Linzer Cookies - With Raspberry Jam

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 grated a lemon, rind of
• 1 1/4 cups finely grated hazelnuts (or finely chopped or ground)
• 2 egg whites, slightly beaten
• 2 cups raspberry jam (more or less, according to your taste)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, -or-
• melted chocolate (optional)

Recipe

• 1 with a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• 2 beat in the 2 whole eggs, until incorporated.
• 3 stir in flour, salt, lemon peel and hazelnuts. combine the mixture into a smooth ball. cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours of overnight.
• 4 preheat oven to 375 degrees f.
• 5 lightly grease (or spray with pam) several cookie sheets.
• 6 on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. use a 2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out as many rounds as you can.
• 7 on half of the dough rounds, cut out 1/2 inch circles, creating circular windows in the centers of the rounds.
• 8 with a spatula, arrange all the dough rounds on the cookie sheets ( you'll have some full rounds and some rounds with windows. there will be some extra dough from the window cut outs); brush tops with the egg whites, using a pastry brush.
• 9 bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned. remove rounds from the baking sheets and cool on wire racks for about 15 mintues.
• 10 spread each full round with jam.
• 11 top each with a windowed cookie.
• 12 let cool completely and either sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with melted chocolate!