1/2 cup (113 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated whitesugar 1 largeegg, separated 1/2 teaspoon purevanillaextract 1 cup (130 grams) all purposeflour 1/8 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (80 grams)hazelnuts,almonds,pecansorwalnuts,toasted and finely chopped (See Note) 1/4 - 1/2 cup (60 - 120 ml) raspberry jam In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat just until combined. If the batter is too soft to roll into balls, refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Place the finely chopped nuts on a plate. Roll the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Taking one ball of dough at a time, dip first into the egg white and then lightly roll in the nuts. Place on the prepared baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Using your thumb or end of a wooden spoon, make a indentation into the center of each cookie and fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Bake for about 12 -15 minutes, or until cookies are set and the nuts have nicely browned. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Note: To toast the nuts.Spread nuts on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F (180 degree C) oven for 8-10 minutes (almonds, pecans and walnuts). The nuts are done when they are light golden-brown in color andfragrant. Toast the hazelnuts for about 15 minutes or until fragrant and the outer skins begin to flake. Remove from oven and place the hot nuts in a dish towel. Roll up the towel and let the nuts sit (steam) for a few minutes then rub the nuts in the towel briskly to remove the skins. Let cool completely. Once the nuts have cooled, place them in your food processor and process until finely chopped. Alternatively, you could chop them by hand. Note: If you are planning to store these cookies for more than a couple of days, I like to bake them without the jam. Just reduce the baking time by a few minutes. These cookies can be stored for about a week. Fill the cookies will jam the same day as serving. Makes about 20 cookies.
Linzer Cookies 1 cup (150 grams) wholealmonds(blanched or natural) 2 cups (260 grams) all purposeflour 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) salt Zest (outer yellow skin) of one smalllemon 1 cup (226 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated whitesugar, divided 1 teaspoon (5 grams) purevanillaextract 2 large (40 grams)eggyolks Topping: 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' (Icing or Powdered) Sugar 1/2 cup (120 ml) Raspberry or Black Currant Jam(can use other flavored jams), well stirred Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with the oven rack in the center of the oven. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake about 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from oven and once the nuts have cooled, place in a food processor, along with 1/4 cup (50 grams) white sugar, and process until finely ground. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract and egg yolks. Finally, beat in the ground almonds and then the flour mixture. Divide the dough in half, cover each half with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm (30-60 minutes, or up to two days). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one ball of dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch (.5 cm) thick. Using a 3 inch (7.5 cm) cookie cutter (round, square, heart, etc.) cut out the cookies. Place the cookies about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet. Reroll any scraps and cut out the remaining cookies. Repeat with the second ball of dough. (Note: If you find the cookies are soft, place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to chill the dough. This will prevent the cookies from spreading and losing their shape when baked.)Bake the cookies for about12 minutesor until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Assemble Cookies: Place the cut out cookies on a baking sheet and lightlydustthe tops with powdered sugar. Spread a thin layer of jam on the bottom surface of the full cookie (top of cookie will face out). Place the cut-out cookie on top and gently sandwich them together. Using a small spoon or a piping bag, fill the cut-out with a little more jam. The filled cookies will soften when stored. If you want the cookies to stay crisp, assemble the day of serving. The assembled cookies can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for several days. Makes about 26 - 3 inch (7.5 cm) Linzer Cookies. Shortbread Cookies with Raspberry 2 cups (260 grams) all-purposeflour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (226 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing)sugar 1 teaspoon purevanillaextract Filling: 1/4 - 1/2 cup of raspberry jam or homemade raspberry preserves 2 ounces (60 grams) white chocolate, grated Homemade Raspberry Preserves: (optional) 2 cups (225 grams) (8 ounces) frozen raspberries, unsweetened 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar a few drops of fresh lemon juice In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch (1 cm) thick. Using a 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7.5 cm) cookie cutter (round, square, heart, etc.) cut out the dough. Place the cookies about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a smaller cookie cutter (3/4 - 1 inch (2.5 cm)) to cut out the centers of half of the cookies on the baking sheet. (You will be sandwiching two cookies together and there will be a small 'window or cut out' in the top cookie so you can see the jam underneath.) Place the unbaked cookies, on the baking sheet, in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked. Bake for about10 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. To Assemble Cookies: Place the cookies with the cut-outs on a wire rack anddustthe tops with the confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar. On the bottom surface of the full cookie (top of cookie will face out) spread with about a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Sprinkle with a little grated white chocolate. Place the cut-out cookie on top and gently sandwich them together, making sure not to smug the confectioners' sugar. Using a small spoon, fill the cut-out with a little more jam. Makes about 12 sandwich cookies. Note: You can store the unassembled cookies for several days in an airtight container. It is best, though, to assemble the cookies the same day as serving in order to keep the cookies crisp. Homemade Raspberry Preserves: Place the frozen unsweetened raspberries and the sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Do not let it burn. Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof measuring cup. You should have almost a cup of preserves. Add a drop or two of lemon juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few days before using. Raspberry Butter Cookies 1 3/4 cup (225 grams) all purposeflour 1/4 cup (45 grams) white rice flour 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated whitesugar 1 teaspoonbaking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt Seeds from one vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 cup (225 grams) cold unsaltedbutter, cut into small chunks 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/3 cup (80 ml)raspberry jam(homemade or store bought) Place the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and the seeds from the vanilla bean in the bowl of your food processor. Process until combined. Add the cold pieces of butter and process until the batter starts to clump together. If needed, add about 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg. Divide the dough in half and then roll each half between two sheets of parchment or wax paper until it is about 1/4 inch (.5 cm) thick. As you roll, periodically check the top and bottom sheets of parchment and smooth out any wrinkles. Place dough on a baking sheet (along with the parchment paper) and place in the refrigerator until cold and very firm (about 45-60 minutes). (For faster chilling, place in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes). Once chilled, remove from refrigerator and peel off the top piece of parchment paper. Using about a 3 inch (7 cm) cookie cutter, cut out the cookies. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the centers ofhalfof the cookies. Lightly brush the tops of the whole cookies with the beaten egg and then gently press the cookies with the cut outs on top. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Fill the cut out of each cookie with raspberry jam. You can just use a small spoon or place the jam in a piping bag. Put the baking sheet with the cut out cookies in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), with the oven rack in the center position. Meanwhile, gather up any scraps of leftover dough and re-roll. (You may need to refrigerate the dough again before cutting out the cookies.) Before baking the cookies, lightly brush the cut out cookies with the beaten egg. Bake the cookies for about12 minutesor until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. The cookies can be covered and stored in the refrigerator about 2 to 3 weeks. They can also be frozen.
Shortbreads (Chocolate dipped cookies) Shortbread Cookies: 2 cups (260 grams) all-purposeflour 1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt 1 cup (2 sticks) (226 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered (confectioners or icing)sugar 1 teaspoon (4 grams) purevanillaextract For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads: 6 ounces (180 grams) semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface roll out the doughinto a 1/4 inch (.6 cm) thick circle. Cut into rounds or other shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheets and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. (This will firm up the dough so the cookies will maintain their shape when baked.) Bake for 8 -10 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. For Chocolate Dipped Shortbreads:Place 3 ounces (90 grams) of the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until it has completely melted and is smooth and glossy. Taking one cookie at a time, dip one end of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Once all the cookies have been dipped in the chocolate, place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened. Shortbread cookies with keep in an airtight container for about a week or they can be frozen.