Linzer Torte Cookies!

 I went into my German heritage for baking my first batch of Christmas cookies today. One of my favorite combinations is almond and raspberry and that is the popular duo of the Linzer Torte Cookie.

After years of making sandwich-type cookies, I finally figured out how to make the tops and bottoms of the sandwich come out evenly - I cut the dough in half and weighed them to make sure they were even. I also second-guessed myself by keeping track of how many of each were made. I'm losing my haphazard bad habits in my old age!

The recipe was simple but the taste is outstanding - in my humble opinion!

Linzer Torte Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups toasted and finely ground almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Filling:
Seedless Raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Add the flour, almonds, and spices. Mix the dough as much as you can with a spoon or knead to gather it together by hand.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough about 1/4th inch thick. Cut circles with one half of the dough and then cut out a small, decorative star, triangle, etc. out of the middle of the other half (the top of your 'sandwich').

Bake on your prepared baking sheets for approximately 10-12 minutes or until firm and golden around the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To sandwich your cookies, spread on a thin layer of jam on the bottom half and then gently press the top cookie into place. You want a bit of the jam to press into the opening but not too much.

To put a finishing touch on your cookies, you can either dust them with powdered sugar or drizzle them with lemon icing. Makes about 60 cookies depending on the size of your cookie cutter.