Linzer Trees Recipes

LINZER TREES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.
• In a bowl or stand mixer, mix butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients, a half-cup at a time, to butter mixture.
• Divide dough into 3 balls. Place each ball between parchment paper (nonstick works best) and roll into a thin circle, about 11 inches in diameter and just over 1/8-inch thick. Refrigerate flat for at least 15 minutes.
• Working quickly with one sheet of dough, remove top layer of parchment, then flip onto a clean sheet and remove the bottom layer. Using a tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut 30 shapes for the bottoms of the cookies and place on prepared baking sheets. Reserve scraps to reuse for more cookies.
• Bake cookie bottoms for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Rest for a couple of minutes on the tray, then carefully transfer to a cooking rack. Repeat the process to create the tops, using a pastry tip or a straw to cut out 5 to 7 holes on the trees to resemble ornaments. Open any holes that close during baking.
• Meanwhile, melt jam with 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar and boil lightly for about a minute. Cool slightly. Assemble cookies by flipping the bottoms, spreading them with a scant teaspoon of jam, dusting the tops lightly with powdered sugar and then gently pressing the tops onto the bottoms. Store airtight between layers of wax paper or parchment for 3 days. Freeze for up to a month.

LINZER TARTS

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, the ground almonds, and cinnamon. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture becomes a slightly stiff dough.
• Shape the dough into a ball; divide it in half. Wrap both halves in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough into a sheet 1/8 inch thick. With a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles from the sheet as you can. Knead the leftover scraps of dough into a ball and roll it out again into a 1/8 inch sheet. Cut out more circles. You should now have about 12 circles.
• Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. Refrigerate while working with remaining dough.
• Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other half of the dough, but after placing the second batch on the baking sheet, cut out the center of each circle with a 1/2 inch cookie cutter.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
• Spread a thin coating of jam on each of the cookie rounds. Set a cutout cookie on top of each, pressing the two together so they make a sandwich. Spoon a dab of jam into the opening of each tart and sprinkle the tops with confectioners' sugar before serving.

LINZERTORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and lemon zest; stir until mixture forms a ball. Divide into fourths. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until chilled. , Remove two portions of dough from refrigerator; press each into an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Spread 2/3 cup jam over each., Between two sheets of lightly floured waxed paper, roll one portion of remaining dough into a 10x6-in. rectangle. Cut six 1-in.-wide strips; arrange in a lattice design over jam. Repeat with remaining dough (return dough to the refrigerator if needed). , Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and crust is browned. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

LINZER COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest, egg and vanilla. Mix in 1 cup of chopped almonds, then stir in the sifted ingredients. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a greased or parchment lined 8x8 inch baking pan. Roll the remaining portion between two pieces of waxed paper, out to an 8 inch square. Refrigerate all of the dough for at least 2 hours.
• While the dough is chilling, place the apricots into a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Drain the excess liquid from the apricots and mix in the preserves and lemon juice.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the apricot filling evenly over the chilled crust, leaving a 1/4 inch border on edges. Cut the chilled square of dough into 1/2 inch strips. Place the strips over the filling in a lattice design. Trim edges to fit and press the edges into the border. Brush the top with egg white then sprinkle with remaining chopped almonds and coarse sugar.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

LINZER HEARTS

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the cookie crumbs, almonds and 2 tablespoons of sugar; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and stir it into the almond mixture.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Beat in the remaining sugar. Beat in one egg and the vanilla extract until creamy. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Halve the dough, form into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and chill until very firm, at least 2 hours.
• On a floured surface, roll out half the dough to a 16-inch thickness. Use a pastry brush to brush off excess flour on the top of the dough, and use a large (about 3 1/2 inches at its widest point) heart-shaped cutter to stamp out as many hearts as possible. Use a wide spatula to transfer them to parchment-lined cookie sheets and chill. Gather the scraps, form into a disk and refrigerate. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Using a slightly smaller (about 2 inch wide) heart-shaped cutter, cut out the centers of half the chilled hearts. Leave the exterior rings on cookie sheets, and add the cut-out centers to the scraps. Roll out the chilled scraps and cut out an equal number of large hearts and rings. Chill them for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a cup, lightly whisk the remaining egg. Remove the chilled large hearts from the refrigerator and, using a small pastry brush, brush a coating of egg around the edges of each. Use a spatula to carefully lift the rings from the cookie sheets and place each over a heart. Press gently with your fingers to make them adhere. Brush the rings with more egg. Bake the cookies until the hearts are lightly colored, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and drop about a tablespoon of the preserves into the centers, spreading to fill. Return the cookies to oven and bake until the jam is set but not bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the sheets.