Will you be our Valentine? To show how much we love your guts, we created this delicious cookie recipe to share with your loved ones! Our Lifeway Farmer Cheese gives this recipe a boost of protein and probiotics! By blending some fresh raspberries and our Lifeway Farmer Cheese, you get a sweet and creamy jelly to jam between two soft but firm cookies. The pistachios in the cookie blend create a healthy, yet sweet twist to your typical sugar cookie. What are you waiting for? Pick up a container of Farmer cheese to whip up these cookies now!
Cultured Dairy: The Nutrition Benefits You Actually Need to Know
With increasing research linking the correlation between probiotics, gut health, and immunity, it’s no secret that the integrity of our gut is vital to our health. Although additional factors such as stress, antibiotic usage, and individual health conditions can contribute to the condition of our gut, a focus on healthy food choices is one of the easiest ways to support the microbiome.
Several studies have shown a strong association between the gut-brain-microbiota. Probiotics introduced to the gut have been found to support immunity, improve allergies, and improve digestion.
Studies have shown that reduced diversity of healthy gut bacteria during early years is associated with an increase in food allergies during school-age years. In addition, kefir made from whole-fat milk helps absorb key nutrients such as Vitamins A, D, E, and K. Vitamin K is important because it helps your bones absorb calcium. It’s important to know that kefir contains a unique trio: vitamin D, K, and calcium – all three crucial elements to support bone health. Lifeway Farmer Cheese is also a great source of all these nutrients, just in a different format for all the cheese lovers out there.
Prebiotics + Probiotics = A Healthier You
Prebiotics are non-living, non-digestible carbohydrates that are a source of fiber that is naturally found in a variety of plant foods[b]. Your body actually can’t digest prebiotics, so they’re what probiotics feed off of to remain actively working in your digestive system. They help the digestive system by promoting the growth of good bacteria. Prebiotics and probiotics work together in balance to ensure our digestive system stays on track and regular. Research has found that consuming a variety of prebiotic and probiotic food sources may improve your body’s natural functions, including both your immune and digestive systems. Lifeway Oat contains both prebiotics and probiotics for optimal gut and brain health.
Prep Time: 4-8 hours Servings: 12-24Ingredients
- For Filling:
- 4 cups of Raspberries
- 1/4 cup Farmer Cheese
- 1/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
- 1 tbsp cornstartch
- 1 tbsp hot water
- Salt
- Water as needed
- For the Cookies:
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 1/2 cup Gluten Free flour
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/2 cup + 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 2 tbsp whisked egg
- powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
- Grate pistachios in a food processor until finely chopped. Stir together pistachios and flour and set aside.
- In an electric mixer (or hand mixer), beat together butter, sugar, vanilla bean until they are light and fluffy. Add in the whisked eggs and mix until combined.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients in two batches until the dough comes together.
- Take the dough and form it into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight.
- Filling Directions:
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, cook down the raspberries and sugar until it becomes liquified.
- Mix together hot water and cornstarch and add it to the blueberry mixture.
- Add in salt and more water if needed to keep it as a Jam consistency,
- Remove from the heat and add it to a food processor or blender along with the Farmer Cheese and blend until smooth. Jar and refrigerate until cookies are done baking.
- Once the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 325 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough in half and roll out about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out the cookies in a shaped cookie cutter. Half of the cookies, cut out a heart in the middle. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges start to turn slightly golden.
- Once the cookies are cooled, spread the raspberry jam on the bottom halves (those without a heart cut). Dust the tops of the cookies (with the heart cut out) with powdered sugar and carefully add on top of the raspberry jam cookies. Enjoy!
