Linzer Tarts! Or as my mom called them Linzies cookies.
These are probably my least favorite cookie to make, but they are one of my most favorite cookies to eat! They are a real yummy treat, and a favorite in our family.
When my mom made these she would make them a little smaller and she'd also double up on the dough so she'd have plenty to give away on her famous cookie trays.
Everyone, from the girl in the bank to the butcher at the supermarket got a cookie tray from my mother for Christmas. She would start baking the day after Thanksgiving and continue to bake right up to Christmas. It's the only time of the year if we wanted to stay home from school and were faking an illness that she gave in and let us stay home, hey, she had 2 more hands to help bake!
I have many fond memories of the baking episodes at night when my mother would get together with a few friends mainly Margie, Marie and Tommy, and they would start to get silly and form the Italian cookies into balls ;) . They would laugh and so would we!
But during the day it was all business and no time for fun and games. My mother's cookies were a work of art. Everyone looked forward to getting a beautiful cookie assortment from her.
Linzer tarts were a big hit. The ones pictured are the ones I made. They may not be Santa's favorite, but they are one of mine.
Linzer Tarts
1/2 pound butter
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
grated lemon peel
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon Arrow Kirsch
Raspberry seedless preserves/jam
or jam to your liking
Mix the first 4 ingredients well as you would making a pie crust. Add 2 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of sour cream and the Arrow Kirsh. ( Here's what I did, I used greek yogurt instead, because I didn't have the sour cream and I used a Strawberry Liquor instead of the Kirsch because...I didn't have any!)
Wrap the dough in Saran wrap and chill for at least an hour.
(If you can make the dough the night before and then work with it the next day, even better!)
Cut the dough into 4 pieces and working with chilled dough roll out to approx. 1/4 ". (I can't get it any thinner than that and still keep it's shape while transferring the shapes to the cookie sheet.)
Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut out the form you want to use. I made them in circles this time, but also love making them into hearts or stars.
These will be the bottom of your cookie.
Cut out the same number of cookies with the shape you are using and with a smaller cookie cutter, cut out the center. If you want to get fancy you could use a star shape to make the center cutout. It looks so pretty! I wish I had remembered to do that! lol
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes.
Let the cookies rest 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a baking rack. Let them cool completely.
Spread a little jam on the bottom cookie, cover with the top of the cookie and then sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
Make extra, in fact go ahead and double the dough. You are going to wish you had more!
Yum! Yum! Yum!
xoxoxo
Buone Appetito
Lorraine
These are probably my least favorite cookie to make, but they are one of my most favorite cookies to eat! They are a real yummy treat, and a favorite in our family.
When my mom made these she would make them a little smaller and she'd also double up on the dough so she'd have plenty to give away on her famous cookie trays.
Everyone, from the girl in the bank to the butcher at the supermarket got a cookie tray from my mother for Christmas. She would start baking the day after Thanksgiving and continue to bake right up to Christmas. It's the only time of the year if we wanted to stay home from school and were faking an illness that she gave in and let us stay home, hey, she had 2 more hands to help bake!
I have many fond memories of the baking episodes at night when my mother would get together with a few friends mainly Margie, Marie and Tommy, and they would start to get silly and form the Italian cookies into balls ;) . They would laugh and so would we!
But during the day it was all business and no time for fun and games. My mother's cookies were a work of art. Everyone looked forward to getting a beautiful cookie assortment from her.
Linzer tarts were a big hit. The ones pictured are the ones I made. They may not be Santa's favorite, but they are one of mine.
Linzer Tarts
1/2 pound butter
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
grated lemon peel
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon Arrow Kirsch
Raspberry seedless preserves/jam
or jam to your liking
Mix the first 4 ingredients well as you would making a pie crust. Add 2 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of sour cream and the Arrow Kirsh. ( Here's what I did, I used greek yogurt instead, because I didn't have the sour cream and I used a Strawberry Liquor instead of the Kirsch because...I didn't have any!)
Wrap the dough in Saran wrap and chill for at least an hour.
(If you can make the dough the night before and then work with it the next day, even better!)
Cut the dough into 4 pieces and working with chilled dough roll out to approx. 1/4 ". (I can't get it any thinner than that and still keep it's shape while transferring the shapes to the cookie sheet.)
Using your favorite cookie cutter, cut out the form you want to use. I made them in circles this time, but also love making them into hearts or stars.
These will be the bottom of your cookie.
Cut out the same number of cookies with the shape you are using and with a smaller cookie cutter, cut out the center. If you want to get fancy you could use a star shape to make the center cutout. It looks so pretty! I wish I had remembered to do that! lol
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes.
Let the cookies rest 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer them to a baking rack. Let them cool completely.
Spread a little jam on the bottom cookie, cover with the top of the cookie and then sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
Make extra, in fact go ahead and double the dough. You are going to wish you had more!
Yum! Yum! Yum!
xoxoxo
Buone Appetito
Lorraine
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