King Arthur Flour's linzer cookies

Not only do these linzer cookies scream "Christmas", but they also scream "deliciousness". While the jam filling may be the star of the show, the cookie is definitely right behind. A touch of lemon zest really takes the cookies to the next level and makes for the perfect bite when combined with the raspberry jam. I would highly recommend giving these cookies a try. If you aren't a fruit fan I would omit the lemon zest in the cookie dough and instead sandwich the cookies with chocolate!!

What you need:

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
grated rind (zest) of 1 lemon, or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
raspberry jam for filling (or lemon curd, another jam)
confectioners' sugar or glazing sugar, for dusting

What to do:

1. To make the dough: Beat the butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, almond flour, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Don't over-beat.

3. Divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

To assemble:

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough out about 1/4"-thick. Using a 2 1/2" round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scrap dough, roll, and repeat. Place the cut cookies (you should have 12 cookies) in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

6. While the first half of cookies is chilling, cut 12 rounds from the remaining dough. Once you've transferred these cookies to a baking sheet, use your smallest cookie cutter or the end of a round piping tip to make a peekaboo cutout in the center of each. Place cookies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

7. To bake: Bake all of the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

8. To fill the cookies: Place the cookies with the holes in them on a cookie sheet and sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Turn the remaining cookies flat side up and spoon 1/2 teaspoon of jam into the center, spreading it slightly. Top with the sugar-dusted cookies.