Linzer Cookies (video)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (100g) ground almonds, spooned and leveled
• 1 cup (230g) butter (soft and cut into small cubes)
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
• 2 1/3 cup (290g) flour, spooned and leveled (not scooped)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• zest grated from 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raspberry jam (or strawberry/apricot)
• powdered sugar (for dusting the cookies)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Make the cookie dough: ---

2. 2

   Add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

3. 3

   Mix the ingredients using a paddle-shaped attachment over low speed. It will look like a crumble first but it should quickly come together.

4. 4

   You can also use a hand mixer or make the dough in a food processor or by hand (rub the butter pieces with flour, almonds, and all the other ingredients until a smooth dough is created).

5. 5

   Divide the dough into two parts, flatten it into discs, wrap in plastic foil and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

6. 6

   --- Cut out the cookies: ---

7. 7

   Take one part of the dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until between 1/4-1/6-inch (4-6 mm) thick. Sprinkle the dough with flour as you're rolling it out.

8. 8

   Use Linzer cookies cutter to cut out the cookies - half of the cookies should have a 'window' cut out. You can also use regular cookie cutters in different sizes (and different shapes, it could be circles, hearts, stars, or flowers), cut out the cookies with a large heart-shaped (for example) cookie cutter, then cut smaller hearts into the centers of half of the hearts.

9. 9

   If the dough gets a little bit sticky, sprinkle it well with flour. If it gets more sticky, put it back in the fridge to chill for a bit.

10. 10

    Gather the scraps, knead them again into a ball of dough, re-roll and cut out the cookies until all the dough has been used.

11. 11

    Transfer the cookies to parchment paper-lined baking sheets. You can use an offset spatula to do that or a large sharp knife.

12. 12

    --- Bake the cookies: ---

13. 13

    Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C / Gas Mark 4, no fan (if you have a convection oven reduce the temperature by about 20° or follow the manufacturer's instructions).

14. 14

    Bake bigger cookies for about 11 minutes and smaller for 10 minutes. The cookies should be soft, pale, and golden at the edges.If you'd like to bake small cookies using the removed centers (the "windows") of the upper cookie, bake them for 7 minutes.

15. 15

    Leave them on the baking tray until cold enough to handle. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

16. 16

    --- Assemble: ---

17. 17

    Spread raspberry jam over whole cookies then place the cookies with cut-out centers over them. Dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

18. 18

    Enjoy!