Iced Cherry Almond Linzer Cookies

These iced cherry almond linzer cookies are as beautiful to take a look at as they’re to eat, and there’s no particular cookie adorning abilities required. You should utilize any small cookie cutters it’s important to minimize the almond cookie dough into your selection of shapes, and the filling is solely store-bought cherry preserves. These lovely sandwich cookies truly style greatest on day 2, so that they’re a beautiful make-ahead vacation cookie choice.

Between the cherry filling and the candy icing on high, the style and texture of those linzer cookies truly make me suppose I’m consuming a elaborate pop-tart! These nutty almond linzers are crunchy proper out of the oven, however after icing the highest and sandwiching jam within the middle, they start to melt. The magic occurs on day 2 when the icing and jam settle into the cookies, making the entire sandwich cookie tender, smooth, and deliciously crumbly.

Why You’ll Love These Iced Cherry Almond Linzer Cookies

• Spectacular & lovely, with out requiring particular adorning ability (not in the present day, royal icing & piping suggestions!)
• Flavors of almond & cherry pair so properly, similar to in these cherry pie bars
• Save time by utilizing store-bought cherry preserves/jam for the filling
• Simple 3-ingredient icing comes collectively in seconds
• Linzer cookie cutter set not required—you need to use any small cookie cutters you could have
• Cookies’ style & texture are even higher the following day, so this can be a nice make-ahead cookie choice

What Are Linzer Cookies?

Linzer cookies are historically made out of a nutty almond-based cookie dough. The dough is rolled out, minimize into shapes, and baked… similar to sugar cookies. Then the cookies are sandwiched along with a filling, often a candy fruit jam. These festive, stained glass window-esque cookies are simply a number of the prettiest cookies round, particularly on vacation cookie trays.

Enjoyable reality: Linzer cookies originate from an Austrian deal with referred to as linzertorte, a kind of pastry full of a fruit protect and topped with a lattice design.

I like linzer-style cookies, and have just a few varieties already printed together with raspberry pistachio linzer cookies and caramel hazelnut linzer cookies. You probably have a duplicate of my cookbook Sally’s Cookie Dependancy, you’ll discover a recipe for raspberry almond linzer cookies on web page 65.

Almond Linzer Cookie Dough

Right here’s what you might want to make these cookies:

You want complete almonds for this cookie dough, which you’ll grind down so they’re crushed. You don’t, nevertheless, need almond meal or almond flour as a result of each are too advantageous. You’ll be a lot happier with the ultimate cookie with the additional texture from the coarser items of nuts.

A small meals processor is useful for coarsely chopping the almonds:

I often use brown sugar in linzer-style cookies. At the moment, nevertheless, I selected common granulated sugar so it doesn’t take away from the almond and cherry flavors.

After that, the dough comes collectively simply with a stand mixer. Anticipate a thick, crumbly dough:

Refrigerate the Dough

Divide the dough in half. You probably have a meals scale, it helps to evenly divide the dough. In case you don’t, nevertheless, that’s advantageous, too. Simply eyeball it. This dough weighs about 850g, so each bit ought to weigh about 425g.

Flatten each bit of dough right into a disc and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the 2 wrapped discs of dough for at the least 3 hours.

Just like this gingerbread cookie dough, when it first comes out of the fridge the dough will likely be actually laborious. Let it sit out for 10 minutes earlier than you begin to roll it out. If you first begin to roll it out, the sides could crack a bit, however as you’re employed it, the oils from the almonds launch a bit and it shortly turns into extra workable.

Roll Out & Reduce Shapes

I made a decision on a 3-inch tree-shaped cookie cutter (the smallest one from this set) for in the present day’s iced almond cherry linzer cookies, however you may actually use any 2- to 3-inch cookie cutter for these. I like these fluted-edge cookie cutters for a extra traditional linzer cookie look, which I exploit to make these raspberry pistachio linzer cookies and chocolate gingerbread sandwich cookies.

To make the cutout within the high cookie, so the filling reveals by means of, you want one other cookie cutter that’s actually small—about 1 inch. You’ll be able to merely make a spherical middle gap, however it seems additional festive with somewhat star or coronary heart form. For the pictured cookies, I used the star from this linzer Christmas cookie cutter set.

What if I Don’t Have a Tremendous Small Cookie Cutter for the Middle?

In case you don’t have any cookie cutters that small, don’t fear! Strive utilizing the tip of a straw to make a small spherical gap within the middle, or use a small paring knife to carve just a few tiny holes (which might seem like purple ornaments on tree-shaped cookies!).

All of the cookies will likely be minimize with the bigger cookie cutter, however solely HALF will likely be minimize with the smaller one, for the highest cookies. So roll out your first disc of dough, leaving the opposite disc within the fridge for now. Reduce out the cookies and bake. These are your backside cookies:

Then roll out your second disc of dough, minimize out the cookies the identical means as earlier than, however then use the small cookie cutter to make the little cutout form within the middle of every cookie earlier than baking. These are your high cookies:

Assembling These Iced Cherry Almond Linzer Cookies

As soon as the cookies have baked and cooled, it’s time to ice, fill, and sandwich them.

Sometimes, linzer cookies get a reasonably dusting of confectioners’ sugar on high. However I needed one thing completely different right here, and almond icing is simply SO GOOD.

For the icing, you want confectioners’ sugar, somewhat milk, and almond extract. You need the icing consistency to be semi-thick, so it’s not too runny. Dip every of the highest cookies into the icing, and let any extra drip off.

Set the iced high cookies apart to dry, and switch your consideration to the underside cookies.

For the filling, I used cherry preserves, however actually… any taste works. In case your cherry preserves are fairly chunky, you need to use your small meals processor to offer them just a few pulses and easy out the feel, which is what I did. Pureeing it an excessive amount of ends in a too-thin sauce, although, so go simple.

Unfold about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry preserves onto the underside aspect of every backside cookie, then gently place an iced high cookie on high to create a cookie sandwich. It’s advantageous if the icing hasn’t totally set but, simply maintain the cookies rigorously by the sides.

Let the assembled iced cherry almond linzer cookies sit out for just a few hours for the icing to set, after which you possibly can stack and retailer them.

It undoubtedly takes a while to make and assemble these linzer cookies, however if you happen to love the look of cut-out cookie cutter cookies, and don’t need to go to the difficulty of adorning, these are a improbable—and simply as lovely—different. Plus, once more, they’re like a fancied-up cherry pop-tart. 😉

Print

Cherry Almond Linzer Cookies

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  Writer: Sally
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  Prep Time: 4 hours (consists of chilling)
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  Prepare dinner Time: 12 minutes
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  Whole Time: 4 hours, half-hour
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  Yield: 22–25 3-inch sandwich cookies
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  Class: Cookies
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  Methodology: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

These iced cherry almond linzer cookies are as beautiful to take a look at as they’re to eat, and there’s no particular cookie adorning ability required. You should utilize any small cookie cutters it’s important to minimize the almond cookie dough into your selection of shapes, and the filling is solely store-bought cherry preserves. Take your time with these cookies, particularly when dealing with the dough and sandwiching the cookies collectively. 

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Directions

1. Make the dough: Place the almonds in a meals processor. Pulse till the almonds are finely chopped, however not so finely that it’s turning into almond flour. See picture above for a visible.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the chopped almonds, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt till mixed. Put aside.
3. In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar collectively on excessive velocity till fully easy and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat on excessive velocity till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges and up the underside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
4. Add the dry components to the moist components and blend on low velocity till mixed. The dough will likely be thick and crumbly, and weigh about 850g.
5. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts (about 425g every, or simply eyeball it), gently flatten into discs, and wrap every in plastic wrap. Chill the discs within the fridge for at the least 3 hours (and as much as 4 days). 
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (All the time advisable for cookies.) Put aside.
7. Reduce out and bake the cookies: Take away 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the fridge. After chilling, the dough will likely be very laborious. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes (or half-hour, if the dough chilled for longer than 3 hours) earlier than you attempt to roll it. Generously flour a piece floor, in addition to your arms and the rolling pin. Roll out the disc to about 1/4-inch thickness. If the dough is cracking rather a lot when rolling out, wait just a few extra minutes for it to melt up a bit extra. The extra you’re employed with it, the softer and simpler to work with it’ll turn into. Utilizing a 2-inch or 3-inch cookie cutter, minimize dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and proceed reducing till all is used. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You need to have about 44–60 cookies, relying on the scale of cookie cutter you employ.
8. Utilizing a small (1-inch) cookie cutter (see Observe if you happen to don’t have one), minimize a gap into the middle of half of the cookies. Let’s name these the “high cookies,” and those with no gap the “backside cookies.”
9. Prepare the cookies 2 inches aside on lined baking sheets. Bake the cookies for about 11–12 minutes, or till flippantly browned across the edges. Permit cookies to chill on the baking sheets for five minutes, then switch to a wire rack to chill fully earlier than assembling.
10. Make the icing: In a small bowl, whisk collectively (I often use a fork) confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon milk, and extract(s) till easy. If the icing is simply too thick to whisk, add somewhat extra milk, a teaspoon at a time, till it reaches desired consistency. You need to maintain it on the thicker aspect.
11. Frivolously dip the floor of every high cookie into the icing, and let any extra icing drip off. Place the iced high cookies on a wire rack or parchment paper. It’s okay if the icing isn’t fully set earlier than sandwiching the cookies.
12. Assemble the cookies: Unfold about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry preserves on the underside aspect of every backside cookie. Fastidiously high every backside cookie with a high iced cookie and press collectively very gently to create a cookie sandwich. Icing will set in just a few hours, so you possibly can stack, retailer, transport, and reward the cookies.
13. Cookies will keep contemporary coated at room temperature for two days or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.

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Notes

1. Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You’ll be able to chill the cookie dough within the fridge for as much as 4 days (see step 5), however you too can freeze it for as much as 3 months. In case you go for the latter, permit the dough to thaw in a single day within the fridge, then convey to room temperature earlier than rolling out in step 7. See Tips on how to Freeze Cookie Dough for extra info. Iced sandwich cookies freeze properly for as much as 3 months; thaw in a single day within the fridge and convey to room temperature earlier than serving.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks):Meals Processor | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper Sheets | Rolling Pin or Adjustable Rolling Pin | 2- to 3-inch cookie cutter, such because the small tree from this set, or this fluted-edge cookie cutter set | Linzer Christmas Cookie Cutter Set | Cooling Rack
3. Almonds: I like utilizing salted roasted almonds on this dough, and I like to recommend them for extraordinary taste. In case you solely have uncooked and/or unsalted almonds, that’s advantageous, too. An additional pinch of salt within the dough is nice if you happen to’re utilizing unsalted almonds.
4. Cherry Filling: For the cookies pictured right here, I used the Bonne Maman model of cherry preserves, and gave it just a few pulses within the meals processor to easy out a number of the chunks. You’ll be able to actually use any preserves/jam in these cookies corresponding to raspberry, apricot, or strawberry. If what you’re utilizing is especially chunky, pulse just a few occasions in a meals processor to easy out. Lemon curd can be scrumptious in linzer cookies!
5. If You Don’t Have a Small Cookie Cutter for Middle: In case you don’t have any small (1-inch) cookie cutters for the middle, don’t fear! Strive utilizing the tip of a straw to make a small spherical gap within the middle, or use a small paring knife to carve just a few tiny holes (which might seem like purple ornaments on tree-shaped cookies!).
6. Can I Skip the Icing? Sure, completely. As an alternative of icing the highest cookies in steps 10 and 11, mud the cooled high cookies with 2 Tablespoons (16g) of sifted confectioners’ sugar.

Key phrases: cherry almond linzer cookies