Linzer Cookies

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Ingredients
(makes about 30 small-size cookies)
1 cup blanched or sliced almonds
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2large egg yolks
Zest of 1 lemon
Powdered sugar for dusting
1 cup seedless Raspberry Preserves

Directions
Place almonds in a food processor and process with 1/4 cup of the sugar from the recipe until finely ground. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract, egg yolks, and lemon zest. Beat in the ground nuts. Add the flour mixture beating just until incorporated. Divide the dough in half and fill large freezer bags with it. Then roll it out in the bags. Refrigerate until firm (at least one hour and up to several days).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Remove one rectangle of dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, cut the bags and roll out the dough between the plastic (this is only necessary if it is not yet only 1/4 inch thick). Using a cookie cutter (round, square, heart, etc.) cut out half the dough. Place the cookies about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the the centers of half of the other half of the cookies. (You will be sandwiching two cookies together and there will be a small ‘window or cut out’ in the top cookie so you can see the jam underneath.)

Re-roll/refrigerate/cut any scraps of dough. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until they are very lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

While the cookies are cooling place the raspberry jam in a small saucepan and heat gently until it has thickened slightly. Strain if there are any lumps in the jam. Let cool.

To Assemble Cookies: Place the cookies with the cut-outs on a wire rack and lightly dust the tops with the confectioners’ (powdered or icing) sugar.

On the bottom surface of the full cookie (top of cookie will face out) spread with about a 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Place the cut-out cookie on top and gently sandwich them together.

Note: You can store the unassembled cookies in the refrigerator for several days in an airtight container. It is best, though, to assemble the cookies the same day as serving in order to keep the cookies crisp.