Star Anise Linzer Cookies & Baby Star Anise Cookies

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An amazing cookie recipe for Christmas or any time during the fall or winter. These cookies pair well with a warm mug of apple cider or creamy chai tea.

Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 cups almond meal/flour
• 1/2 tablespoon ground star anise
• 1/2 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• pinch of salt [I used Himalayan crystal salt],
• 1/4 cup agave
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla

Pear Puree

• 1 peeled or cored pear, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon orange or tangerine juice
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered star anise

Instructions

Cookie Dough

1. Using a coffee grinder or mill, grind 1/2 cup at a time of almonds into a flour.

2. Add the almonds flour to a food processor and the remaining ingredients. Process until the mixture turns into a dough-like consistency.

Note: it won’t turn into a ball but it should bind together. Refrigerate dough. Be sure the dough is well chilled before use.

Pear Puree

1. Add all ingredients into a food processor. Process into a puree. Refrigerate any left over pear puree.
Shape the cookies

1. Place chilled cookie dough on a clean dry surface. Roll out the dough as thin as possible [about 1/4 inch thick] with a rolling pin.
Step 1: Using the larger of the two cookies cutters [in this case a star-shaped cutter] cut out cookies from the dough.
Step 2: Reserve half of the cookie cut outs for the base of the cookie.
Step 3: To make the top portion of the cookie, use the smaller cookie cutter and cut out from the center of the remaining cut out cookies.
Step 4: The small star-shaped cut outs made from cutting the top portion of these cookies are the baby star cookies.
Assemble

1. Spread 1/4 teaspoon pear puree on the solid base star cookie, then place the star-shaped cookie with center cut out atop. Repeat until all cookies are made.
2. Dehydrate 8-10 hours

Notes

The thinner the dough is rolled out, the faster the cookies will dehydrate. Optional: for a sweeter pear puree, add your choice of sweetener.
Yield of cookies will vary depending on the size and shape of cookies.