Recipes

Linzer Cookies (Linzer Plätzchen/Linecké Cukroví)
as prepared by Rick Garza for the 2007 Christmas Open House

1-1/2 cup butter; softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (not imitation)
2 cup pecans; finely ground
3-1/3 cup flour, cake or all-purpose; unsifted (see note)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 cup, or more, seedless raspberry or Bama Red Plum jam
1 confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

NOTE: When unsifted flour is called for, fluff up the flour in the sack or container with a fork before measuring.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffly; beat in egg, egg yolk, lemon rind and vanilla; stir in nuts.
2. Stir in flour, baking powder and cinnamon, blending well to make a stiff dough; wrap in wax paper; chill several hours or overnight. Cut dough in half. (Refrigerate other half.)
3. Roll out dough between sheets of wax paper to slightly less than a 1/4 inch thickness. Remove top sheet of wax paper. With a 2-inch round cookie cutter cut out as many circles from the dough as you can. Carefully remove circles from bottom sheet of wax paper; place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets. Refrigerate scraps of dough for second rolling. Repeat with other half of the dough, cutting out an equal number of 2–inch circles as from the first batch.
4. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, cut out center of each of the second batch of cookies. Use any scraps of dough for second rolling. Roll scraps of dough out for second rolling; cut out equal number of solid circles and circles with open centers.
5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until edges of cookies are light golden color. Remove cookie sheets from oven; let stand 1 minute. Remove cookies with wide spatula to wire racks. Cool.
6. Heat jam in a small saucepan or in microwave for 15 seconds for a spreadable consistency. Spread each of the solid cookies completely with a layer of warm preserves. Top each with a cut-out cookie; press gently together to make a "sandwich". Place on wire rack. Sprinkle tops of cookies with confectioners' sugar.