Step 1

To the canister of a large food processor, add the pecans, and pulse a few times until the pecans have reduced to a fine powder, or pecan flour, taking care not to over-process and turn them into a paste!** (See Notes)

Step 2

Tp the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the butter, sugar, confectioner's sugar, salt, and cream (beat) together on high speed for 1 minute.

Step 3

Add the eggs and continue beating for 30 seconds.

Step 4

Add the flour, pecan flour, and stir to incorporate.

Step 5

Turn the dough out into a disc-like shape, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Step 6

Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

Step 7

Unwrap the dough and place it on a well floured surface like a clean countertop.

Step 8

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, about ¼-inch thick.

Step 9

Using a 2 ½-inch scalloped edge cookie cutter, cut 32 cookies. Ball up dough, re-roll it, and cut, as necessary.

Step 10

Use a small snowflake cookie cutter to cut snowflakes out of the center of 16 cookies. Tip - You can use another shaped cutter like a small circle or a heart if desired.

Step 11

Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 ½-inches of space between each cookie.

Step 12

Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until cookies are set and done (start checking at 10 minutes), taking care not to overbake them. Tip - Bake one sheet of cookies at a time, on the center rack, rotating pan once midway through baking for optimal results.

Step 13

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets momentarily before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 14

Once the cookies have cooled, spoon 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of jam onto the center of each whole cookie.

Step 15

Place a snowflake cookie on top of each of the jam-topped cookies, and lightly press together to seal. Tip - Use a toothpick to spread the jam to the points of the snowflakes if desired. Repeat the process until all cookies have been sandwiched together.

Step 16

Evenly dust the cookies with confectioners' sugar.

Step 17

I prefer to store my jam-filled snowflake linzer cookies airtight at room temp for up to 1 week. You can also store them in the fridge, although I find the storing baked goods in the fridge tends to dry them out unnecessarily. For lemon curd-filled linzer cookies, you should store them airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can get away with longer, they just may not taste quite as fresh. Linzer cookies will also keep airtight in the freezer for up to 4 months. However, you will need to dust them with confectioners’ sugar after thawing otherwise it will tend to “disappear” because it will just melt into the cookies as they thaw.