Linzer Cookies

These cookies originated in Austria and they are one of the best cookies I have ever had. And not just that, they are definitely one of my favorite cookies; especially with a cup of coffee.

Makes about: 30 cookies

Takes About: 2 hours

Difficulty: 1 out of 5

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter - room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 lemon - zested

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour - plus 1 cup for dusting

3/4 cup almond flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

raspberry jam

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

- Step 1 - Cream the Butter

In a large bowl, cream the 3/4 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and the zest from 1 lemon until smooth and light - about 4 minutes.

- Step 2 - Add the Egg and Vanilla

Add the 1 egg yolk and the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix until combined.

- Step 3 - Mix Dry Ingredients

In a medium bowl, mix together the 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup of almond flour, and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

- Step 4 - Mix Together Wet and Dry Ingredients

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

If you over mix the dry and wet ingredients the dough will get very stiff.

- Step 5 - Create a Dough Ball

Press the dough together to form a ball, but do not knead.

- Step 6 - Wrap and Refrigerate

Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

If you have never used or head of Bees Wrap, I would very much recommend it. It works better than cling wrap, it is reusable for a year, and it is compostable!

- Step 7 - Preheat the Oven

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a piece of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet.

- Step 8 - Roll Out the Dough

Using a 1/4 of the dough at a time, sprinkle lots of flour on the counter and over the dough before rolling it out. The dough is very sticky, so do not be scarred of the flour.

Roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

- Step 9 - Cut out the Cookies

Using a cookie cutter, cut the cookies out, and then place them onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Press the discarded dough back together and then repeat until your cookie sheet it full.

- Step 10 - Cut the Middle Out

Cute a small shape out of the middle of half the cookies.

I used a piping tip, because it was the perfect size.

- Step 11 - Bake

Bake the cookies for 4 minutes and then rotate them 180 degrees and bake for another 4 minutes.

Because these cookies are so thin they do not take long to bake, so keep an eye on them.

The reason we rotate the cookies is because they can brown so quickly; which will still happen (as you can see below), but they will still taste amazing.

Once baked, let them cool for a few moments and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

- Step 12 - Fill the Cookies

Lay the whole cookies out over a piece of parchment paper (this will help cleanup later) and using a small spoon, place a small dollop of raspberry jam in the middle of the cookie and spread it out slightly until the bottom of the cookie is covered.

- Step 13 - Add the Top

Place the other half of the cookie (the one with the hole) on top of the jam and press down slightly. Not too hard because you will loose all your jam out the sides of the cookie.

- Step 14 - Sprinkle

Place the powdered sugar into a sifter and tap the sifter over the cookies until they are completed covered.

- Step 15 - Enjoy!!

That is right, it is that simple the make Melissa's favorite cookies, so if you want to be my best friends you know what to do. Hope you enjoy!

Adapted from King Arther Flour's Linzer Cookies recipe.