Valentine’s Day Linzer Cookies

I always make linzer cookies for my husband for Valentine’s Day and then don’t post them because it is after Valentine’s Day before I can get them up.  This year I decided to make them early, so I could post them.  Usually, they have ground pecans in them, but this time I was making them on a day that my daughter was coming home from college for the weekend, and she is allergic to nuts, so I substituted some brown rice flour to add a little nuttiness and texture.  I do think I prefer the pecans though.  I wouldn’t even think anything of it if I hadn’t had the pecans before, so they are both really good, so you can choose.

I really love making these cookies because they are so pretty, so I will warn you that there are lots of photos.

Here are the bottoms of the cookies.  They are pretty too, but you don’t see them after you cover them with jam.

This is a black and white version of the tops, already dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

And, not black and white, but with little saturation – not sure which I like best.

During assembly…

and for some reason, I am just taken with the prints in confectioners’ sugar.

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Valentine’s Day Linzer Cookies

Prep 45 mins

Cook 20 mins

Total 1 hour, 5 mins

Author Michelle

Yield 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature (Use the best quality butter you can find. It really does make a difference.)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup confectioners sugar, plus more to sift over the tops
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• good quality raspberry jam – I didn’t measure it.

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment.
3. Cream together butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add flour, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well combined and the dough dough sticks together well.
5. Roll onto a lightly floured surface until about ¼ inch thick.
6. Cut with cookie cutters and place on the prepared cookie sheets. I used a large heart shaped cutter and cut out the center with a smaller cutter.
7. You may have to lift the cookies with a spatula to place on the cookie sheet. Bake at for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges just begin to turn golden. I baked mine one sheet at a time, but you could probably bake them on two racks and switch them half way through baking.
8. Cool completely before filling.
9. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the cookies you are using for the tops.
10. Spread jam over the bottoms.
11. Sandwich cookies together.
12. I made 8 large cookies. The number you make depends greatly on how large your cookie cutters are.

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