shortbread Linzer Cookies: Raspberry Jam Love

I stumbled upon a solution for my surplus jam stash and guess what caught my eye? These delightful treats! I'm no expert in making them, but they're quite the rave on the British Bake Off, so why not give it a shot?

Classic Linzer cookies usually rock almond flour, but sadly, my kitchen was lacking that ingredient. No worries, though—I dug up this shortbread recipe instead. And let me tell you, the cookie base is a whole new level of amazing!

Oh, and let's not forget the cool part—I finally got to put those cut-out punches my awesome bf gifted me for Christmas to good use! For a first-timer, I think I did a pretty decent job.

Now here's the cool thing: these cookies aren't picky. You can roll with any jam or curd flavor that tickles your taste buds, and any funky shape cutters you've got on hand. Me? I went for my homemade low sugar strawberry nectarine jam. It's got this tangy kick that plays beautifully against the buttery shortbread and that sweet dusting of powdered sugar!

Trust me, making these was a blast! So go ahead, get your creative baking mode on! 🍪🎨

shortbread Linzer Cookies recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of butter (that's 3 sticks), make sure it's chillin' at room temp
• 1 cup of granulated sugar (the sweet stuff)
• 1 teaspoon of real vanilla extract (none of that fake stuff)
• 3 1/2 cups of flour (all-purpose goodness)
• A tiny pinch (like seriously, just a bit) of salt
• 3/4 cup of smooth raspberry jam (seedless is the way to go)
• Powdered sugar (for that magical dusting effect)

Let's Get Cooking:

Step 1: Getting Ready to Roll

• Fire up your oven to 350°F (you know, the heat zone).

Step 2: Mixing Up the Dough

1. Toss that room temperature butter and sugar into a mixer with the paddle attachment. Give it a whirl till they're friendly and combined. Oh, and throw in that vanilla too!
2. In another bowl, sift the flour and a pinch of salt together. Then, gently pour this flour mix into your butter mix. Keep the mixer low and slow till a dough party starts happening.
3. Dump that dough out on a floured surface. Make it a flat disk, wrap it up in plastic, and tell it to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Time to relax, dough!

Step 3: Rollin' and Bakin'

1. Roll that dough out till it's about as thick as a stack of coins. Cut out rounds using a biscuit cutter or a cookie cutter. Don't forget to use a smaller cutter for the cut-out shapes on half the rounds. Let them hang out on a baking sheet in the fridge for 15 minutes. Cold cookies are the coolest.
2. Bake these babies for around 10 to 20 minutes. Look for those golden edges. Once they're done, give 'em a chance to chill out and get to room temp.

Step 4: Bringing It All Together

1. Dust those cut-out cookies with a little powdered sugar. Just a sprinkle of magic!
2. Smear some of that raspberry jam love on the flat side of the solid cookies. Get generous, but not too messy.

1. Take a solid cookie and press it gently together with a cut-out cookie. You've got a cookie sandwich with a sweet secret inside!
2. Any leftover single cookies can chill in an airtight container. They're still part of the crew.

Voila! You've got yourself some awesome raspberry jam sandwich cookies. Perfect for snacking, sharing, or making your taste buds do a happy dance. Enjoy, cookie master! 🍪