Linzer Cookies

Total Time: 1 hr 12 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/3 cups almonds, very finely grated (or hazelnuts)
• 3 1/3 cups cake flour, unsifted (i use all purpose flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 12 ounces raspberry jam (i use raspberry jelly, hate those seeds)
• confectioners' sugar

Recipe

• 1 beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy;.
• 2 beat in egg, egg yolk, lemon rind and vanilla.
• 3 stir in nuts.
• 4 stir in flour, baking powder and cinnamon, blend well.
• 5 wrap in wax paper, chill several hours or overnight.
• 6 using half of dough and roll out between 2 sheets of wax paper to slightly less than 1/4 inch thickness.
• 7 remove top sheet of wax paper, cut out circles or hearts.
• 8 carefully, place shapes on ungreased cookie sheet.
• 9 refrigerate scraps for second rolling.
• 10 repeat with other half of dough, making an equal number of cookies.
• 11 with a smaller cookie cutter (you can actually purchase linzer cookie cookie cutters in large and small sizes) cut out the centers of half the cookies.
• 12 use scraps to make equal numbers of solid and cut-out cookies.
• 13 bake at 350 degree oven for 12 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden.
• 14 remove cookie sheets from oven; let stand 1 minute. remove with wide spatula to wire racks. cool.
• 15 heat raspberry jam/jelly.
• 16 spread each solid cookie with jam, gently press cut out cookie on top of jam, making a "sandwich".
• 17 sprinkle tops of cookies with confectioners sugar.
• 18 add dab of jam into opening of each cookie, let set slightly.
• 19 store in layers with wax paper between each layer.