Vaniljhärtan: Swedish Raspberry Vanilla Hearts (Vegan)

From Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant

By Chris Vartis

Vanilla hearts have been a favorite in Norway and Sweden for over a century and, and they are perfect for spoiling your “Swede-e” this Valentine’s Day. They have a quick, delicious, shortbread dough that is filled with a homemade vanilla cream and raspberry jam. Give these traditional treats a try this Valentine’s Day, and try them out with our Swedish Raspberry Jam!

For the Dough:

• 3 1/2 ounces vegan butter, room temperature
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 ounce  confectioner’s sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon non-dairy milk

For the Filling:

• 2/3 cup non-dairy cream
• 2 1/4 teaspoons potato flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 3 tablespoons raspberries jam

1. For the dough, start by mixing the room temperature butter, the salt, and sugars and stir thoroughly.
2. Stir in the water and the flour and knead it quickly into a glossy dough.
3. Place the dough in plastic wrap, flatten it a bit, and chill it in the refrigerator for about an hour.
4. While you’re waiting you can make the vanilla filling. Pour the cream, potato flour, sugar, and vanilla into a small saucepan and simmer them on a low heat (don’t boil), stirring the mixture to remove any lumps.
5. When the dough has chilled for an hour, roll out the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. You need 12 pieces of dough to make 6 hearts so roll the dough accordingly.
6. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter or a concave heart form to cut 12 heart shapes out of the dough. If you are using concave forms, lightly press one heart-shaped piece of dough into each.
7. Place one spoonful of vanilla cream into the middle of each heart and then one spoonful of raspberry jam. Take the remaining 6 heart-shaped pieces of dough, place them on top of the filling, and press gently on the edges. A good way to make a nice seal is to press the edges using a fork.
8. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, making sure they don’t brown. The dough should still be very light even after cooking.
9. If using forms, very carefully turn the hearts upside down and gently pry the form off the back.
10. Let them cool before you powder them with confectioner’s sugar and garnish them with fresh raspberries.