Servings: 30 Linzer cookies
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Equipment
- Linzer cookie cutters
- rolling pin with guide rings
- baking sheet
- blender
- fine-meshed sieve
Ingredients
For the Orange-Cranberry Linzer Cookies
- 113 grams all-purpose flour
- 70 grams cake flour
- 115 grams granulated sugar
- 113 grams softened unsalted butter one stick (113.4g)
- 1 large egg
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- zest from 1 medium navel orange
For the Cranberry Filling
- 160 grams fresh cranberries
- 160 grams granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cornstarch
Instructions
to make the Linzer Cookies
- Sift the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.
- Add the egg, orange zest and granulated sugar to a bowl and beat with a mixer until pale yellow.
- Add the butter and beat again until relatively smooth (about 2-3 minutes). A few tiny chunks are fine as they will resolve once the dough is rolled out. If you are using a stand mixer, stop halfway to scrape down the sides/bottom of your bowl as the butter tends to stick to the sides at first.
- Add the dry ingredients from step 1 and mix on the lowest setting of your mixer until it is smooth.
- Turn the dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper (about 2 feet long) shaping it into a square/rectangle. Wrap in the parchment paper to cover then chill for 20-30 minutes until firm. While the dough chills, make your cranberry filling.
- Once the dough has been chilled, unwrap the parchment paper and sprinkle with flour on both the top and the bottom to prevent sticking. Take another sheet of parchment paper of equal length sandwiching the dough.
- Using a rolling pin with optional, but highly recommended, guide rings roll the dough out to 2-3 mm thickness. Peel back the parchment paper periodically and dust with more flour as needed to ensure the dough does not stick to the parchment paper. Flip, doing this to both sides
- After rolling out the dough to the desired thickness chill once more for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 310°F during this time.This second chill is important as it makes cutting out shapes easy and helps the cookies keep the distinct shapes while baking.
- After the second chill, use your Linzer cookie cutters to cut out shapes. For every cookie cutout with a "window" opening, cut out a solid shape for the base layer of the sandwich cookie. Re-roll the dough as needed to maximize the amount of cookies.You may have to chill in between re-rolls to keep the dough firm
- Add your cut out cookie dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet leaving about a quarter to a half-inch of space between the cookies. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Once removed from the oven, allow the cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes on the baking sheet.
to make the Cranberry filling
- Slice the cranberries half or mash them down with potato masher.
- Add the sliced/mashed cranberries to a saucepan along with the granulated sugar and cornstarch. Reduce over low-medium heat until cranberries are softened and the liquid has a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat.
- Use an immersion blender (or other blender) to puree the reduction to a jelly like consistency. Pour in desired storage container and allow to cool completely before assembling cookies.
assembling the Orange Cranberry Linzer cookies
- Separate your top cookies with the "windows" from the base cookies. Using a fine-meshed sieve, sift confectioner's sugar on the top cookies.
- Add the (cooled) cranberry filling to the base cookies ( about 1-2 teaspoons each). Make sure to spread the filling evenly across the cookie leaving a small clean border along the edge.
- Finish the cookie by creating a sandwich with the top cookies that were dusted earlier with confectioner's sugar. Apply slight pressure so that the filling spreads out between the cookies towards but not over the edge.
- Store in an airtight container until serving. Serve within 12 hours for optimal texture.
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