Description

These festive High Altitude Linzer Cookies are as delicious as they are beautiful, with nutty, citrus-scented flavor and a buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract (not imitation)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)
one or more flavors of jam*

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the AP flour, almond flour, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a medium mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until well-combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in the orange zest.
On low speed, add the flour mixture just until combined. The dough will begin somewhat crumbly and eventually come together in big clumps.
Divide the dough in half and form each half into a 1-inch thick disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove one disk from the refrigerator and allow to soften slightly, just until you can roll it out. If at any point your dough becomes too warm and sticky, gather it up and pop it back into the fridge for a few minutes.*
Roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut out your desired shapes, making cutout “windows” in half the cookies and leaving the other half solid. Collect any remaining dough scraps and re-roll.*
Space cookies about an inch apart on your prepared sheet, then place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for a few minutes to allow the cookies to firm up (this helps avoid spreading and puffiness).
Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes each, until the sides are just barely turning golden around the edges (the tops will look slightly underdone which is what you want).
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are completely cool, use a shaker or small sieve to dust the top (“window”) cookies with powdered sugar.*
On a bottom cookies, dollop about a teaspoon of the jam of your choice and place a sugar-coated window cookie on top. Avoid adding too much jam as it has a tendency to migrate toward the edges of the cookies. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Store cookies in an airtight container. If stacking cookies, place parchment paper in between each layer to avoid sticking.

Notes

… Beware of runny jams, which will soak through your cookies. Note also that “preserves” will have chunky bits of fruit which some may find unappealing as a filling, while “jam” or” jelly” is generally smoother.

… Avoid using copious amounts of flour to keep your dough from sticking, which can result in tough cookies. If your dough is too sticky, place it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it firms up.

… When dusting the top cookies with powdered sugar, you can avoid a giant mess by positioning the cookies on a cooling rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet, which will contain the fallout.