Linzer Cookie... Austria

The Linzertorte is one of the oldest known tarts with a recipe discovered in an Austrian abbey from 1653. Johann Konrad Vogel (1796-1883) is credited with first mass producing it while Franz Holzlhuber, an Austrian émigré who worked as a baker, is recognized for introducing it to America around 1856.

In Linz, a city in Austria, these bakers would mix up a batch of Linzertorte dough, but instead of making a pie, they would cut out shapes such as stars, circles or hearts. Half of the shapes would get second cutouts in the center. These were called Linzer eyes. Once baked, these dessert artisans constructed sandwich cookies using a whole cookie and a cutout cookie. In the middle, they would place black or red currant preserves or jams just like the tart. American bakers use raspberry jam, lingonberry preserves, or any kind of sweet filling including hazelnut chocolate spread! The top cookies are dusted with a liberal sprinkling of icing sugar or decorated with icing. After the cookie is put together, the jam or preserves peek through the Linzer eye to make a beautiful dessert, perfect for the holidays.

Linzer Cookie

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (450g)

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar (70g)

• 1 cup butter/margarine softened (230g)

• 1/2 cup icing sugar, plus more for dusting

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp almond extract

• Strawberry or raspberry jam

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking powder, set aside.

2. In another bowl mix together butter and icing sugar until creamy. Mix in egg, vanilla and almond extract.

3. Mix in flour mixture and mix until combined. Form mixture into a ball and drop onto a sheet of clingfilm or transparent nylon, then flatten into a round disk, wrap and chill in refrigerator 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Dust work surface with flour, cut disk in half and then evenly roll out each portion into 1/8 to 1/6-inch thickness.

5. Cut into heart shapes or whatever cookie cutter you have, then using a smaller cutter of the same shape cookie cutter, cut smaller shapes into the centres of half of the cookies. (Or, you can simply take a tablespoon full of the dough and roll into balls and press your thumb into each ball to form a hole. Scoop in your jam at this time into the holes if doing it this way.)

6. Carefully transfer to Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets (you can run a sharp knife or pastry scraper under cookies to help lift them if needed. Also, chill dough that's not currently being rolled or baked, the hearts hold their shape better when cold), spacing cookies 1-inch apart.

7. Bake in preheated oven 10 - 12 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Spread strawberry jam over whole hearts, dust cookies with heart cut centres with icing sugar then place those cookies on top of the ones with jam.

9. Take pictures and post on the Advent Calendar group, Instagram, don’t forget to tag us and enjoy!!!