Austrian almond Linzer cookies are very special holiday cookies. Not just because they are beautiful but they are also very delicious. Sandwiched with an assorted delicious filling of jams and chocolate makes a perfect treat any time of the year especially during the holiday season.
Dry ingredients - In a bowl combine flour, salt, cornflour, almond meal, and nutmeg together. Set aside
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar, until light and fluffy.
Add the egg followed by the vanilla and almond extract and flour mixture – combine well but don't over mix
Divide dough into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerated for an hour or until firm enough to roll Pro tip - the dough is soft and needs to be refrigerated, so avoid adding more flour.
Preheat the oven at 170 C / 340 F
Roll the chilled cookie dough to about ⅛ inch in thickness on a lightly floured surface.Pro tip - it is best to roll these cookies thin or once you fill and sandwich them they will look bulky. I use a rolling pin with spacers so the dough is the same thickness all over.
Cut the cookiesFor the bottom cookies, cut out the disc using a Linzer cookie cutter without the center attachment. Alternatively, use a 3-inch round cookie cutterFor the top cookies, cut out the disc using the Linzer cooker cutter with the center attachment on. Alternatively, use a 3-inch round cookie cutter combine with a 0.5 cookie cutter.
Bake - Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake the cookies on the center rack for about 6 to 8 minutes.
Cool - Once baked cool on the cookie sheet for 10 mins then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Sandwich the cookies - Place ½ teaspoon of jam or another filling of your choice on the bottom cookie. Dust the top cookies with powdered sugar then sandwich the two pieces togetherPro tip - It is better to dust the top cookies before you sandwich them to prevent sugar from getting into the filling.
Recipe Notes
Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and sugar cream well.
Use castor sugar or pulse the sugar in a food processor so it dissolves easily when creaming into the butter
Rest the dough before rolling the cookies. Resting helps the butter firm up again which makes it easier to work and prevents spreading
If the rolled cookie dough is soft, place it in the fridge for 15 minutes before you cut the cookies. Chilled cookie dough will give well-defined shapes.
Preheat the oven for a good 15 minutes making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
Place cut cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent spreading.
When baked leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
This dough can be halved or doubled successfully.
Store them in a cookie jar at room temperature for up to 5 or 6 days.
To make them in batches you can refrigerate the cookie dough for a week,
or Freeze the dough for up to one month then – thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you