An almond-flavored cutout cookie sandwiched with raspberry or apricot preserves…from Austria. See also Linzer Cookies I.
Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely ground almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
raspberry or apricot preserves *
additional powdered sugar
Directions
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, almonds, cinnamon and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured board or between two sheets of waxed paper, roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using 2-inch diameter cookie cutters or an empty class, cut cookies into matching pairs (top and bottom). Cut a 3/4-inch diameter hole from the center of half of the cookies; this will be the top half. Place the bottom cookies on one baking sheet, and the top cookies on a second baking sheet. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until edges are golden. Allow cookies to cool. Spread preserves on the bottom cookies. Sift additional powdered sugar on the top cookies that have holes in them. Place the top cookies on top of the bottom cookies.
Notes
- * If you are using raspberry preserves, you can heat the jam to remove seeds, if desired (not pictured). For apricot preserves, you want to remove any chunks of apricot. To do this, heat the jam and strain the clear jelly, discarding the chunks of fruit.
- Alternate spellings: Linzer Augen, Linzer Kekse, Linzerkekse.
- Adapted from the recipe of the Austrian Embassy of the United States.
