Cookie of the Day: Jammy Linzer Sandwich Cookies

Holiday season is cookie season! We are all about cookies this month: baking, decorating, gifting and hosting the classic cookie exchange. Today, we’re kicking off 30 days of holiday cookies, so be sure to check back every day for a new recipe! And for more inspiration and great recipes, visit our Cookie Central page. 

 

Squares, circles, hearts and diamonds, whatever the shape, these rich, crumbly cookies are a treat with coffee, tea or cocoa. Kids love to help by sprinkling the tops with powdered sugar and then placing them on the jam-filled bottoms, pressing just hard enough to squish the jam up through the hole. Try raspberry, red currant or apricot jam.

 

Jammy Linzer Sandwich Cookies 

 

1/2 cup finely ground toasted almonds

1/4 cup finely ground toasted hazelnuts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup finely ground semolina flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups seedless jam

 

In a bowl, mix together the ground nuts, flour, semolina flour, salt and cinnamon. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy. Add the 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla and beat until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture until uniform.

 

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a floured workspace. Knead it a few times to incorporate the ingredients. Pat the dough into a disk. Divide the round in half. Roll each dough half between two pieces of parchment paper to a 1/8 inch thickness. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

 

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 sheet at a time to prevent the dough from getting too soft. Peel off the top sheet of parchment and use it to line a baking sheet. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and transfer to the prepared baking sheet with a metal spatula. When all of the cookies are cut out, use a small, round 1/2-inch cutter to cut a hole in the center of half of the cookies for the tops. Gather dough scraps and re-roll between the parchment, refrigerate and repeat the process.

 

Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden on the edges. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer the tops to a rack. Turn the bottoms over and spread each with about 1 Tbs. jam. Dust the tops with powdered sugar and sandwich with the bottoms. Layer the cookies with parchment paper in an airtight container and store for up to 1 week. Makes about 18 cookies.

 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Family Meals, by Maria Helm Sinskey.