Best Linzer Sablés Recipes

TRADITIONAL ALGERIAN SABLES (COOKIES) - LIKE LINZER AUGEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170°C
• Cream the margarine & sugar(s) until light & fluffy.
• Beat in the egg & vanilla, then gradually fold in the flour & baking powder.
• Mix slowly until a soft dough forms. The dough is very soft & needs handling with care but it shouldn't be sticky. If your dough is still a little sticky, sift in a little extra flour.
• Roll out to about 4mm thick, be sure to flour the rolling pin well.
• Cut out 'tops & bottoms' for your sables.
• Place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil (shiny side up) & bake for 8 minutes. The sables should be just set but still white.
• Allow the sables to cool on the sheet for a minute then remove to a cold plate or tray to finish cooling.
• When the sables are fully cooled, heat the jam until bubbling.
• Place all the sables tops onto a tray & dust generously with the icing sugar.
• Allow the jam to cool slightly then spoon approx 1/2 tsp of the jam onto the underside of the sables 'bottoms'.
• Then carefully place a 'top' over the blob of jam.
• Allow to set, then store in one layer in an airtight container for upto 10 days.

LINZER SABLéS

Steps:

• Whisk together the ground nuts, flour, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars and salt together at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Meanwhile, using a fork, stir the egg and water together in a small bowl and add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients, then turn it on low and mix only until they disappear into the dough.
• Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, put the dough between two large sheets of wax paper. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a disk, then grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough, turning it over frequently so that the paper doesn't cut into it, until it is about 1⁄4 inch thick. Leave the dough in the paper and repeat with the second piece of dough. Transfer the wrapped dough to a baking sheet (to keep it flat) and refrigerate or freeze it until it is very firm, about 2 hours in the refrigerator or about 45 minutes in the freezer. The rolled-out dough can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just thaw the dough enough to cut out the cookies and proceed from there.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Working with one piece of dough at a time and using a cookie cutter, cut out rounds of dough. Place the circles of dough on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, about 1½-inches apart. Gather the scraps so you can re-roll with the next batch. Bake, 11-13 minutes.
• Cookies are done when there's color around the edges and on the bottom. Let cool 5 minutes, then sandwich with a teaspoon of raspberry jam (thinned with a splash of water and heated in the microwave). Finish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar just before serving.

AMERICAN KITCHEN CLASSIC LINZER SABLES (COOKIES)

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Gradually add the eggs, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Reduce the speed to low.
• Sift the flour, cinnamon, cake crumbs, and baking powder together into a medium bowl. Add to the creamed mixture all at once and mix just until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
• Add the hazelnut flour and mix just until combined. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 15 minutes.
• While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut rounds of dough using a fluted circular cookie cutter. Use a smaller cutter to cut a hole in half of the rounds. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. As you are working, reserve the scraps so that they may be rolled again and cut.
• Bake until lightly golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Allow the cookies to cool for a minute on the baking sheets then transfer, using a spatula, to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
• Sift confectioners' sugar over the cooled cookies. Coat the cookies without holes lightly and the ones with holes thoroughly. Pipe or spread a thin layer of jam on the cookies without holes. Top with the remaining cookies and press gently to secure.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container.

LINZER SABLES

Steps:

• Put on some Christmas music and get out your favorite mixing bowl. Cream together with a blender, the butter and sugar till light and creamy. Beat in the zest, egg and vanilla. In another bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients, except the nuts, till well fluffed. On a medium setting on your mixer, carefully blend the dry ingredients into the wet till mixed. Slowly add the ground nuts till just blended. Pat the dough with wet fingers into a flat shape, (it's sticky!) then cover the dough and set in the fridge for 30 minutes to overnight to chill.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and get your dough out to party! Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about a 1/8 of an inch thick. This is sticky dough so make sure and flip the dough a few times while you are rolling it out so it doesn't stick to the counter. Cut out two cookies of each shape that will make up the sandwich Linzer cookie. Place them on a two lightly greased cookie sheets. Have all the top cookies on one cookie sheet and all the bottoms on another as the tops will cook faster than the bottoms. Then take a smaller cookie cutter and cut the center out of the top cookies for the "window" that will show the jam. Bake for 10 -12 minutes until golden brown. (Bake a little longer if you want a cookie that stays crisp.)
• Let your little masterpieces cool completely then spread bottom cookies generously with the jam. Place the "window" cookie on top. Dust liberally with powdered sugar and have a joyous and delicious noel!