Linzer Cookies

Linzer cookies 2

You won’t find a more tender, melt in your mouth confection than the Linzer. So delicate and sweet, I especially enjoy making these buttery little beauties for Valentine’s Day.

Linzer Cookies

Ingredients (makes 10-12 cookies)

1 cup Butter

2 cups sifted Cake Flour

1 teaspoon orange extract or orange liqueur

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Raspberry, strawberry or cherry jam

Linzer cookie cutters

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, mix butter, orange extract and sugar.  Add in 1 cup of flour at a time, mixing well. Remove dough from mixing bowl, shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough at least 2 hours.

Roll out 1/2 of the dough on a floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out the bottom cookie using the linzer cutter without the insert. Roll out the remaining  dough and cut the cookie tops with the Linzer cutter with insert.

Bake cookies for 12 minutes. Cool completely. Generously dust tops with powdered sugar. Spread about 2 teaspoons jam on each cookie bottom. Place cookie tops over bottom cookies to create a sandwich cookie. Store in a single layer in covered container.

If you don’t have a linzer cookie cutter you could use a 2 inch fluted cookie cutter and a 3/4 inch cookie cutter to cut out the center of the top cookie.

Linzer 2

Black Raspberry Chocolate Bars

Here’s a recipe that a former co-worker shared with me years ago.  This delicious cookie bar has a buttery shortbread crust layered with gooey sweet jam, chocolate chips and an almond crumb topping. Now who wouldn’t like that?

Black Raspberry and Chocolate Cookie Bars

Black Raspberry Chocolate Bars

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

For the Crumb Topping:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons softened butter

For the Filling:

1 cup seedless black raspberry jam

6 ounces milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375 Degrees

Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with foil

Combine crust ingredients in a medium bowl with a pastry blender or fork

Press mixture firmly into pan

Bake for 20 minutes- top should be slightly firm

Combine crumb topping ingredients until blended & set aside

Remove baked crust from oven

Top hot crust with jam spread within 1/4 inch from the edge

Sprinkle with chocolate chips, pressing them into the jam

Add crumb topping and chocolate chips, (press chips into crumbs and jam) top with sliced almonds and bake an additional 20 minutes until chocolate chips are softened.