I was inspired to do this recipe because someone from my office bought me Linzer cookies, which I haven’t had in a long time. They were gluten free, of course. I always appreciate anything I am given. I am not the type of person who expects gifts. I derive more pleasure in giving. I am also different in that I don’t expect people to love every gift. Sometimes I take a chance and if it didn’t hit the mark, I am ok with the item being regifted to another person. I don’t like stuff being wasted by sitting in a corner of a room because they think I will be hurt. The only time I get upset is when I spend time curating a gift with instructions and the person totally ignores it. Then proceeds to tell me they didn’t like the gift. I always ask if they followed the instructions. They usually say they didn’t see them or threw them out. An example of this is the year I gave the gift of zero proof. I boxed the ingredients for a cocktail. I wrote up a recipe to enjoy the cocktail. One person said it didn’t taste good. I asked them if they made the cocktail, they said they drank the zero proof straight. Zero proof is not usually good on its own. Not following instructions from the gift giver is setting yourself up for a bad experience. I was insulted and did give this person an earful.

I am starting with a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for Linzer Bars. After the cookies I received, I figured a bar would work out great. The recipe is also pretty easy. I think with the changes I make I can make the cookie bars bigger.

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the sugars with their sweetener equivalents to reduce the sugar.
• I replaced the butter with unsweetened applesauce to reduce the calories and fat.
• I replaced the raspberry jam with a sugar free variety to reduce the sugar.
• I replaced the all purpose flour with almond and coconut flours to reduce the carbs.
• I reduced the servings by half to make bigger cookies.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Low Carb Linzer Bars

Makes 24 bars

• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sweetener
• 1 cup granulated sweetener
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 cup coconut flour
• 18 oz sugar free seedless raspberry jam
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 teaspoons water

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 15×10-inch pan with foil, extending foil over edges. Grease foil.
2. In a large bowl beat applesauce with the powdered and granulated sweeteners. Beat in vanilla until combined. Beat in flour until soft dough forms. Press two-thirds (about 3⅓ cups) of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.
3. Whisk jam until smooth. Carefully pour jam over crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with almonds. Use your fingers to grab bits of the remaining dough. Slightly flatten dough and place randomly over the filling.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes more or until top is golden. Cool on a wire rack. Drizzle bars with Almond Glaze. Use foil to lift uncut bars out of pan; cut into triangles. 
5. Almond Glaze: In a small bowl whisk together powdered sweetener, almond extract, and enough water to reach drizzling consistency.