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Nope, instead they're meant to be enjoyed like many other cookies of the season. We continue with Christmas Cookie Week here on Tonia's Kitchen with guest Abby Dodge, who wrote the cookbook The Everyday Baker. Today, we're tackling Linzer Cookies, specifically Hazelnut-Raspberry flavor, which if you think about it, is perfect for the season. Abby told Tonia the three big ingredients include hazelnut, cinnamon and cloves. She also says you can shape this cookies however you like, as long as you can see the delicious raspberry jam in the center. These are great party starters, and will put your guests into that wonderful
holiday mood!
Hazelnut–Raspberry Sandwich Cookie Wreaths
Makes 48 sandwich cookies
For the cookies
2 cups (9 oz./255 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (3 oz./85 g) hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and finely
ground
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
16 Tbs. (8 oz./227 g) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (3 oz./85 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumpy
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
For assembly
Confectioners’ sugar
1 cup (240 ml) seedless raspberry jelly
Make the cookies
1. Have ready several sheets of parchment and a cookie sheet.
Whisk the flour, ground hazelnuts, cinnamon, salt, and cloves in a medium bowl
until well blended.
2. Put the butter and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a
stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl using an
electric handheld mixer fitted with wire beaters). Beat on medium speed until
creamy and lighter in color, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat on
medium until blended and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and
beat on low speed until the dough forms moist clumps.
3. Scrape the dough
onto the work surface and divide into two approximately equal piles. Put one
pile of the dough in the center of a sheet of parchment. Cover with another
piece of parchment and press down on the dough to flatten. Using a rolling pin,
roll the dough between the parchment to a 3/16-inch (4.8 mm) thickness,
turning, lifting, and repositioning the parchment and lightly flouring
throughout the rolling. Slide the dough and parchment onto a cookie sheet and
refrigerate. Repeat with more parchment and the remaining dough, stack on top
of the other one, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Bake and assemble the cookies
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the
oven to 350°F (180°C/gas 4). Line cookie sheets (four, if you have them) with
parchment or nonstick liners.
2. Working with one sheet of dough at a time, remove the top
sheet of parchment. Using a 2-inch (5 cm) fluted cookie cutter, cut out rounds
from the chilled dough. Arrange the rounds about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the
prepared cookie sheets. Using a 3/4-inch (2 cm) fluted or plain cookie cutter,
cut out the centers of half of the rounds and remove. Stack the scraps and
gently press together. Reroll, chill, and cut.
3. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the edges and bottom of
the cookies are golden brown, 9 to 11 minutes. Move the sheet to a rack and let
cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool
completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough using cooled cookie sheets
and parchment or liners.
4. Arrange the cookies with the center stamped out, top side
up, on a work surface and, using a sifter, dust the tops with confectioners’
sugar. Arrange the whole cookies, bottom side up, on the work surface. Put a
scant 1 tsp. of the jelly in the center of each cookie. Cover with the
confectioners’ sugar-coated cookies and press down very gently to evenly spread
the jelly until it just reaches the edges. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Serve immediately or cover and stow at room temperature for up to 2 days.
