12 Weeks of Christmas Treats ~ Week 7 ~ Mini Linzer Cookies

Mini Linzer Cookies by Bakewell Junction

It’s the seventh week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop hosted by Brenda Thompson from MealPlanningMagic.com.  If you’d like to join us, please fill out the form on Brenda’s blog.

The weeks are flying by and I’m sharing another recipe that I’ve been making for the past several Christmases.  Although these cookies have mini in the name, they aren’t small cookies.  They are rich and when they’re first made they are a bit crispy but as the preserves and flavors meld together the crispness goes away and they melt in your mouth.

Just so you know, the star I cut out of the cookie tops are used on another cookie that I make for Christmas.  I’ll post those next week.  Be sure to tune in for that.

Enjoy.

Mini Linzer Cookies

Yield:  18 – 20 sandwich cookies                  Cook Time:  10 – 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup good seedless raspberry preserves (I substitute grape jam because that’s what my husband likes)
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Step 2:  In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and mix with an electric mixer.  Add vanilla to the butter mixture.  In another bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add flour mixture to the butter mixture.  Mix on low until dough begins to form.  Shape dough into a flat disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Step 3:  Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll to 1/4 inch thick with a floured rolling pin.  Using a 2 3/4 in inch plain or shaped cutter, cut out cookies.  For half of the cookies, cut a hole out of the middle in the shape of a star (for Christmas).

Step 4:  Place the solid cookies on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Bake chilled cookies 10 – 12 minutes until edges begin to become golden.  Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheets.  Carefully move cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely.  Repeat for the remaining solid cookies.  Place the cut out cookies on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Bake chilled cookies 10 – 12 minutes until edges begin to become golden.  Cool 10 minutes on cookie sheets.  Carefully move cookies to cooling racks and let cool completely.  Repeat for the remaining cut out cookies and the star cut outs.

Step 5:  Pair similarly sized solid and cut out cookies together.  Spread the jam or preserves on the flat side of solid cookies.  Dust the top of the cut out cookies with powdered sugar.  Press the flat side (bottom) of the cut out cookies on top of the preserves creating a sandwich cookie with the preserves in the middle and the powdered sugar on top.  Reserve the star cut outs for another cookie in the Christmas cookie platter.

Tips:  The dough is a bit crumbly, so when rolling the dough try to close any cracks.  Since the solid cookies have more dough, bake them separately from the cookies with the center cut out.  This way the cookies with the center cut out can be baked for less time and aren’t overcooked.  Watch the star cut outs carefully as they are much smaller than other cookies and will cook much more quickly.

Storing:  Store cookies in a sealed plastic container.  The cookies are fine for several days when stored this way.

Enjoy!!!

Adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook recipe on Food Network.  A variation of Eli Zabar’s shortbread cookies.

Have a look at the other great cookies in the blog hop by clicking on the Linky Tools link below.  Sorry my blog doesn’t support the blog hop participant icons directly.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats Blog Hop

Week 7, November 8, 2012

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This week in addition to the Christmas Treats, I’m joining Food Bloggers Support for Sandy.  This is was created by Barb of Creative Culinary and Jenn from Jenn Cuisine to show support for the victims of Sandy.  Be sure to visit their sites to see what the other supporters have made.  It would be great if you could join us or donate to the Sandy relief efforts.  There are still many people who don’t have electricity, heat or homes.  If you’re looking for an organization to donate, some of the organizations that are helping victims of Sandy are:

• Red Cross
• Salvation Army
• Feeding America