Linzer Cookies

Sandwich cookies made from butter cookies stuffed with jam (or other fillings) and dusted with 10x sugar.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Cream the butter, sugar, and zest/spices together until light and fluffy (~3 minutes). Add yolk and vanilla, mix to combine.

Step 2

Add dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add to the butter mixture in stages, making sure to let it fully incorporate before adding more. Stop mixing once all the dry ingredients have been incorporated.

Step 3

Divide the dough in half and form into discs. Plastic wrap and chill until firm.

Step 4

Remove dough from fridge and allow to soften only until it can be rolled out to a thickness of 1/8". Dust your work surface with bench flour before rolling.

Step 5

Cut cookies out of dough with a 2 1/2" ring mold, and cut the centers out of half of those with a 1/2" ring mold. Use an offset spatula to help lift these off work surface and onto a sheet pan lined with parchment.

Step 6

Chill the cookies. Dough scraps can be rolled together and reused. Chill as needed to keep dough firm.

Step 7

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Cookies should have chilled for about 30 minutes before baking.

Step 8

Using the middle and upper rack positions in your oven, bake cookies until the edges are just starting to brown, ~12-15 minutes. Rotate racks halfway through.

Step 9

Allow to cool on sheet trays until hardened, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Step 10

Begin to make desired fillings

Step 11

Crush the raspberries to release their juices. Let sit until a decent amount of juice has been released.

Step 12

Put berries in a large sauce pan and follow the instructions provided with the Sure-Jell Original Fruit Pectin.

Step 13

If using lemon curd as your filling, substitute the lemon zest for crushed poppy seed. Dust with lavender sugar instead of regular 10x sugar (see below).

Step 14

Get a medium pot and fill it 1/3 to half way with water. Find a bowl that fits in your pot snuggly, but that doesn't touch the surface of the water in the pot.

Step 15

Combine all ingredients except for butter in the bowl from step 14. Bring water in pot to a boil.

Step 16

Place the bowl on top of the boiling water and cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 170°-175° Fahrenheit. Whisk constantly.

Step 17

Strain cooked mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into another bowl containing the cubed butter. Whisk to combine until butter is fully melted and incorporated.

Step 18

Chill immediately in an ice bath, or on a half sheet tray sandwiched between two layers of plastic wrap. Be sure to eliminate air bubbles to avoid forming a skin.

Step 19

Dust the tops of the cookies (the ones with the holes in the center) with 10x sugar. Pair them with appropriately sized bottoms.

Step 20

Pipe or spoon your desired fillings onto the bottom half of the cookie and gently press the top on.

Step 21

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week.

Step 22

To make Lavender sugar, combine lavender and granulated sugar in an airtight container for as little as one week (1 tbsp lavender per 1 c sugar). Combine in a blender with 1 tbsp corn starch per 1 cup of the lavender/sugar mix, and blend into a fine powder.

Step 23

To make vegan, substitute eggs in cookie batter with Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer. Omit the almond flour entirely if using this egg replacer.