Linzer Cookie Hearts

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I have always believed that a heartfelt homemade gift outshines one mass-produced. The childhood joy of cutting and adorning perfect hearts out of brightly colored construction paper was only soured when the fear of actually giving them to my classmates set in. Thankfully, there was always plenty of candy to ease the anxiety. As an adult, my preferred valentine has gone from glued paper to sweet treats from my kitchen. These classic cookies made with raspberries and almonds are a miniature version of the Austrian Linzer Torte. Sweet berry jam sandwiched between buttery crisp cookies with a hint of lemon makes these a refreshing option for a holiday dominated by chocolate. The almond flour gives these cookies a distinctive delicate texture and a subtle nutty note. The window cut into the top layer reveals the beautiful color below. You will need a large and small-sized cookie cutter to achieve this; see notes. Bake a batch and give them as edible valentines to your loves.

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup almond flour

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Raspberry preserves for filling

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

With a mixer, beat the butter, sugar and zest until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix till combined.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, and salt. Add the dry mix to the egg and butter mixture. Mix to combine. Divide and press into two smooth dough discs. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Remove the dough and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it is soft enough to roll. Roll out one disc at a time on a floured surface to about 1/8" thickness. Using the larger heart cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Using a metal spatula or dough scraper, carefully transfer the hearts to parchment-lined baking sheets. Gather scraps, roll, and repeat; if the dough gets too sticky or hard to work with, just put it in the fridge to chill again. Should have 10 to 15 hearts depending on the size of cutter.

Repeat the process with the second disc of dough aiming for the same number of cookies. Then cut out windows with the smaller sized heart cookie cutter. You should have an equal number of base and top cookies.

Place sheets of cookies in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. At the same time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to turn light brown. Start checking after 10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.

On a work surface, group all the top cookies (with cutouts) and dust with powdered sugar. Then flip bottom cookies over, so the flattest side is up and spread about ½ to 1 teaspoon of jam on each cookie. Spread the jam from the center out almost to the edge, but not all the way. Complete each sandwich by topping with a sugar-dusted top cookie.

My notes:

I used a large 3 ½" heart cookie cutter and a small 2" heart for the cutouts. Instead of hearts, you could also try circles or squares, as long as you have a corresponding smaller size to make the cutout window.

If your jam is too runny, try reducing it in a small saucepan until thickened but still spreadable. You could also try using other favorite jams, strawberry, currant, plum, or even citrus marmalade.

You can make your own almond flour by finely grinding blanched almonds in a food processor.

Keep an eye on these thin cookies while they bake. Group the top cookies on the baking sheet as the cutout will give them a shorter baking time than the bottom cookies.

Enjoy! xoxo