I adapted these cookies from a recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, 101 cookbooks, and have loved them ever since. They’re completely whole grain, and though they do contain sugar, they’re not over-sweet, making them healthy and, in my opinion, delicious. My addition of raspberry jam not only complements the rye and cream-cheese flavors in the cookies, but it also makes them look particularly festive this time of year.

The dough uses whole grains, but don't be scared: It doesn't taste like it came from a health food store.

I like to use round cookie cutters with a fluted edge, but you could even use the top of a glass to cut your cookies.

Cut the middle out of half of your cookies; you could use the top of a champaigne glass or even the top of a used wine bottle to make the smaller hole, if you don't have cookie cutters.

Sprinkle the top cookies with raw sugar, and into the oven they go...

Use a sifter to sprinkle the cookies with powdered sugar once they've been assembled for an extra festive touch.

Raspberry-Filled Swedish Rye Cookies

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 cup rye flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup fine grain natural cane sugar, sifted
large grain sugar
organic powdered sugar
raspberry jam

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine flours and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a Kitchen-Aid (or using a hand-mixer), beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the butter and do the same, mixing until butter and cheese are well combined. Add the sugar and mix until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir only long enough to combine the two. The dough may be slightly crumbly; this is okay.

3. Turn the dough out onto the counter, knead once or twice to bring it together, shape into a ball, flatten, wrap in plastic or store in tightly sealed plastic bag and chill it in the refrigerator. (May be made up to two days ahead of time.)

4. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and arrange the racks in the top and bottom thirds. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness, and cut into round shapes (I like to use cutters with a fluted edge). With half of the cookies, cut a hole into the middle of the rounds to create a ring-shaped cookie.

6. Place on the prepared baking sheets an inch apart, and sprinkle the ring-shaped cookies with a bit of large-grain sugar.

7. Bake for seven or eight minutes, just until cookies are fragrant and getting a bit golden at the edges. (Don’t over-bake or they’ll come out too dry.) Allow to cool.

8. Once cookies are cool, spread a thin layer of jam on the cookies without a hole in the middle, and top with a ring-shaped cookie to create a sandwich. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.