Now that the holidays are coming, I’m getting out recipes for deserts that I only make at this time of year, such as these Linzer cookies with raspberry jam, lemon curd tartlets with butter cream bees and twirly lemon cookies. These baking traditions mean so much to my family. When they come over for our holiday gatherings, they can count on finding these little pastries that help connect all the memories of our shared past.
The Linzer cookies are actually a riff on the famous Linzer torte, which is named for the city of Linz, Austria and is the oldest-known torte in the world. The recipe was found in 1653 in the archive of the Admont Abbey in Austria. The Linzer Torte has a lattice design on top of the pastry and the dough is made with ground nuts, usually hazelnuts, though sometimes almonds or walnuts, and is filled with black currant preserves. It is a Christmas classic in Austrian, Hungarian, Swiss and German traditions.
Unlike a cake, a torte replaces all or most of the flour with ground nuts. White torte dough is made with blanched almonds, and brown torte dough with toasted hazelnuts. In North America torte dough is used to make these cookies and they’re filled with raspberry jam. The top cookie has a small cutout in its center (known as Linzer eyes), through which you can see the shiny jam, which adds to the visual appeal. While the traditional cutout is circular, all sorts of shapes, such as hearts, are also popular.
The Lemon Curd Tartlets are small enough for a brunch buffet or as part of your holiday dessert plate. The tartlet shells could also be filled with chocolate pudding, a banana slice and whipped cream, or sweetened cream cheese and fresh berries. Have fun and be creative. For photographs on how to make these tartlets, cookies and butter cream bees, visit my website, CookandBeMerry.com.
If you like the heady taste of lemon, then the Twirly Lemon Cookies are for you. The cookie dough and the frosting have lemon juice and lemon zest, and the dough even has lemon extract. These would be perfect with your hot afternoon tea, or with your iced tea, for that matter. I bet you can’t eat just one. Happy Holidays!
Linzer Wreaths with Raspberry Jam
5 Dozen Cookies
3-1/3 cups hazelnuts (or almonds), finely ground
1 ? cups salted butter, room temperature (3 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 yolk
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3-1/3 cup unsifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Seedless raspberry jam
Sifted powdered sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake hazelnuts on ungreased cookie sheet for 7-9 minutes until browned and skins are beginning to crack. Wrap in terrycloth towel and sweat for 10 minutes. Rub nuts vigorously to remove as much of skin as possible. Grind fine in food processor.
2. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a fork until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, yolk, lemon zest and vanilla. Stir in the ground nuts. Blend in flour, baking powder and cinnamon – it may be stiff. Divide dough in half, form each into 1-inch thick disc, and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill well – several hours or overnight.
3. Remove one dough disc from refrigerator for about an hour, until it is soft enough to roll out. Cut two pieces of plastic wrap about 2-feet long and place on rolling surface, overlapping about 6 inches. Place disc of dough in the middle. Place two more pieces of plastic wrap over dough, overlapping them 6 inches.
4. Keeping the other half chilled, roll out the half of dough between pieces of plastic wrap to
1/4-inch thick or lightly less. Remove the top sheet of wrap and cut 2-inch round cookies. Remove the rounds from the wrap with an offset spatula and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Cut out the centers of half the cookies with a 3/4-inch round cookie cutter. Bake the rounds in a 350 degree oven for 9 minutes or until the edges of cookies are golden. Remove from oven and let stand 1 minute, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
5. Reform the remaining dough back into a ball and roll out, cut and bake. Continue until entire piece of dough is used. Repeat with the other ball of refrigerated dough.
5. Sift powdered sugar over the rounds with the cutout circles. Spread the remaining circles with 1-2 teaspoons raspberry jam. Top each with a cut out round and press gently together. Spoon a little more jam into the opening of each. Enjoy.
Lemon Curd Tartlets
Yield: 6 dozen
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter, cold, cut in ?-inch slices [one fourth-inch]
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Lemon Curd, purchased or home-made
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place oven rack on lower third of oven.
2. In a processor, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add cold butter slices and process to consistency of cornmeal.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and vanilla. Add egg to flour and process until it forms a ball. Remove dough ball from processor and press together with hells your hand until smooth and cohesive.
4. Arrange 24 ungreased 2-inch tartlet tins on a baking sheet.
5. Pinch off a small piece of dough and press it into a one half tablespoon measure, returning excess to the ball of dough. Roll the one half tablespoon of dough into a ball and press into tartlet tin. Repeat until all tins are filled.
6. With oven at 350 F, bake tartlets until golden brown. Remove and cool. When cool enough to handle, remove from tins.
7. Store in air tight container at room temperature up to one week.
Note: Well wrapped dough can be refrigerated for one week; freeze for one month.
Twirly Lemon Butter Cookies with Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Makes about 60
For the Cookies
2-1/4 cups AP flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt [one fourth]
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated or microplaned (1 lemon)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease or spray.
2. In a food processor, whiz the butter and sugars until well blended. Add the zest, lemon juice, egg yolks, vanilla and lemon extract and whiz until thoroughly mixed.
3. Add the flour baking soda and salt, and whiz until thoroughly mixed in. The dough should be soft enough to pipe. If not, add water 1 teaspoon at a time and incorporate.
4. Put the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch open star tip and pipe 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch-wide circular swirls onto baking sheet, 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart.
5. Place the baking sheet in the upper third of the oven and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottom edges of the cookies are just starting to brown.
6. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then remove with a spatula. Allow to cool completely.
For the Frosting
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated or microplaned
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick minus 1 tablespoon), slightly softened, cut into tablespoons
1-1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
1 drop yellow liquid food coloring )optional)
1. Whiz the powdered sugar and lemon zest in a food processor, about 20 seconds.
2. Add the butter and whiz until very little pebbles form. Add the lemon juice and food coloring and whiz until well blended and smooth.
3. Remove frosting to a bowl and mix thoroughly with a spoon to ensure the food coloring is evenly distributed.
4. Put the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch open star tip. Pipe 3/4 to 1-inch twirly circular frosting hats on each cooled cookie. Use your finger to smooth the edge of the frosting where it ends. Let stand until the frosting sets completely, up to 3 hours. B
Lynne Hemer is a Manhattan beach chef and photographer. For more of her recipes and photso visit her website at cookandbemerry.com.
