Wholemeal raspberry shortbread sandwich cookies with lemon drizzle

The only thing better than shortbread cookies are wholemeal shortbread cookies. Not only in terms of health, but the taste is actually better and nuttier if you use wholemeal flour, and no, it doesn't matter if there's no trace of regular flour in them whatsoever. They will still be buttery and melt-in-your-mouth good, with a subtle walnut flavor and all the health benefits of wholemeal flour. :)
But the way to really make shortbread cookies shine is to pair them together with a sweet filling to create sandwich cookies. This is precisely what was done here, with raspberry jam :). And to top things off, why not add some drops of lemon drizzle (glaze) on top while we're at it? :D
As a final note, I must mention I took these to school with me just as they were done, and my fellow TAs finished them on the spot, as soon as I opened up the cookie box. :)
Recipe adapted from here. 

Last year: Bruschetta al pomodoro (Italian) (vegan).
Two years ago: Obazda (German Camembert spread).
Three years ago: Endives filled with cheese sauce and cherry tomatoes.
Four years ago: Zaansemosterdsoep (Dutch mustard soup), Mushroom, cheese and thyme crostini and  Pizza con pollo e mascarpone (Italian).




Ingredients:

• 300 g whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 225 g butter, at room temperature
• 100 g brown sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons of raspberry jam to fill

For the glaze:

• a few tablespoons powder sugar (about 50 g)
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

To start, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest and the butter together with your fingers or with a mixer until it all seems even. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a cool place (even in the fridge, if you'd like), then roll it on a non-stick surface and cut 8 cm circles out of it with a cookie cutter or a glass. 

Arrange the cookies on a baking paper-lined baking sheet and put them in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes. Take out and allow to cool (or repeat with a second tray if you have any shortbread dough left). 

Sandwich the cookies together with a bit of raspberry jam, just enough to make them stick.

Make the drizzle: Just mix in the powder sugar with the lemon juice until the mixture holds consistency but still forms little drops that fall off the fork. Use the drops that form to decorate one side of the sandwich cookies, and then allow it to dry and harden. The drying of the glaze will take maximum 15-20 minutes.

The cookies are done. Dig in! :)