Linzer Sablés

Made it back safely after a fabulous cruise! Our luggage decided to stay away a day longer but apart from that everything was great.

This week's Tuesday With Dorie recipe was picked by me! The first guy who joined the group finally got his pick :-)

I choose the Linzer Sablés, so far I've enjoyed the European style recipes more than the American, maybe because I'm European and my tastebuds are more used to those treats? Anyway, I love the way they look with the jam peeking out of the little hole.

I made mine with raspberry jam which I passed through a sieve, after heating it up, to get rid of the seeds.
They were very easy to make and the taste of the cookies comes close to "speculaas", must be the cloves.

I'm pleased with my choice, it's not my favorite recipe but I would make it again.


Here is the recipe:

When I was a kid, the main street in our neighborhood boasted a bakery every two blocks. We always had freshly made bread from the baker closest to our house and almost as often a box of butter cookies from the baker farthest away. My mother would always ask for an assortment, which meant we ended up with too many of those pink-and-green marzipan cookies and not enough of the linzers, buttery, lightly spiced sandwich cookies filled with raspberry jam that peeked through a little cutout on the top. These were the ones I liked best.
This recipe is not a duplicate of the cookie of my childhood, but it is inspired by it and it brings hack childhood memories. I've made these cookies a bit spicier than the originals- I like that extra zing-and I make the peekaboo cutouts only when I'm in the mood to fuss a hit. The rolling out, which is a cinch, can be done just as soon as the malleable dough is made.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 large egg
2 teaspoons water
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raspberry jam or strained apricot jam plus 1 teaspoon water (optional)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the ground nuts, flour, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Using a fork, stir the egg and water together in a small bowl.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg mixture and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. If the dough comes together but some dry crumbs remain in the bottom of the bowl, stop the mixer and finish blending the ingredients with a rubber spatula or your hands.
Divide the dough in half. Working ,,~th one half at a time, put the dough between two large sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a disk, then grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough, turning it over frequently so that the paper doesn't cut into it, until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Leave the dough in the paper and repeat with the second piece of dough. Transfer the wrapped dough to a baking sheet or cutting board (to keep it flat) and refrigerate or freeze it until it is very firm, about 2 hours in the refrigerator or about 45 minutes in the freezer. The rolled-out dough can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just thaw the dough enough to cut out the cookies and go on from there.
Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
Peel off the top sheet of wax paper from one piece of dough and, using a 2-inch round cookie cutter-a scalloped cutter is nice for these-cut out as many cookies as you can. If you want to have a peekaboo cutout, use the end of a piping tip to cut out a very small circle from the centers of half the cookies. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheets, leaving a little space between the cookies. Set the scraps aside-you can combine them with the scraps from the second disk and roll and cut more cookies.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden, dry and just firm to the touch. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.
Repeat with the second disk of dough, making sure to cool the baking sheets between batches. Gather the scraps of dough together, press them into a disk, roll them between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, then cut and bake.

If you'd like to make sandwich cookies, place the jam in a small saucepan or in a microwaveable bowl and stir in the 1 teaspoon water. Bring to a boil over low heat or in the microwave. Let the jam cool slightly, then turn half of the cookies flat side up and place about '/2 teaspoon of the jam in the center of each cookie; sandwich with the remaining cookies.
Just before serving, dust the cookies lightly with confectioners' sugar.

If you want to see how all the other TWD bakers did, hop over to the TWD site and check out the blog roll!

Next week: Grandma’s All-Occasion Sugar Cookies on pages 146-147

Comments

welcome back! thanks for a fun pick this week! they are cute, aren't they?
Mary Ann said…
Glad to hear you had a great trip~!
These cookies were really fun and delicious. Thanks for a great pick. Yours look picture perfect!
Unknown said…
Welcome back, and thanks for a great choice this week. Your sables are lovely. I agree these really are a European-style cookie - in fact, I think I am going to wrap some up for a German friend. They were tasty and a lot of fun to make.
vibi said…
Beautiful Noskos! Delicate and dainty, worthy of a great culinary magazine!
Thank you so much for picking such a nice one!
Anonymous said…
Glad everything was great with the cruise!
Thanks for choosing this great recipe I really enjoyed it. A great way to start December!
Your sablés look great btw.
Julie said…
Great pick! I absolutly love to make them and they are tasting amazingly good! Thank you!
Carla said…
A great choice! I definitely liked these more than I thought I would.
Jules Someone said…
I love cruising. Nice choice! Your cookies look great.
Linda said…
Welcome back --- sounds like you had a great time on your cruise.

Thanks for a terrific selection ---these cookies were a treat to make ...and to eat! :)
Jodie said…
Thanks for the great pick! I loved these!
Unknown said…
Thanks for picking this week's recipe - finally gave me a reason to use the Linzer Cookie cutter set I bought a few months back :)
Jaime said…
welcome back, glad to hear you enjoyed your trip :)

thanks for a great pick! i've never made these before and will definitely be making them again! they are so cute and i love the jam in the middle :)
Thanks for a fun pick! Yours look perfect. Welcome back.
Anonymous said…
thank you for picking this recipe. Like you, they're not my favorite--but they make a great presentation.

Your linzer sables look great!
natalia said…
Welcome back and thanks for the good choice !
Marie Rayner said…
Your cookies look fabulous! Thanks so much for picking this recipe. I really enjoyed them myself as did my husband.
Piggy said…
Thanks for the great pick, the cookies are yummy!
I really liked these cookies too. Thanks for the great pick.
Jamie said…
Welcome Back! Those are gorgeous! I loved this cookie...Great choice!
Anonymous said…
Awesome choice! Yours look great. Thanks for picking this recipe. I've been dying to try them.
Anonymous said…
It was a wonderful choice, many thanks. And yours look great.
spike. said…
Thanks for picking these cookies, they brought me down memory lane a bit!
kimberly salem said…
your cookies look wonderful! thanks for a great pick :)
Cathy said…
Welcome back! And thank you for this fantastic pick -- we loved them, and these will become a holiday tradition for us. Your cookies look beautiful!
chocolatechic said…
Thanks for such a wonderful recipe.

We loved them.
Unknown said…
I had fun with this! I absolutely love the Netherlands. My hubby and I had our first lovers get-away there! I can hardly wait to go back.
Engineer Baker said…
Thanks for the wonderful pick - I absolutely loved them. And it's funny - I hadn't realized how long it took for a guy to get to pick :)
Di said…
Welcome back! Lost luggage is no fun, so I'm glad yours was only delayed by a day. These aren't my favorite, either, but I'm glad I got to try something new.
Glad you had a nice trip! Thanks for picking these cookies - I really had fun baking this week! Yours look fantastic too!!

-Amy
www.singforyoursupperblog.com
Your cookies turned out great! Thanks for picking this recipe.
Kristin said…
Beautiful cookies! Thanks for the great pick!
Pamela said…
Welcome back from your trip. This was a good pick, thanks for choosing them. These cookies will be a good addition for Christmas. Your cookies look great!
Anonymous said…
I'm glad you picked these cookies, and I wish I could have made them. They look wonderful. I guess I'll just have to be happy reading about everyone else's cookies!
Tami said…
Your cookies look great! I hope mine turn out looking as good as yours. :)
Mumsy said…
Great choice, Dennis! And welcome back! Your cookies look perfect. I loved these.
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the Linzer Sables pick...I have always wanted to make these kinds of cookies and just never have...thanks for the nudge! Enjoyed your blog...browsed around a bit. Great looking cookies.
Tammy said…
thanks for a great choice - these cookies aare perfect for December as they would make a lovely gift!
Anonymous said…
They look fabulous - my husband really liked them. Glad you had a great trip, too!
This was such an enjoyable recipe and one I will be making again. I think these were the first cut-out cookies I have ever made that I didn't get frustrated and feel like they were more work than they were worth.
Rachel said…
Great job! I can't wait to make them when I'm feeling less sneezy. Welcome back, BTW!
Anonymous said…
Thanks for hosting this week. I had fun with this recipe and yours look great!
Judy said…
Great choice! I love any kind of cookies and it gives me a chance to use my cookie cutters.
Anonymous said…
Man, yours look amazing!!! I think I rolled mine too thin. These European style cookies were the bomb at my house. Le bro said "i like em. they aint floury." It was the expensive almond meal.

thank you for the great pick!
Shelby said…
They look great - welcome back from your cruise!
Danielle said…
Great pick om the cookies. They were great I enjoyed baking them.
Anonymous said…
thanks for a most wonderful pick--i loved these cookies. yours look fantastic, and i love the idea of passing the jam through the sieve. i didn't, and i could taste the seeds.
Anonymous said…
Yours look beautiful! I'm baking mine late this week oops! I hope they can look half as good! I guess most important... taste scrumptious!!! Thanks for hosting!
ostwestwind said…
Thanks for picking the cookies. You saved the tradition of homemade cookies for the first Advent.

Besinnliche Adventszeit ...

Ulrike from Küchenlatein
Flourchild said…
Im sorry I missed this one. It's definetly on my list of must trys! Your cookies look great.
Annette said…
Thank for picking a winner! We love these cookies. I will definitely make them again.
Anonymous said…
These look great! Welcome back to TWD. Thanks for the great pick this week. I enjoyed them even more than I thought I would!
AmyRuth said…
Definitely a nice eye candy addition to the Holiday Cookie Collection. Thanks so much for picking a cookie we could actually enjoy and share. Happy Holidays
AmyRuth
TourGuide Jenn said…
Mine are late, but so far so good. Your pictures from the trip look great, as do your cookies!
Amanda said…
Yours look wonderful :) Mine were a flop LOL Oh well, can't win them all!
dharmagirl said…
thanks for the delicious selection! i very much enjoyed these European style cookies:)
Libby said…
I agree- seeds are no fun! I had to look long and hard to find seedless. Nice job!
Peggy said…
Sounds like you had a fun time on your cruise! Thanks for a great pick. I loved these even though I got lazy and didn't sandwich them.
Amanda said…
Welcome back from your cruise. I love to cruise....so I'm officially jealous!! Anyway, your cookies look good and I enjoyed making them this week. Thanks for this weeks selection.
Anonymous said…
i just finished making mine, thanks for a great choice. yours look beautiful.
Anonymous said…
Thank you for picking this recipe! They're delicious and look so beautiful!
Anonymous said…
hi,
Do you measure the nuts before or after you ground them ?
diane
noskos said…
@ Diana:

I used almond flour. You but if you start with whole nuts, grind them up and measure after that.

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