Hearts

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F or slightly lower (100°C).

2. Put the almond flour in a large bowl. Sift in the sweetener and mix well.

3. Add the lemon zest and the cream cheese. Mix and knead until smooth.

4. Divide the dough in 2–3 pieces. Take one piece at a time for handling. Keep the rest of the dough covered.

5. Place a piece of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place another parchment paper on the dough.

6. Roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/6 inch (0.4 cm) thick and remove the topmost parchment paper. Using a round (fluted) cookie cutter, cut out the cookies.

7. Transfer the cookies with a spatula or cheese slicer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Using a smaller cookie cutter (heart, round, star, etc.), cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet. Repeat rolling and cutting with the other piece(s) of the dough. Combine the scraps, reroll and cut. Repeat this until there is no dough left.

9. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until golden brown but not too brown. Let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack.

10. To assemble, place the top cookies (those with the center removed) on a baking sheet and dust them with sweetener.

11. Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on the bottom cookies (the whole cookies).

12. Place the dusted top cookies on top and very gently press the tops and bottoms together.

13. Store the assembled cookies in an airtight container.