My Favourite Linzer Cookies Pleasure the Baker

Let’s attain into the cookie jar for one more gem! These easy and buttery linzer cookies are scented with lemon and crammed with raspberry jam.  We’ll add poppy seeds for enjoyable and a beneficiant dusting of powdered sugar to take these raspberry sandwich cookies excessive.

I’ve received two pots of gumbo boiling away on the stovetop and most of my vacation cookie dough within the freezer.  I’m hoping that an additional two hours seems in my day, by some miracle, so I could make a batch of Mother’s Peanut Butter Balls and apply for the Jorgensen household sing alongside tomorrow.  It’s a sing-for-your-supper affair and I’ll attempt to not ache everybody an excessive amount of with my rendition of “Oh Come All Ye Trustworthy.”  However truthfully, I’m coming with gumbo and peanut butter balls so perhaps they’ll spare all of us my solo.

Right now’s late into the vacation cookie providing is a play on the Holiday Cookie Jar  I put collectively for my associates at Williams Sonoma.  It’s all of my favourite Christmas cookie recipes, and these linzer darlings are on the high of the record.  These peek-a-boo cookies are a play on the linzer torte from Austria.  Sandwich cookies meets shortbread cookies with a jam or curd middle.

Let’s bake babes!

Listed below are the components you’ll have to make these raspberry linzer cookies:

•  unsalted butter

•  granulated sugar

•  egg yolk

•  zest of a lemon

•  poppy seeds for additional credit score

•  all-purpose flour

•  almond flour

•  kosher salt

•  vanilla extract

•  powdered sugar for dusting

•  raspberry jam or lemon curd (strawberry jam and apricot jam are additionally pretty)

Let’s make these linzers!

We’ll begin with butter room temperature (as cookies at all times begin), in a medium bowl, utilizing an electrical hand mixer or stand mixer – whichever you don’t thoughts lugging out of the cabinet.

Cream the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest collectively till pale and fluffy, 3 minutes or so.

I really like creaming the zest with the butter as a result of the fats will distribute the lemon taste by the entire cookie – it’s slightly surprise!

Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a big egg yolk and beat till nicely mixed and shiny.

You possibly can actually whisk the flour combination collectively in a separate bowl earlier than combining with the butter combination however in the event you’re feeling as kitchen-lazy as I’m, add the entire dry components to the highest of the butter combination, give it slightly whisk earlier than combining totally.

Swipe a rubber spatula throughout the underside and sides of the bowl to verify there aren’t any hidden patches of flour hangin’ out.  We wish an evenly mixed cookie dough.

Divide the dough in two between two items of plastic wrap.  I prefer to create a comparatively slim rectangle form as a result of the dough will chill sooner.  And chill it nicely for a number of hours within the fridge to permit the moisture to soak up and the butter to harden barely earlier than rolling out.

Now can be a good time to throw this cookie dough within the freezer. These additionally make candy Valentine’s Day cookies. Simply thaw the dough within the fridge earlier than rolling and also you’re in enterprise! (That’s some wonderful planning in the event you ask me.)

On a frivolously floured floor, roll the cookie dough to a thick 1/4-inch.  If the cookie dough is tremendous chilled from the fridge, I prefer to let it sit on the counter for quarter-hour or so.  I discover that with an excellent chilly dough, I battle cracks within the cookie dough as I roll it. A bit of relaxation at room temperature helps with that.

Use spherical cookie cutters to chop rounds (I feel  2 1/2 – 3 inch rounds are greatest) and an offset spatula to shimmy them off the counter.

For this cookie bake I used my favourite Goldtouch baking sheet from Williams Sonoma. They’re tremendous nonstick so no want for parchment paper however in the event you really feel like your baking sheet may generally tend to carry on to the cookie bottoms, throw a slice of parchment down simply to make sure.

Half of the batch of cookies are baked as full rounds. The opposite half of cookie dough will get rolled and minimize with peek-a-boo facilities.  I prefer to let the cookies chill for half-hour earlier than putting within the oven simply to verify they don’t unfold to a lot throughout baking however in the event you’re in a rush you possibly can bake them straight away.

Bake within the oven till the cookies are juuuuust golden across the edges.

Whereas the cookies bake, collect the scraps and roll extra cookies.  (I reroll the scraps of this dough to the bitter finish.)

Let the cookies cool on a wire rack earlier than dusting generously with powdered sugar and filling with raspberry or lemon.

Admittedly, the liberal quantities of powdered sugar make these cookies as harmful to eat as beignets.  Simply…. don’t inhale.

The layers go like this: dusted full cookie, raspberry preserves, cutout cookie topper, a dusting of powdered sugar.

These are my perfect cookie sandwiches, buttery crisp with a touch of lemon, slightly chew from poppyseeds, and candy raspberry jam (although lemon curd additionally will get coronary heart eyes).  Retailer these cookies in an hermetic container and luxuriate in with afternoon tea.

Discover the recipe and depart any questions beneath! Completely happy Baking! xo

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Elements

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Directions

1. In a big bowl, utilizing a handheld electrical mixer, or within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat collectively the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest till gentle and fluffy, 3 to five minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat till mixed, about 1 minute.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and poppy seeds. Add the flour combination to the butter combination and beat on medium pace till simply mixed, about 2 minutes.
3. Divide the dough in half and pat every half right into a disk. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate till agency, about 1 hour.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Take away one disk of dough at a time from the fridge and let stand till it feels smooth sufficient to roll, 5 to fifteen minutes. On a floured floor, roll out a dough disk about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Utilizing a 2 1/2-inch (6-cm) spherical or snowflake-shaped cookie cutter, minimize out cookies. Use an offset spatula to assist raise the cookie dough shapes off the counter, then switch them to a ready baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches aside. Collect up and roll out the dough scraps, then minimize out extra cookies to yield a complete of 15. Place the cookies within the fridge for half-hour whereas the oven preheats.
5. Place 1 rack within the middle and 1 rack within the higher third of an oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
6. Whereas the primary batch of cookies is chilling, roll out the remaining dough as directed above and minimize out 15 rounds or snowflake shapes. Switch the cookies to the opposite ready baking sheet and use a small cookie cutter to make a peekaboo cutout within the middle of every cookie. (These would be the tops of the sandwich cookies.) Place the cookies within the fridge for half-hour to sit back.
7. Bake the entire cookies till the sides are simply starting to show brown, 12 to fifteen minutes, rotating the baking sheets (entrance to again and between racks) as soon as throughout baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then switch the cookies to a wire rack and let cool fully.
8. Place the cookies with the middle cutout on a cookie sheet so they’re high facet up and sift confectioners’ sugar excessive. Flip the strong cookies so they’re flat facet up and spoon 1 tsp. raspberry jam into the middle, spreading it barely. Prime every with a sugar-dusted cookie and press frivolously.
9. Retailer the crammed cookies, nicely wrapped, in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 5 days. Makes 15 sandwich cookies.

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