Austrian chocolate almond Linzer cookies
This holiday treat is a triple threat—cookie on the bottom, delicious filling in the middle and another cookie on the top.
Photo by Karen Herman
MAKES 3–4 DOZEN
An Austrian Linzer is layered treat with a cookie on the bottom and a middle layer of jam, chocolate or other filling, all topped by a second cookie with a hole or decorative pattern cut in the center. This recipe will require two different sizes of cookie cutters.
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 cup seedless raspberry jam, or your favorite
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and powdered sugar, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed. Add the egg and almond extract and beat until blended. Reduce speed and gradually add the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking or cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a clean, flat surface dusted with cocoa powder, roll out one half of the dough to ¼-inch thickness. (If necessary, sprinkle dough lightly with cocoa powder to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin.) Keep remaining dough chilled until ready to use.
Cut the dough using the larger cookie cutter (about 2 inches wide) and place on baking sheets. Using a smaller cutter, cut out the center of each cookie. Discard centers or save to rework and make additional cookies. Roll out the second half of the dough and cut with the larger cutter only. Place on baking sheets. Bake 9–10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
Spread about ½ to ¾ teaspoon of jam on the solid cookies and cover with the cutout cookies. Let stand for several hours to set.
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Tips & techniques
True oven temperatures. You can’t always trust your oven temperature setting to be accurate. Experience has taught me that oven temps can be off by as much as 30 degrees. I suggest a backup oven thermometer as a fail-safe measure. Always check this backup to confirm the temperature before placing items in the oven, and replace the backup yearly.
Which comes first? In recipes calling for lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice, always zest the lemon first before juicing it.
How to make vanilla sugar. Make vanilla-flavored sugar by putting a scraped vanilla bean in a mason jar filled with sugar. Close the lid tightly and store in a cool dry place for about a week. Use in baked goods, desserts, beverages and savory dishes.
What if you don’t have parchment paper? Substitute with wax paper, or lightly coat your cookie or baking sheet with cooking spray.
Sifting for success. Always sift powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’ sugar) to remove lumps before adding it to other ingredients. This will result in a smoother batter or glaze.
Tips for working with dough
- When rolling out dough, if it becomes sticky and starts to cling to the rolling pin, dust both dough and rolling pin with additional flour.
- The yield for cookies will vary, depending on the size of the cookie cutter.
- If you become distracted while rolling out dough, rewrap it and return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to complete the task.
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