Best Linzer Sandwiches Recipes

LINZER SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately transfer nuts to a clean towel. Vigorously rub the nuts in the towel to remove as much of the skins as possible. Set nuts aside until completely cool. Place nuts in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, and beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
• Whisk together reserved hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add to butter mixture; beat on low until combined, about 2 minutes. Form dough into 2 flattened disks, wrap each with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with Silpats (French baking mats; see sources) or parchment paper. Also have ready one 2 1/2-inch round fluted cookie cutter and one 3/4-inch cookie cutter. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out half the dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using the 3-inch fluted cutter, cut out cookies. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheets. Using the smaller cutter, cut the centers out of half of the cookies. Repeat rolling and cutting with the other half of the dough. Combine the scraps from both batches, reroll and cut.
• Bake until the edges are golden, 12 to 16 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven; place on wire racks until completely cool.
• Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the decorative tops; set aside. Spread a scant tablespoon of jam on the bottoms of each cookie, and sandwich with the sugar-dusted tops.

LINZER MACAROON SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Finely grind 1 2/3 cups slivered almonds and 1 1/3 cups sugar in processor. Add egg whites and almond extract; process until well blended (dough will be sticky).
• Using slightly rounded teaspoonful for each cookie, roll dough between damp palms of hands into balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Flatten each ball slightly to 1 1/4-inch-diameter round. Gently press a few sliced almonds into each cookie.
• Bake cookies until light golden, about 18 minutes. Slide parchment with cookies onto racks; cool completely.
• Stir preserves and 2 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.
• Spoon 1/2 teaspoon raspberry preserves onto flat side of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, flat side down. Press to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies and preserves. (Can be prepared ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month. Cookies may soften slightly.) Sift powdered sugar over cookies.

MARMALADE LINZER SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour and baking powder in a bowl. Pulse pecans, confectioners' sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom in a food processor until finely ground. With a mixer on medium speed, beat pecan mixture, butter, and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla and egg. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture. Divide dough in half; shape into disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Let dough stand at room temperature until pliable. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment to 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut out rounds with a 2-inch cutter. Cut out centers of half of rounds with 1-inch cutters in different shapes, rerolling scraps once.
• Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets once, until pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, heat marmalade in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 10 minutes; let cool.
• Sift confectioners' sugar over rounds with cutout centers and shapes. Spread about 3/4 teaspoon jam on flat side of remaining rounds, then sandwich together. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week.