Valentine Linzer Cookies

Why should chocolate have all the fun? Here are some Austrian Linzer cookies with a red preserve filling that seem perfectly suited for the occasion. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground blanched almonds or hazelnuts

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (can sub all-purpose flour)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 6 ounces raspberry jam, or other red preserve (I used quince jelly)

• Powdered sugar

Special Equipment

• Stand mixer

• Cookie cutters of choice

Method

1. Beat butter, sugar, egg mixture:  

   Beat the butter in a standing electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating. Beat in the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.

2. Make dough:  

   Whisk together the flour, ground nuts, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add to butter sugar egg mixture a third at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Chill dough:  

   Form the dough into disks, wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

4. Roll out dough:  

   between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Put rolled dough (still between parchment paper) in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm up before cutting.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F  

6. Cut out base and center cookie shapes:  

   Cut out the base cookie shapes. Cut out the centers of half the disks with a smaller cookie cutter shape. Re-roll scraps and repeat.

7. Bake:  

   for 12 minutes at 350°F or until edges turn golden. Cool on a wire rack.

8. Heat the jam or jelly:  

   and spread the solid disks with a layer of the hot preserves. Place the top layer cookie over the bottom, pressing down lightly.

9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar:  

   then fill the holes with more preserves. Let set slightly before serving.'

[Source: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/valentine_linzer_cookies/]