Linzer Cookies

How to Make Linzer Cookies

To make bottom cookie, simply take cookie cutter apart by squeezing the fluted edge and releasing. This will give you a fluted cookie cutter to make the base/bottom cookie. Then, put the cookie cutter back together to make the top cookie. When pressing down on the dough with the cutter, simply press the injector. When you lift off the dough, you should have a cookie with a Fluted edge and a shaped center.

Ingredients

Cookies

    * 1 whole large egg
    * 1 large egg yolk
    * 1 1/2 tsps pure vanilla extract
    * 2 1/2 cups  all purpose flour
    * 3/4 cups  sugar
    * 1 tsp.  ground cinnamon (optional)
    * 1/2 tsp baking powder
    * 1 Tbl. unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
    * 1/4 tsp Salt
    * 2 Tbls.  grated lemon zest (optional)
    * 12 Tbls (1 1/2 sticks)  unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces (about 10)
    * 2 cups  (Optional) your favorite nut, coarsely ground

The Filling

    * 1/2 cup your favorite preserves

The Icing

    * 2-3 Tbl  confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them lightly.

In a small cup stir egg, egg yolk and vanilla together with fork and set aside.

Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt and lemon zest in food processor and blend for about 5 seconds.

Place the butter all around the top of the flour mixture and process until coarse (20-30 seconds)

Now add the egg mixture through the feed tube with the machine running and process for 3 seconds. Scrape bowl and process for 3 more seconds.

Remove dough and shape into 2 disks. Between plastic wrap, roll each piece of dough out to 1/8" thickness.

Remove the top piece of plastic wrap and using a Kaiser Linzer Cookie Cutter cut out appr. 20 bottom cookies(fluted bottom) and 20 top cookies (cookie with center out, injector)

Place all the rounds on the baking sheet about 3/4" apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gather up the dough scraps and reroll the dough to make as many more cookies as possible, again using half for tops and half for bottoms.

Bake the cookies until they are firm, for about 15 minutes. Remove them and let them cool on the sheets.

When they are completely cool, turn the cookies with no holes upside down and spread with  tsp of your favorite filling, then place another 1/2 tsp. of filling in the center and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and top with the top cookie (cookie with design hole in center)