Linzer Cookies

I present to thee something legendary Linzer Cookies.

Linzer Cookies

Makes about 18 sandwich cookies.

• 1 cup high-quality unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup almond flour
• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Add almond extract and salt. Crack the egg into a small bowl and the add to the dough. Add baking powder and almond flour. Then scrape down the bowl to be sure everything is incorporated. Add the flour small amounts at a time until all is mixed into the dough.

When the mixture comes together, remove it from the bowl, form the dough into a round disk shape, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour.

Once the dough has chilled, use a little Flour Power (invented by yours truly) to roll out (recipe below). Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick and use a linzer cookie cutter or a large cutter and a small cutter to cut out an equal number of tops and bottoms of the cookies.

Flour Power

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Place the flour and powdered sugar in a bowl. Whisk it together. Use to roll out cookies. Flour power helps prevent cookies from getting floury bottoms because the powdered sugar helps melt the flour into the cookies.

Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 8-9 minutes or until the bottoms turn light golden brown.

Let them cool completely.

Generously sprinkle powdered sugar on the tops of the cookies (the ones with small hearts cut out of the middle).

A mesh tea infuser, fine mesh strainer, or sifter all work great for this.

Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of  jam onto each of the bottom cookies and then carefully pick up a top cookie by the edges (as to keep the powdered sugar pretty) and gently place the top cookies on top of the jam-covered cookies to sandwich them together.

If you like, you can bake the tiny middle hearts too for about 7 minutes, let them cool completely, put jam on half of them, sandwich them together with the ones without jam, and coat them in powdered sugar on both sides too for mini heart cookies.

You can use any jelly that will go well with almond flavors such as apricot, peach, blueberry, or cherry. If you replace the almond extract with vanilla, you can pair them with even more flavors.

I heart you, Linzer Cookie. I heart you.