My Favourite Linzer Cookies Pleasure the Baker
Let’s attain into the cookie jar for an additional gem! These easy and buttery linzer cookies are scented with lemon and full of 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 bought 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 Devoted.” However truthfully, I’m coming with gumbo and peanut butter balls so possibly they’ll spare all of us my solo.
Immediately’s late into the vacation cookie providing is a play on the Holiday Cookie Jar I put collectively for my buddies at Williams Sonoma. It’s all of my favourite Christmas cookie recipes, and these linzer darlings are on the high of the checklist. 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 elements you’ll must 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 beautiful)
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 via the entire cookie – it’s slightly surprise!
Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a big egg yolk and beat till properly mixed and shiny.
You’ll be able to definitely whisk the flour combination collectively in a separate bowl earlier than combining with the butter combination however should you’re feeling as kitchen-lazy as I’m, add all the dry elements 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 wish to create a comparatively slim rectangle form as a result of the dough will chill quicker. And chill it properly 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 also 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 should 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 wish to let it sit on the counter for quarter-hour or so. I discover that with a brilliant chilly dough, I battle cracks within the cookie dough as I roll it. Somewhat relaxation at room temperature helps with that.
Use spherical cookie cutters to chop rounds (I believe 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 should you really feel like your baking sheet would possibly 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 wish 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 should you’re in a rush you possibly can bake them instantly.
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 splendid 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 under! Completely happy Baking! xo
Elements
Scale
Directions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 tender 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 elevate 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.
- Place 1 rack within the middle and 1 rack within the higher third of an oven and preheat to 350°F (180°C).
- 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 relax.
- Bake all the cookies till the perimeters 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 utterly.
- Place the cookies with the middle cutout on a cookie sheet so they’re high aspect up and sift confectioners’ sugar excessive. Flip the strong cookies so they’re flat aspect up and spoon 1 tsp. raspberry jam into the middle, spreading it barely. Prime every with a sugar-dusted cookie and press frivolously.
- Retailer the crammed cookies, properly wrapped, in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 5 days. Makes 15 sandwich cookies.
