Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Step 2

Lay walnuts on a cookie pan covered with parchment pepper and bake for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and ground in a food processor. Set aside to cool.

Step 3

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the wire whisk, whip the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, for about 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure you pause once to scrape the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula.

Step 4

In a medium bowl mix flour, ground walnuts, salt and cinnamon.

Step 5

Manually, using a rubber spatula, add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix slowly until all combined.

Step 6

Lay 2 large pieces of wax paper in a single layer on a flat surface. Sprinkle each one with a light coating of flour.

Step 7

Place ½ of the batter on each of the pieces of wax paper. Coat with another light layer of flour and roll until ⅛ inch in thickness. Top with another piece of wax paper of the same length and slice the dough on a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining dough and transfer the cookie dough discs to the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Step 8

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 9

After 2 hours, remove 1 dough sheet/disk from the refrigerator and gently, avoiding to create any creases or cracks, using a liner cookie cutter, cut as many round shapes as the dough sheet fits. Using a mini flower cookie cutter, cut out flower shapes (or any desired shape) of the center of half of all the cookies. Save the scraps.

Step 10

Arrange the cookies neatly in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes, until they are lightly golden brown. Please start checking after 7 minutes of baking as every oven is different.

Step 11

Remove the trays from the oven and allow cookies to cool slightly on the tray for a few minutes before gently transferring them to a flat surface or cooling wire rack.

Step 12

Roll any remaining scraps and repeat the process, if the dough becomes too soft, roll into a disk on wax paper and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes before cutting the cookies.

Step 13

Repeat with the remaining cookie sheet/disk from the fridge.

Step 14

Assembling: Lay all the flower center tops on a separate cookie sheet and dust with powdered sugar. This is done to avoid powdered sugar on the raspberry preserves center.

Step 15

Spoon ½ or 1 teaspoon of raspberry preserves on each bottom and place a top flower center on squarely on each.

Step 16

Serve and enjoy!