Classic Linzer Hearts

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 18
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened, not melted)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup finely ground hazelnuts or 1 cup almonds or 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup seedless raspberry jam
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Recipe

• 1 you will also need: cookie sheet and parchment paper.
• 2 combine flour and spices together in a bowl.
• 3 beat together butter and sugar for 5 minutes. electric mixer at medium speed, with a paddle attachment gives best results.
• 4 lower speed and add almonds and flour/spice mixture. finish mixing dough with rubber spatula as needed.
• 5 roll dough into 2 balls, and then flatten with hands or rolling pin onto sheets of plastic wrap. once dough is about 1/2 inch thick, completely wrap dough and chill until firm. dough will be ready in about an hour, but can be left for days.
• 6 preheat oven to 350 degrees. place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven.
• 7 take out 1 roll of chilled dough. gently roll or pound with hands soften. roll to 1/4 inch thick.
• 8 use 2 different sized heart shaped cookie cutters to cut the dough. use the smaller one on half of the hearts to make a "window".
• 9 place dough on parchment paper on cookie sheets.
• 10 scrap remaining dough together and roll out. switch this dough out for the chilled dough. roll out more cookies as above.
• 11 bake cookies about 15 minutes or until pale golden.
• 12 while cookies are baking reduce jam in small pot on the stove top. let it boil, then lower heat to simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
• 13 once cookies are cool, dust windowed hearts with confectioner's sugar.
• 14 place spoonful of jam on backside of whole hearts. place windowed piece on top to make a sandwich with raspberry jam showing through window.
• 15 store cookies in sealed container between sheets of parchment paper.