Linzer Thumbprints Food

RASPBERRY LINZER THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Mix margarine with sugars in large bowl. Mix in eggs and vanilla until blended. Gradually add in flour mixture; mix just until blended. Stir in almonds and lemon peel. Drop by tablespoonfuls on ungreased baking sheets, 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
• Bake 7 minutes or until edges are golden. Immediately make an indentation in centres of cookies with the back of a round measuring spoon. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 minutes on a wire rack; remove cookies from sheets and cool completely.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar, then fill indentations evenly with jam; about a half teaspoon each.

THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Knead a few times by hand to bring the dough together.
• Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Make an indentation in the center of each ball with a small measuring spoon or the back of a pen. Fill each indentation with jam (a scant 1/8 teaspoon).
• Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

BUTTER AND JAM THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
• In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.
• Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam.
• Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.
• Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

LINZER CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Pulse the hazelnuts and 1/8 cup granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves.
• Beat the butter and the remaining 1/8 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and lemon zest. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a 5-inch disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Roll out each disk of dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut out stars or trees using a 2-inch cookie cutter and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Cut out the centers of half of the cookies using smaller cutters. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Reroll the scraps just once and repeat. (Refrigerate the dough if it gets too soft.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack.
• Dust the cutout cookies generously with confectioners' sugar. Spread about 1 teaspoon preserves on the underside of each whole cookie, then sandwich with the cutout cookies. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.