Linzer Cookies Dorie Greenspan Recipes

LINZER SABLéS

Steps:

• Whisk together the ground nuts, flour, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars and salt together at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Meanwhile, using a fork, stir the egg and water together in a small bowl and add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients, then turn it on low and mix only until they disappear into the dough.
• Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, put the dough between two large sheets of wax paper. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a disk, then grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough, turning it over frequently so that the paper doesn't cut into it, until it is about 1⁄4 inch thick. Leave the dough in the paper and repeat with the second piece of dough. Transfer the wrapped dough to a baking sheet (to keep it flat) and refrigerate or freeze it until it is very firm, about 2 hours in the refrigerator or about 45 minutes in the freezer. The rolled-out dough can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just thaw the dough enough to cut out the cookies and proceed from there.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Working with one piece of dough at a time and using a cookie cutter, cut out rounds of dough. Place the circles of dough on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1½-inches apart. Gather the scraps so you can re-roll with the next batch. Bake, 11-13 minutes.
• Cookies are done when there's color around the edges and on the bottom. Let cool 5 minutes, then sandwich with a teaspoon of raspberry jam (thinned with a splash of water and heated in the microwave). Finish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar just before serving.

LINZER COOKIES

Steps:

• 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, rewrap 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 rerolling along with scraps (reroll 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 about 1 teaspoon jam on flat side of 1 solid cookie and sandwich jam with flat side of 1 windowed cookie. Sandwich remaining cookies in same manner.

LINZER COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter with paddle attachment. Add sugar and continue creaming. Add the egg, lemon, and vanilla and mix. Add nuts and mix. Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl and add to mixer and blend. Form into disks, wrap and chill. Roll out dough with floured rolling pin to 1/8-inch thickness on a well floured surface. Cut out disks, fluted if desired, approximately 2 inches in diameter. Cut out the centers of half the disks with a cutter in the shape of your choice. Re-roll scraps and repeat. Chill cut out dough. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 12 minutes or until edges turn golden then cool on a wire rack. Heat the jam and spread the solid disks with a layer of the hot jam. Glue on the lids pressing down lightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, then fill the holes with more jam. Let set slightly before serving.

LINZER COOKIES (DORIE GREENSPAN)

Steps:

• Whisk together the ground nuts, flour, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Using a fork, stir the egg and the water together in a small bowl.
• Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until smooth (about 3 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg mixture and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Don't work the dough much, and if dry crumbs remain on the bottom of the bowl, mix the dough by hand or with a spatula.
• Divide the dough in half. Put the dough between two large sheets of plastic wrap, and press down with your hands until fairly flat. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is around 1/4 inch thick. Make sure that at this time you make sure the dough is not stuck to the plastic wrap. Place on a chopping board (still covered with plastic wrap) and place in the freezer for 45 minute.
• Center a rack in the oven, and preheat to 375°F Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Take out the dough from the freezer. Remove the plastic wrap from 1/2. Cut out the shapes. If you want a peekaboo cutout, use a piping tip to cut a small circle in the center of 1/2 the cookies. Save the scrapes, so that you can combine them with the other half's worth of scraps, and re-freeze to make more cookies.
• Place cut outs on the baking sheet, and bake for 11-13 minute or until they are lightly golden and firm to the touch. Transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with the other half of the dough. When cool, spread the jam on.

LINZER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, cocoa, salt and spices; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in almonds. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. round or cookie cutter. From the center of half the cookies, cut out a 1-1/2-in. shape., Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Spread bottom of each solid cookie with 1/2 teaspoon jam. Sprinkle cutout cookies with confectioners' sugar; carefully place over jam.