Linzer Tart Cookies
Shortbread-like almond cookies with a raspberry jam center. They're sweet, crunchy, and absolutely delicious! They can be made in advance and assembled when ready to serve.
Servings 20 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar maybe more, for sprinkling before assembling
For the filling:
- 1 cup raspberry jam the better the brand, the better the cookies
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix 1 cup unsalted butter with ⅔ cup sugar until smooth. I use a silicon spatula, but you can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (great if you're doubling the recipe).
- Add 1 egg and 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest (or a mix) and continue to integrate until it begins to come together.
- Add 1 cup almond flour and mix well.
- Sift the dry ingredients (2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon) and add them to the butter dough in two parts, mixing until it starts to come together.
- Transfer to a clean counter or working surface, and finish gathering it into a smooth dough with no traces of flour or dry ingredients. Handle the dough as little as possible. No need to knead it.
- Divide it into 2 parts, make flat disks, wrap well, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter or use baking spray to grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured counter until it is no more than ¼ of an inch (about ½ cm) thick. Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated.
- You will need two similar cookie cutters; one must be two sizes smaller than the other. Cut rounds (or other shapes) with the large cutter. With the smallest cutter, cut a circle in the center of half of the cookies. You will have large cookies, rounds, and small cookies.
- Gather the scraps, roll, and cut out cookies until all of the dough is used.
- Bake separately because the smaller ones and the round ones take less time. About 10-15 minutes, depending on the size. If you bake them together, check and remove them at different times as needed.
- Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.
- Place about a tablespoon of jam in the center of the large cookies and spread it lightly, leaving a bit of space around the edges.
- Sprinkle the cookie rings with ¼ cup powdered sugar and place them over the jam, making sandwich cookies.
- With the small cookies you can make alfajorcitos by sandwiching them with dulce de leche, or eat them plain.
Notes
Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Rolling the dough: it must be cold. Work in batches with small pieces and keep the rest wrapped and refrigerated.
Cookie cutter: I use different ones. Round ones are my favorites, with smooth or ribbed edges. Depending on the season, you can make heart or star-shaped cookies. You only need to have two cutters of different sizes.
How big should the center be? I like the jam to be a star, so I make a pretty large hole. Other recipes call for a smaller center. It's up to you.
Recommendation: If you're gifting these jam cookies, cut out a smaller center. This will make them easier to stack on a tray or wrap if needed.
Baking time: use two different cookie trays, one for the large cookies and the other for the small ones and the rings. The latter will take less time to bake. If you're baking all of them together, check the smaller ones and take them out before the larger cookies.
Make the dough ahead: the dough can be kept refrigerated for several days or frozen for a month, well wrapped. Thaw in the fridge the day before rolling.
Storing: the cookies last for a week or two in an airtight container or cookie tin. After they are filled, they for a couple of days at room temperature and a few more in the fridge in an airtight container. If you store them in several layers, add a piece of parchment paper between them so the jam doesn't stick.
