December 22, 2018

Linzer cookies are not just a cookie classic but also the kind of Christmas tree decorations where the usual cultural battles over the correct colour combinations stop and the general agreement begins.

Also, they are relatively easy to make, so kids can be included in the manufacturing process. The only thing to keep in mind is to knead the dough thoroughly and add the ingredients in the correct order to avoid problems when rolling, and to take them out of the oven while still more or less pale, which happens between 6 and 10 minutes, depending on the oven.

Ingredients (for app. 35 cookies):

Soften the butter by leaving it outside the fridge for an hour or so, then mix in the sugar evenly and add eggs, one by one. To get a more even texture, you can help yourself with a hand mixer. Knead in the flour and walnuts and let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour or even longer. If you leave it in the fridge overnight, it’ll harden and you’ll have to warm it in the room temperature before you’ll be able to kneed and roll it again.

If the dough is too sticky, knead it more or add some more flour. If it keeps sticking to your rolling pin, place some baking paper between the dough and pin.

In case you haven’t got any cookie cutters at home, an ordinary glass will do, while you can use bottle caps to make a hole in the upper parts of the cookies. Here, be sure you bake the bottoms and the tops separately, as the tops will need less time in the oven.

Take the jam out of the jar and stir it into a smooth mixture. If you find your jam too runny, you can add some powdered sugar. It’ll harden it up once the cookies have rested.

To get the cookies off the table, help yourself with a large meat knife. Bake them for 6 – 10 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius in a ventilated oven. Take out when they begin changing colour at the edges, but still look more or less the same as when you put them in.

Once you have glued the halves together with the jam, sprinkle the cookies with some powdered sugar.

If you are going to sew a thread through the cookies and hang them on your Christmas tree, remove the excess sugar.

Dober tek!