Linzer cookies are always a big hit, any time of year

Linzer cookies are a spin off of a Linzer torte, a classic Austrian confection featuring the wonderful combination of raspberry preserves with a mix of ground hazelnuts and almonds.  My mother’s Linzer cookies are an all-time favorite of my older son Spencer, who loves the tang of raspberry melded together with the moist texture and rich flavors of the ground nuts.  I think he has always liked them because my mother takes the extra step of straining the preserves, to get rid of the pesky seeds, making them totally kid-friendly.

My mother has tried several Linzer cookie recipes over the years and likes this one the best.  It is a “consistent” recipe, she says, that produces darling little sandwich cookies.  She prefers King Arthur’s all-purpose flour for her baking, and for her Linzer cookies she uses a special cookie cutter she ordered from the King Arthur catalog several years ago that has interchangeable cut out designs for the cookie top.  Linzer cookies are a perfect addition to the holidays, yet they are also sweet for Valentine’s Day, especially if you use a heart-shaped cookie cutter.  I could eat them anytime of year, especially when they are made with love by my dear mother, Ruth.

Recipe for Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Based on a Winter 2003 Fine Cooking recipe by Elaine Khosrova
Makes about 32 2 ½ inch sandwich cookies
Active time: about 1 hour; start to finish: about 3 hours

Ingredients:
2 ½ ounces (½ cup) sliced almonds
2 ½ ounces (½ cup) coarsely chopped hazelnuts
9 ½ ounces (2 cups plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
7 ounces (14 tablespoons) chilled unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cold water
½ cup raspberry preserves
confectioners’ sugar (for dusting)

Preparation:

Several hours before baking:  In a food processor, process the almonds and the hazelnuts with ½ cup of the flour until fine textured but not powdered.  (To avoid over-processing, stop the machine occasionally and feel the nuts; they may look like they’re still chunky but they may actually be clumping together.)  Add the remaining flour, granulated sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Pulse to combine.  Cut the butter into ½ inch cubes and add to the flour mixture; pulse until the mixture looks like course meal. Don’t over-process.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Whisk together the egg and water; sprinkle over the flour mixture and toss gently to combine. The dough should hold together when pinched.  (If it seems dry, sprinkle on a bit more water.)  Gather the dough into two balls and knead briefly just to blend.  Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 2 to 3 hours.

cutting the rolled out dough into cookie shapes

To bake:  Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Cover your cookies sheets with parchment.  Generously flour a work surface.  Roll one ball of the dough 3/16ths inch thick.  Keep the rest chilled and if the working dough gets sticky, re-chill until it is workable.  Cut out as many 2 ½ inch rounds as possible, re-rolling the scraps.

cookie tops and bottoms before assembly with raspberry preserves

Arrange on the cookie sheets about ¾ inch apart. Cut 1¼ inch holes in the center of half the rounds.  Re-roll the center scraps to make more cookies.  Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 15 minutes.  Let cool on sheets.

the raspberry preserves are spread on flat cookie bottoms

To assemble:  Spread a heaping ½ teaspoon of preserves on the undersides of the whole cookie rounds.  Top with the rounds with the center cut-outs, bottom side against the preserves.  Before serving, dust cookies with confectioners’ sugar.

you can dust the tops with powdered sugar before placing them on top of the preserves

store the cookies in tins layered in wax paper to avoid crumbling and retain flavors