Linzer Cookies
Makes about a dozen
These pretty little tarts make a great centerpiece for a plate of Christmas cookies. The tender cookie is buttery and rich with hazelnuts, and the richness is nicely offset by a filling of tart raspberry jam.
Ingredients #
- 2/3 cup hazelnuts (3 oz)
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 12-oz jar good raspberry jam (seedless if you can find it)
- 1 tbsp Kirch or Framboise (optional)
Special Equipment: #
- a 2 or 2 1/4-inch fluted round cookie cutter, and a half-inch or 1-inch fluted round cookie cutter.
Instructions #
Put the jam and the liqueur in a small saucepan over medium heat, and heat just until melted. Pour through a strainer into a small bowl, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and skins begin to loosen, about 6 minutes. Rub nuts in a kitchen towel to remove any loose skins (some skins may not come off), then cool to room temperature.
Pulse nuts and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely ground.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add nut mixture and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
With floured hands, form dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 5-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 2 hours.
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll out 1 disk of dough into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick) between 2 sheets of wax paper (keep remaining dough chilled). If dough becomes too soft to roll out, re-wrap in plastic and chill until firm. Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with larger cookie cutter and transfer to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging about 1 inch apart. Using smaller cutters, cut out centers from half of the cookies, reserving centers and re-rolling along with scraps (re-roll only once). Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 10 to 15 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies from second disk.
Spread 1 tsp jam on flat side of 1 solid cookie and sandwich jam with flat side of 1 windowed cookie. Sandwich remaining cookies in same manner.