Maddie's Linzer Cookies

Everyone loves'em.

Time: 1 hour, plus 30 minutes for cooling

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole nuts, hazelnuts or almonds
1 cup unsalted butter
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Confectioner's sugar for dusting
1 cup seedless raspberry jam (or cherry, apricot), either commercial or homemade

Directions

1. Preheat to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place nuts in food processor and process until medium fine in texture.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and creamy in texture.
4. Add eggs and beat until smooth.
5. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
6. In a separate bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest.
7. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine.
8. Place in freezer until firm, approximately 30-40 minutes. Alternately, refrigerate for about 60 minutes.
9. Dust a clean surface generously with flour and roll out the dough to approximately 1/8 inch thickness.
10. Using the linzer cutter without an insert, cut out cookies (at least 36) and transfer to the prepared cookie sheets. These will be the bottom pieces.
11. Next cut out 36 more with the insert shape in cookie cutters. These will be the top pieces. Either reroll or bake the inserts.
12. Bake all cookies for about 8 minutes until golden brown. Trasnfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.
13. Sift confectioners sugar over top pieces of the cookies.
14. Spread about 1 tsp. jam on each of the bottom halves and place top half (the cut out cookie) on jam covered bottom half.

Linzer Cookies can be stored carefully in an airtight container for up to one week.

Source: recipe included with Linzer Cookie Set