Hello, darling readers! Christmas is fast approaching, and we all know the holidays just wouldn't be the same without cookies! This was my third year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, and it was so much fun. My first year, I made some Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Biscotti, and last year I made this Chocolate Chip Confetti Shortbread. This year, I decided to step away from the chocolate and make some classic buttery linzer cookies with mixed berry jam. Let's get to baking!
If you know me, you know I'm a total fiend for end-of-season sales, especially after Christmas! I have no shame in admitting more than half of the Christmas stuff I have, I bought after the holidays for like, 75% off. I've had my linzer cookie cutters for a couple of years, but I just never got around to using them. This year, finally, their time came! And honestly these were nothing short of spectacular, so I couldn't not share.
Most of the linzer cookie recipes I found included almond flour, but since I didn't have any on hand (and to tell the truth, I didn't really want these to taste nutty), I hunted down a recipe without it. I found Ina Garten's classic recipe, and it was as perfect as you'd expect! The dough is intensely buttery with a caramelized flavor, and the cookies are deliciously crisp but melt in your mouth. I sandwiched mine with mixed berry jam, but you can put anything you want in these!
As part of the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I had to ship out my cookies to three different bloggers, and got three boxes of cookies back! I got to enjoy Salted Caramel Toffee Chip Cookies from In The Kitchen with KP, Salted Dulce de Leche Brownie Cookies from A Cookie Named Desire, and Dried Cherry Hazelnut Biscotti from Daisy at Home. Thank you, ladies! They were all delicious! 🙂
{original recipe from Ina Garten}
- ¾ lb. unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- mixed berry jam, for filling
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the vanilla.
- Add in the flour and salt, and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough to ¼-in. thick and make 2¾-in. cutouts with a plain or fluted cutter. With half of the cutouts, use a 1-in. cutter to remove the middle. Place all cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.
- Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread berry jam on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cutout cookies with confectioners’ sugar, and press the flat sides together, with the jam in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on the top.
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
These are one of my favorite types of Christmas cookies because they're just SO PRETTY! Yours are gorgeous!! <3
Jennifer Sikora says
These were my favorite cookies!!!! Thanks for sending these to me.