"Lyndsay" Linzer Cookies

These cookies were meant to be for my uncle on Christmas, but I made so many and decided to eat a few on the side ;).

My dough didn't turn out exactly the way it was supposed to, it tended to stick to my linzer cookie cutter that I bought from Michaels Crafts Store. The flavour was still delicious as ever though! It was my first time making these, it sounded a little complicated but turned out to be simple. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and altered it a bit to my liking. I am not going to take full credit for this recipe since I didn't invent them!


Recipe:

• 1 1/4 cups softened, unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups ground almonds (I ground mine in a magic bullet)
• 2 lemons, zested
• 2 tbs vanilla extract

1 small jar of Raspberry Jam or whichever is your favourite (Raspberry truly is best for these)


Step-by-Step:

• Cream together the butter and white sugar until mixture is light.
• Add in the lemon zest & vanilla, keep mixing that dough!
• Beat in the flour little bits at a time, until it becomes stiff and everything has melded well.
• Let sit in the fridge for 1 hour minimum, although it is best to let it sit over night.

This part I copied and pasted from Allrecipes : 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the 1/2 of the dough into a sheet 1/8 inch thick. With a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles from the sheet as you can. Knead the leftover scraps of dough into a ball and roll it out again into a 1/8 inch sheet. Cut out more circles. You should now have about 12 circles.
3. Arrange them on an ungreased baking sheet leaving about and inch of space between them.
4. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other half of the dough, but before placing the second batch on the baking sheet, cut out the center of each circle with a 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Bake both batches for 10 - 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool on cake rake for 20 minutes.
5. Spread tops of the solid circles with a thin coating of jam, lay a cutout cookie on top of each, pressing the two together so they make a sandwich. Spoon a dab of jam into the opening of each tart and sprinkle the tops with confectioners' sugar before serving. (I think they look pretty without the dusting on top)
6. NOTE: Keep dough as cold as possible for easier handling. You may have to chill it after rolling it out so that it will be easier to cut.