A day or so separates from us from Christmas and it surely be one of the most unique Christmas days ever celebrated. For many, it will be spent in isolation or away from loved ones. In times like these, I think it's best to maintain as much as possible the spirit of this holiday and enjoy it the best way we can. Luckily, there is no shortage of great classic sweets that will can surely lift our mood and spirits. A great example is Linzer cookies, a rich and fragrant treat best enjoyed during the holidays. Now, more than ever, we have the right need to indulge enjoy buttery rich, delicious and comforting baked goods.
Traditionally these cookies are made from the same dough as Linzer torte. I often make and enjoy this dessert and I bake every now and then. From the Linzer torte to the cookies, you will need few adjustments to make the texture more crumbly and better suited for cookies.
A short historic background of this recipe: Linz, a beautiful Danubian city, is considered the birth place of the Linzer torte (torte meaning cake in German). This cake is thought to be one the oldest cake recipes known in Europe, going back to 1696, but it seems that some historians found an older recipe from Verona dating back to 1653.
The Linzer torte is a rich cake, full of spices and enticing flavors, all topped with a sweet tangy raspberry jam. The use of spices in sweet recipes is quite common in many parts of Europe, especially in colder European countries. Spices are widely used in Middle-Eastern and Asian countries, but their use is widespread in savory dishes, which is not always the take in traditional European cuisine. It's always interesting to see how different cultures approach and use the same ingredient. Personally, I believe that using spices, especially in desserts, warms the body and uplifts the soul, something that is quite convenient in colder climates with long, dark and cold nights. In all cases, I love spices and welcome their use whenever possible.
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For the dough you need (enough for 10 to 12 cookies):
- 1 cup of toasted ground almonds, or hazelnuts (about 140 g)
- 1 cup of flour (160 g)
- 1/4 cup of powdered, granulated or even brown sugar (45 g), if you want the dough to be sweeter you can double the amount
- 1/2 cup of cold butter (112 g)
- Zest of half a lime or lemon
- 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp of ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground star anise
- A dash of salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- Raspberry jam (recipe will follow).
In a food processor combine almonds and sugar, pulse until blended. Add the flour, the spices and the zest, pulse again until well mixed.
Now you can add the butter to the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until combined or put the mixture into a big bowl and incorporate the butter with the dry ingredients with your hands or a dough blender. When well mixed add the egg yolk and mix until you have a firm non sticky dough.
Wrap it in plastic and leave it in the fridge for about 3 to 4 hours (or even over night).Now you can add the butter to the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until combined or put the mixture into a big bowl and incorporate the butter with the dry ingredients with your hands or a dough blender. When well mixed add the egg yolk and mix until you have a firm non sticky dough.
Take the dough out, and on a floured surface roll it out for about a 4 or 5 mm thick, cut out the cookies and cut the Linzer eyes in half of them. Once done, put the cookies back to the fridge until firm.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven (160C) , then bake the cookies until the edges are golden brown (about 15 minutes).
Leave to cool completely on a wire rack
For the jam I used:
Now all you need to do is to sandwich the cookies together with the raspberry jam, or any other jam that you prefer. Dust them with some powdered sugar and enjoy them with a cup of coffee or tea.
- 170 g raspberry (fresh or frozen)
- 100 g of sugar (or 170 if you want it sweeter)
- The seeds of a half vanilla bean
- Squeeze of a lemon juice (just few drops).
Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom pan, when they start to boil and the raspberry starts falling apart, sieve the mixture (it is easier doing it at this stage) then put the jam back to the pan and leave it to simmer for about 20 or 30 minutes until it gets rather thick.
The cookies are really delicate, crumbly and delicious. They make the perfect Christmas gift to your loved ones, or just gift them to yourselves because you too deserve all the love.
Finally, all that's left to say is Merry Christmas!
