Raisin-Filled Cookies for One

It doesn’t really matter what time of year it is, sometimes, you just want a holiday cookie. These little guys remind me of Christmas (although I couldn’t tell you why), but I wanted to celebrate Hug a Medievalist Day, so I made them on a Thursday in April. They’re also good on other days—just try them!

For the Dough:

1 ½ teaspoon ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon water

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup plus 1 ½ TBLSP pastry flour (all purpose is okay, if that’s all you have)

1 ½ TBLSP vegan butter

3 TBLSP granulated sugar

Splash of vanilla extract

2 ½ TBLSP almond milk or other non-dairy milk

For the Filling:

1/3 cup raisins

3 TBLSP water

1 TBLSP all-purpose flour (or more pastry, if that’s still out)

3 TBLSP granulated sugar

1 ¼ TBLSP confectioner’s sugar for decoration

For the Dough:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed and water. Set it aside to become viscous and eggy for about 5 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, baking powder, and flour.
3. In another small bowl, combine the butter and sugar, and when it’s fluffy, add in the flax glop, vanilla, and milk. Mix it thoroughly.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry until the dough is thick and well combined.
5. On a floured surface, roll the dough out, making it quite thin, about as thin, like pie crust. Use a round 2-inch cookie cutter to make twelve cookies (your mileage may vary), re-rolling the scraps until all the dough is used.
6. Let them rest while you make the filling. Refrigeration isn’t necessary.

For the Filling:

1. Place the raisins, water, flour, and sugar in a food processor or blender and pulse until the raisins are finely chopped.
2. Put the gloppy mixture into a small saucepan on medium high for 5-8 minutes, until it forms a gooey jam. Stir often, as the sugars will burn, and because of the dark color, you won’t be able to tell until you smell it.

Assemble the Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

1. Lay half of the rounds of dough on the prepared cookie sheet.
2. Add a dollop of the raisin mixture to the center of each round.
3. Optional: With the remaining rounds of dough, cut little leaf shapes out of the centers with a sharp knife. I did this while the jam was cooking, keeping a close eyeball on the jam.
4. Top with the remaining rounds, crimping the edges together. You might use a fork to make a pretty (and firm) connection on the edge. You want a good connection because you don’t want the raisin filling to bubble out the sides. I used a cocktail fork because the tines were close together.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until barely starting to change color and firm to the touch.
6. While still warm, sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over the tops of the cookies. You could do it nicely, through a strainer, or just blow little puffs off a teaspoon, like I did.

If you have leftover jam, save it to plop into your morning oatmeal or smear on some toast. It’s pretty sweet, but oh, so yummy!