I can hardly believe that Christmas is one week away. Thanksgiving was so late this year that I don’t feel like I’ve stopped to bask in the glow of Christmas lights at all, and I won’t have time to until I’m in Texas.
Don’t get me wrong, my apartment is decorated within an inch of fire code and I’ve been to see all the festive things. I’m just not quite in the spirit yet…except when I’m making cookies. Or showing up to places with cookies. Luckily for me, I do a lot of both of those things. Ain’t life grand?
Today’s cookies, these Oat-Pecan Linzer beauts, are a crisp, nutty, whole grain take on a classic. They’re as delicious as they are visually stunning, and they have the added benefits of being both gluten-free and vegan, so you know the batch will disappear in no time.
The Oat-Pecan Linzer Cookie dough is a variation on the Toasted Oat Graham Crackers I made last year, but with more spice and brown sugar, a touch of cornstarch for tenderness, and toasty pecans in place of some of the oats. The dough comes together in the food processor before being rolled out on parchment, chilled briefly, cut and baked.
The cut-out cookies are set over a rack and dusted with confectioner’s sugar, while the whole ones are spread with jam. You can glue your linzers together with any jam or spread you like. I used raspberry jam in the cookies with the tree cut-outs and apricot for the stars. Feel free to get creative with key lime or grapefruit curd or even a swipe of pineapple cake filling (but keep in mind that none of those are vegan).
These linzers are everything I love in a holiday cookie: sweet, spiced, stunning and shareable. You *know* how much I love a cookie that accommodates multiple dietary needs! And guess what? I’ve got another coming at you Friday. ‘Tis the season.
Oat-Pecan Linzer Cookies
makes about 1.5 dozen sandwich cookies
Oat-Pecan Cookies:
2 cups old fashioned oats* (use certified gluten-free for gluten-free cookies)
3/4 cup raw pecan halves
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 cup canola oil
4 tablespoons water
For Assembly:
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup jam (I used 1/4 cup each apricot & raspberry)
Special Equipment:
2 1/2 inch cookie cutter
smaller 1-1 1/2 inch cookie cutter(s)
Place oven racks in the top and bottom positions. Preheat oven to 325F.
Spread oats and pecans on a dry rimmed sheet pan. Place in oven and toast for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Line two sheet pans with parchment. Set aside.
Transfer oats and pecans into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1-1.5 minutes, or until there are no recognizable oats. Pulse in cornstarch, light brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add oil and water, and process until large clumps form.
Turn dough onto a large piece of parchment and lightly knead to form a ball. Lightly dust a rolling pin with cornstarch. Roll dough (still on parchment) to 1/8-inch thickness. Freeze sheets of dough (still on parchment) for 10 minutes, or refrigerate for 30.
Dip cookie cutters in cornstarch and shake off excess. Working with one sheet of dough at a time, use large cutter to cut circles. Carefully peel half of them from parchment and place 2 inches apart on prepared pans. Use smaller cutter(s) to cut centers out of remaining circles. Place cut out cookies on prepared pans. Re-roll scraps to use remaining dough.
Bake 10 minutes before rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Cookies will initially be slightly soft, but will harden as they cool. Repeat rolling and baking with any remaining dough.
Set a cooling rack over a piece of parchment. Once all cookies are baked and cooled, set the cookies with the centers cut out on a prepared rack. Sift confectioners sugar over the tops.
Spread each whole cookie with ~1 teaspoon of jam (amount is based on your preference). Carefully sandwich cookies together. Serve.
Oat-Pecan Linzer Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Place wax paper between layers for best storage.
It’s Christmastime, y’all. I’ve got visions of sugarplums dancing in my head. And by sugarplums, I mostly mean these Pecan Pie Brownies.
Just imagine a pan of rich, chocolaty 
During testing, I tried three different methods of adhering the pecan filling to the top of the brownies. The best, by far, is giving the filling a quick (3-5 minute) pre-cook on the stovetop to jumpstart the thickening. It’s very easy, but does require a sieve. Please don’t let that stop you though—I loathe sieving things, but this is pretty painless, and it beats the hell out of slicing up your brownies only to find scrambled egg bits or a thin layer of pecanless goo underneath. *shudder*
Once you’ve done the 15 seconds of sieving, you get to stir in toasted pecans and spoon it over some soft-set brownies and bake until…divine. Yes—that’s the only word for these. Chewy, fudgy, nutty and sticky-sweet without being cloying; let’s just say these are difficult to resist. I brought a box on my family vacation to 
As if these need more endorsement, Pecan Pie Brownies also happen to be gluten-free. There are no unusual flours or gums here—this recipe simply doesn’t require gluten-containing ingredients. Inclusive holiday treats for the win!
Pecan Pie Brownies would be wonderful as part of a cookie tin or holiday party spread, or for enjoying during a cozy Christmas movie night at home. I’m sure they’d work well left as a treat for Santa, too! I will say that, as a childless adult, they really hit the spot when eaten in PJs while watching The Crown and counting down the days until you head home for the holidays. You know, in case you were wondering.
Here we are, six days from Thanksgiving. Six days!
I’ll have one more holiday recipe for you on Monday—a really simple one—but first, pie. More specifically, Buttermilk Pie with Oatmeal Crust.
Just imagine a layer of vanilla-scented buttermilk custard soft enough to squidge (technical term) against your teeth, and a crisp, lightly-spiced crust reminiscent of an old-fashioned oatmeal cookie. That’s what you get with this recipe.
Oh, and it’s easy. The filling comes together with a whisk and a mixing bowl. It’s incredibly simple, and the results are old-fashioned and delicious.
As for the crust, well, let’s just say I’m in love. It’s a little thicker than your average pastry crust, but it’s also like a big cookie—a big cookie filled with buttermilk custard!
This oatmeal crust comes together in a food processor before being pressed into a greased pie plate. No need for chilling, rolling or crimping. Easy easy easy.
And did I mention that both components just happen to be gluten-free? Yesssss. I love inclusive recipes—that goes double at the holidays.
Some foods are easier to photograph than others and…well…
That said, what baked oatmeal lacks in aesthetic appeal (dull brown and lumpy 😬😬) it more than makes up in delicious whole grain flavor. This one is especially enticing—it’s made with a hefty scoop of pure pumpkin purée and big hit of pumpkin pie spice for maximum seasonal breakfast magic.
It’s also very easy to make. The most difficult (if you can even call it that) step is toasting the oats, and that requires little to no actual brain power. Just scatter the oats onto a pan, put them in the oven, and set a timer. Boom. Done.
My favorite thing about Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal? It reheats like a dream! This, in addition to being filling and fairly good for you, makes it perfect for weekday breakfasts. Just heat individual portions as needed and enjoy.
Of course, it’s also a great low-maintenance-but-still-“special” thing to make on the weekends. And I wouldn’t be disappointed to see it over the holidays.
The world doesn’t need another brownie recipe, but I do. Sure, I already have two base 
It hadn’t occurred to me that I cared about this until I was talking to a couple of friends about what makes a good brownie. Our notes were similar: fudgy, not cakey at all, not too sweet or light in color. But then they started talking about the paper-thin crinkly top on their favorite boxed mix brownies and I realized I had forgotten about that altogether.
In my defense, I haven’t made boxed mix brownies in at least seven years—probably more like ten. But I’ve also probably eaten 
So, what produces that perfect top? Cooking/baking science wiz 
Here, meringue is more…deconstructed. Essentially, sugar is whisked into butter and chocolate that have been melted together. This suspends the sugar in the flavor/texture base of our brownies. Dry ingredients are whisked in, followed by vanilla and a couple of eggs that have been beaten just until they’re starting to get bubbly. The batter is spread into a pan and baked for nearly half an hour, until just set.
Did that make sense? I think it sort of made sense. I am a C+ chemistry student, y’all. If I had known I’d spend so much time thinking about chemical reactions, I may have paid more attention.
When you look at the recipe, you may notice that I use bittersweet chocolate in these brownies instead of the usual unsweetened chocolate. This is simply because I almost always have bittersweet chocolate (Trader Joe’s PoundPlus Dark Chocolate is my go-to) and almost never have unsweetened. When I want brownies, I want to be able to make them without having to go to the grocery store, you know?! I have reduced the added sugar in this recipe to reflect using sweetened chocolate. If you have (or prefer) unsweetened, just up the sugar to 1 cup.
Did I mention that these brownies just happen to be gluten-free? Where many recipes call for flour, the dry ingredients here are a combination of cocoa powder and cornstarch. The cocoa powder provides a little structure and an extra hit of chocolate flavor—yum. As for the cornstarch, you could definitely use an equal volume of flour in its place, but I like the smooth texture it provides here, the same way it does in cakes and cookies. Plus, it means more friends can enjoy these brownies. Yesssss 😊 
One last thing: this recipe is easy and requires just eight ingredients! I felt this warranted a mention because there is a lot of technical jargon in this post. But I promise these are easy. They’re soooo easy. And super dense and fudgy and delicious. And they have that perfect crackly top. And perhaps you too will soon have a freezer full of brownies. It’s a very good problem to have.
e2 bakes brooklyn 