RASPBERRY LINZER COOKIES

Raspberry Linzer Cookies image

This is a recipe from FC last year. These cookies are truly exceptional. The require some patience to make, but they are gorgeous when finished and delicious. Perfect for holidays or for a ladies tea, or perhaps to cheer up a friend...one of my all-time favorite cookies. The 4-hour prep time includes chilling time. EQUIPMENT: cookie sheets lined with parchment, food processor, plastic wrap, 2 cookie cutters of the same shape, one about 2 1/2-inch diameter, one about 1 1/4-inch diameter.

Provided by P48422

Categories Dessert

Time 4h15m

Yield 32 cookies

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

2 1/2 ounces sliced almonds (1/2 c.)
2 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped hazelnuts (1/2 c.)
9 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (2 c. plus 1 tbl.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons lemons, zest of or 2 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
7 ounces chilled unsalted butter (14 tbl.)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup raspberry preserves (or any other flavor you like)
confectioners' sugar

Steps:

Several hours before baking: In a food processor, process the almonds and hazelnuts with 1/2 c of the flour until fine textured, but NOT powdered (To avoid overprocessing, stop the machine occasionally and feel the nuts; they may look like they are still chunky, but they may just be clumping together).
Add the remain flour and other dry ingredients along with the zest.
Pulse to combine.
Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to the flour mixture; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
Don't overprocess.
Transfer to a large bowl.
Whisk together the egg and water; sprinkle over the flour mixture and toss gently to combine.
The dough should hold together when pinched (if it seems dry, sprinkle on a bit more water).
Gather the dough into two balls and knead briefly just to blend.
Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, 2-3 hours.
TO BAKE: Oven to 325 degrees F.
Cover your cookie sheets with parchment.
Generously flour a work surface.
Roll one ball of dough out 3/16" thick.
(Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator, and if the dough warms up to the point of being sticky while you are working with it, return it to the fridge to chill.) Cut as many of the larger shape as possible out of the dough, rerolling the scraps to make more rounds.
Arrange on the cookie sheets about 3/4 inch apart.
Use the small cookie cutter to cut holes in the center of half of the cookies.
Reroll these little scraps to make more cookies.
Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly brown, about 15 minutes.
Let cool on the pans before transferring to cookie racks.
Repeat with remaining dough.
To assemble, sift powdered sugar over the cookies with the holes cut in them, then spread a heaping 1/2 tsp.
of preserves on the bottom of the whole cookie rounds.
Sandwich the cookies together.
NOTE: These cookies should be served the day they are put together.
You can bake the cookies a week early, then sandwich them together a few hours before serving.
NOTE 2: The dough for this cookie is kind of a pain to work with, and it takes patience, but I promise you, the end result is so worth it.