"Linzer Cookies"

Every year we go to my cousin's house on Christmas Eve and I normally bring dessert.  There is usually cherry pie, cheesecake and brownies.  This year I opted to try two new recipes - one for Ina Garten's "Linzer Cookies" and one for Maple Pecan Streusel Bars. (I have not included the recipe for the bars as I don't think they turned out that great.)

Apparently these "Linzer Cookies" are not traditional linzer cookies, but a variation using a shortbread dough.  Normally linzer cookies are made with almonds and eggs which Ina's recipe does not have. 

I bought linzer cutters specifically for these cookies.  However, I'm sure any fluted or straight edge cutters could work and a paring knife could be used to cut out the middles.

 

 

 

 

Linzer Cookies
1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Yield: 14-16 cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup preserves (apricot or raspberry, or your favorite)
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla.  Add the flour and salt, slowly. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut using linzer cookie cutters (you can use any cutters you want and can always cut a shape out of the middle of the tops).  Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.  Remove and cool to room temperature. Spread preserves (I used apricot and raspberry) on the flat side of each solid cookie (see note below).  Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners’ sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on the top.

Note: The tops of the solid cookies were not that flat, so when I turned them over to put preserves on the flat side (i.e., the bottom) they weren't sitting correctly on the platter.  I ended up putting preserves on the top side of the solid cookie so they would be flat on the platter. 

Also, some of my cookies spread...seems like my tops ended up being larger than the bottoms...maybe it has something to do with the whole in the middle of the tops. 

Overall I thought the cookies were amazing!  I guess they should be with so much butter in the recipe.  I found the dough to be very crumbly at first.  I left it in the fridge longer than 30 minutes, so maybe it was too cold to work with at first.