Linzer Tart Cookies

Ingredients

• 1.25 cups unsalted butter , softened
• 0.67 cups white sugar
• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1.75 cups ground almonds
• 0.13 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons raspberry jam , or as needed
• 0.25 cups confectioners' sugar for decoration , or as needed

Instructions

1. 1

   Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup flour, then ground almonds and cinnamon. Mix in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until well combined and dough stiffens a bit.

2. 2

   Divide dough in half and form each half into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. 4

   Working with one dough disk at a time, roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Use a 2½-inch round cookie cutter to cut as many circles from the dough as you can; you should have about 12. Arrange dough circles 1 inch apart onto a prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator.

5. 5

   Knead any leftover scraps into a ball and roll out again into a 1/8-inch-thick sheet. Cut out more circles; you should have about 12 more circles.

6. 6

   Place the second batch of circles onto the second baking sheet. Use a 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the center from 1/2 of all the cookies.

7. 7

   Bake cookies in the preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.

8. 8

   Spread a thin coating of jam onto the bottom sides of the fully round cookies. Place a cut-out cookie on top of each one, pressing together to form a sandwich. Return to the wire rack and repeat to form 11 more cookies.

9. 9

   Sift confectioners' sugar over the cookies, then spoon a dab of jam into the cut-out part of each cookie.