Linzer Cookies

MAKES 2 TRAYS

For the dough: 3 cups + 2 tsp (380 g) flour, 1 pinch salt, 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 1 cup + 1½ tbsp (250 g) cold butter, 2 egg yolks

For decorating: 9 oz (250 g) red or yellow jam, 1 tbsp rum or water

Additional: assorted cookie cutters (wavy-edged circles, flowers, stars), powdered sugar for garnishing, plastic wrap

On a countertop, mix flour, salt, and powdered sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour mixture until crumbly. Add the egg yolks and knead everything together into a smooth dough. Form into balls, wrap them in plastic wrap, and let them rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C), unless you have a convection oven, in which case preheat to 320°F (160°C), or a gas oven, in which case preheat to level 3. Roll out the dough 3 mm thick and cut out an even number of cookies using the wavy-edged circle, flower, or star cookie cutters. In half of the cookies, cut out a hole of any shape, 2/5 in. (1 cm) in diameter. Place cookies on the baking sheets, which should be lined with parchment paper. Bake one tray at a time in the preheated oven (middle rack), each for approximately 10 minutes, until the cookies are light brown. During this time, heat the jam with rum or water.

Remove the cookies from the parchment paper while they are still hot. Place ½ tsp jam on the cookies without holes in them and place a cookie with a hole on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately.

With certain cookie cutters, you can cut out each shape and its inner hole at the same time, which makes the work go faster.

 

It is a quote. Christmas Cookies Dozens of Classic Yuletide Treats for the Whole Family 2015