I have no idea how it is possible that in all of my years of baking, this is my first time making linzer cookies. For quite some time I have been fascinated by them. They just look so neat and pretty. Tidy little shapes with that gorgeous pop of color from the jam showing through and a dusting of powdered sugar – perfection! Maybe I was afraid that the taste wouldn’t live up to my expectations or maybe I was mildly intimidated by the complexity of the cookie cutters. Maybe a little of both.

Now that I have finally tried them I can say confirm that they were even more delicious than I could have hoped for. The cutters were very easy to use. (Side note – you don’t actually have to have the fancy cutters to make these. Just use a scalloped edge cutter for the top and bottom shapes and then use a separate mini cutter to make the center shape.) The cookie is just barely sweet, slightly crumbly but tender with a subtle nut flavor. And of course, who doesn’t love jam? Despite their gorgeous look they are pretty quick to make. They will look so lovely as part of a holiday spread or cookie exchange.  Use whatever flavor of jam you prefer but make sure it is good quality. We used apricot and raspberry, but next time I would also love to try them with my blueberry lavender jam.  Mmm, the possibilities.

  • Yield about 2 dozen sandwich cookies

Ingredients

For the cookies: 

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup pecan halves, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for finishing
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup (4 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

To fill:

  • About ½ cup jam

Directions

  • 01

    In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder; whisk to blend. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pecans, confectioners’ sugar, salt and cinnamon, and pulse until the pecans are finely ground.

  • 02

    In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg and the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and pecan mixtures to the bowl and mix in just until combined and a dough forms. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

  • 03

    Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick. Use a round scalloped cutter to cut out rounds of the dough, and use a smaller cutter (or a the linzer cutter) to cut shapes in half of the rounds. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Reroll dough scraps as needed.

  • 04

    Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the bake time, until beginning to brown and just set, about 8-10 minutes total. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.

  • 05

    To fill, add a small spoonful of jam to a bottom cookie and sandwich with a cut-out top round. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired to finish.

Source

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8597/15350006783_daeef3564c_c.jpg