Linzer Cookies
Classic Austrian hazelnut jam sandwich cookies featuring a distinctive lattice-cut top, traditionally finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
hazelnuts (toasted and skinned, or substitute almonds)
1 cup
granulated sugar
¾ cup
all-purpose flour
2¼ cups
ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon
baking powder
½ teaspoon
salt
½ teaspoon
unsalted butter (chilled, cut into small chunks (1 stick plus 5 tablespoons))
13 tablespoons
large egg
1
large egg yolk
1
pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon
finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon
Raspberry or blackberry preserves
Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
1
Prep dough
Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the granulated sugar and process until blended. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and process until it's chopped into tiny bits. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon zest and process just until the dough starts to clump together. Turn the dough out, gather into a ball, divide in half, press into disks, and wrap separately. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2
Preheat oven
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3
Roll and cut
Working with one half of the dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a 3/16- to 1/4-inch thickness. Using the 2½-inch round cutter, stamp out circles. Transfer half of the circles to the prepared sheets. Using the 1-inch cutter, cut out the centers of the remaining circles, forming rings. Transfer the rings to the sheets.
4
Bake
Bake for 15 to 16 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.
5
Assemble
Spread about 1½ teaspoons of preserves on the top side of the full circles. Cover with a ring, right side up. Just before serving, lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the cookies.
