Aljafore Cookies

Nana C. had it together. She was the classic wife: she made perfect egg-salad sandwiches for picnics, she planned great entertaining events, made great vegetable soup, and always had perfect Christmas cookies. I never met her, but from the stories I heard, she sounds like quite a gal! She was my dad's grandma, but luckily I got to meet her through her version of the Aljafore Cookie recipe that we used to always make for Christmas.

I didn't know these cookies were called Aljafores until later. I just knew them as Nana C. cookies. That's the title on the recipe card I have. Christmas is about traditions, so in an ode to the wonderful, notoriously Nana C., I have made gluten free, sugar free, dairy free Aljafores, or as I know them Nana C. cookies. I did make one small change. The Nana C. cookies were always made with Apriot Jam. I chose I nice tarte Red Currant Jelly to change it up a bit. Maybe these should be called MaiTreat cookies! I mayjust have started something big...

On an unrelated note, how many Christmas cookies can you eat before you have had enough? I'm going to say that I don't think I can get tired of Christmas cookies. What a sweet, sweet treat! And with the tarteness of this jelly, I think I might just eat the whole batch. But it's Christmas, so at Christmas, I will share.

Cookies are made and ready for some jammin'!

Press the sandwiches together with some pretty red nail polish.

 Placing them in their tin for safe keeping.

And, we all know, that every time we eat a bell cookie, an angel gets it's wings. Or something close to that.

 

Aljafore Cookies

Makes about 30 sandwich cookies

1 cup coconut oil

1-1/2 cups coconut palm
1 egg
2 cups brown rice flour
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 pinch salt

1/2 cup red currant jelly (or other tarte jelly)

Directions:
1. In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light; beat in egg. In separate bowl, whisk together rice flour, cardamom and salt ; stir into butter mixture in 2 additions to make smooth dough. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat your oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 
3. Roll out the dough and cut into your desired shapes. Bake in top and bottom thirds your oven for 15 minutes, rotating and switching pans halfway through, or until firm to the touch and edges are light golden. 
4. Allow your cookies to fully cool before making the sandwiches. Taking about 1 tsp of jelly, spread the back side of one cookie with the jelly. Press the second cookie to the jelly covered cookie and gently press.