Raspberry-Almond Linzer Cookies
So I know Christmas has passed and cookies have become a little bit obsolete because of that, but I still thought I'd share these raspberry-almond linzer cookies--just because they're that good.
You can find more pictures of these as well as some ramblings about the Nutcracker (is anyone else obsessed with it??) at my blog here.
Otherwise you can find the recipe for these under the
Raspberry-Almond Linzer Cookies
3/4 cup almonds, my amount measured about 90 grams
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
confectioners sugar, for dusting
raspberry jam (or other, if preferred-use what looks best)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Let slightly cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a food processor, process the almonds and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar until the almonds are finely ground into mostly a powder. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the almond mixture, then the flour mixture, mixing until just combined, making sure to not overmix. The dough will be tender and crumbly, but it should come together easily when pinched or brought together.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm. This should take at least an hour or two. If you refrigerate it for longer than that (overnight if you’re like me), you will want to let it sit out at room temperature for at least ten or fifteen minutes so it doesn’t crumble when you roll it out.
When ready to roll out the dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick silicone surface. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to about a 1/8-inch thickness. If you like your cookies softer, I would consider leaving the width a bit wider. Using a 2- to 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Using a 3/4- to 1-inch round cookie cutter, cut out the centers from half of the cookies. These are just general guidelines for the shapes though-this might change depending on what cookie cutters and shapes you have available. Keep working the dough, re-rolling scraps as necessary, until you have all the cookies cut out. The dough will get softer and stickier the longer you work with it, so keep that in mind. It can be put in the fridge to firm up if necessary.
Bake cookies on prepared cookie sheet until the edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. If you want your cookies softer (I do), cook them for around 8 minutes; if you want crunchier Linzer cookies then cook the cookies for the full ten minutes, or until golden on the bottoms and around the edges. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar on the cookies with the holes (the top ones). Spread 1 teaspoon jam on the remaining cookies (the bottom ones) and top with the sugared cookies. These can be served warm or at room temperature. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
You can find more pictures of these as well as some ramblings about the Nutcracker (is anyone else obsessed with it??) at my blog here.
Otherwise you can find the recipe for these under the
Raspberry-Almond Linzer Cookies
3/4 cup almonds, my amount measured about 90 grams
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
confectioners sugar, for dusting
raspberry jam (or other, if preferred-use what looks best)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Let slightly cool. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a food processor, process the almonds and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar until the almonds are finely ground into mostly a powder. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the almond mixture, then the flour mixture, mixing until just combined, making sure to not overmix. The dough will be tender and crumbly, but it should come together easily when pinched or brought together.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm. This should take at least an hour or two. If you refrigerate it for longer than that (overnight if you’re like me), you will want to let it sit out at room temperature for at least ten or fifteen minutes so it doesn’t crumble when you roll it out.
When ready to roll out the dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick silicone surface. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to about a 1/8-inch thickness. If you like your cookies softer, I would consider leaving the width a bit wider. Using a 2- to 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart. Using a 3/4- to 1-inch round cookie cutter, cut out the centers from half of the cookies. These are just general guidelines for the shapes though-this might change depending on what cookie cutters and shapes you have available. Keep working the dough, re-rolling scraps as necessary, until you have all the cookies cut out. The dough will get softer and stickier the longer you work with it, so keep that in mind. It can be put in the fridge to firm up if necessary.
Bake cookies on prepared cookie sheet until the edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. If you want your cookies softer (I do), cook them for around 8 minutes; if you want crunchier Linzer cookies then cook the cookies for the full ten minutes, or until golden on the bottoms and around the edges. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Sprinkle the confectioners’ sugar on the cookies with the holes (the top ones). Spread 1 teaspoon jam on the remaining cookies (the bottom ones) and top with the sugared cookies. These can be served warm or at room temperature. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.