I referred my alltime favorite baking encyclopedia Joy of Baking and tried these cookies, I halved the recipe made the dough and chilled it overnight.Next day I cut the cookies and baked them.Rich,buttery jam cookies tasted yum that I couldn’t resist myself :)You can even make a simple shortbread or sugar cookie dough and make these cookies but this is the traditional way of making linzer cookies and thats the reason I tried the version with eggs but sure to post a eggless version soon.

Method:

1. Soak almonds in hot water for 15mins.Peel off the skin and toast the almonds in a pan till slight brown spots appear here and there.Cool down.
   
2. Take almonds along with a tbsp of granulated sugar in a mixer and grind it to a semi fine powder,Set aside.Scrap the lemon outer skin to take lemon zest.
   
3. In a mixing bowl, take flour,cinnamon powder,salt and lemon zest.Whisk it well.Carefully seperate egg yolk and keep aside.
   
4. In a mixing bowl take butter, add sugar to it beat it well using a hand mixer or with a whisk.Beat well till the mixture becomes fluffy atleast for 2mins.
   
5. Add vanilla essence,powdered almonds and eggs.Beat it for 2mins.Finally add flour.
   
6. Beat it till the mixture comes together.Bring together with your hands to  form a smooth dough.
   
7. Wrap in cling film and chill the dough atleast for 30mins.Preheat oven at 180 deg C for 10mins. First get ready with cookie cutter, you need small and big cutters like these.I bought the grooved ones online and small ones from Nilgiris.
   
8. I used only half dough now and stored the rest for later use.Now lay butter paper or parchment paper, place the dough and again place another butter paper and roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.Take your cookie cutter,dip it in flour.
   
9. Cut like this, first with bigger cutter then cut with smaller cutter in the center.
   
10. Collect the scraps and then roll again, repeat to finish until the entire dough gets over.Arrange it in a baking tray.
    
11. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 10-12 mins or until the edges starts to turn golden brown.Do not be tempted to bake more the cookies will become hard.Now take jam and place in inside simmering water for few mins so that the jam turns goey and spreadable.
    
12. Get ready with icing sugar too.First separate the cookies with hole and without hole and place separately.First in a plate place the cookies without hole upside down.Spread jam on it.
    
13. Now take the cookies with a hole,sieve icing sugar on it.
    
14. Now take the hole cookies and place it on the cookies with jam.Now your cookies are ready.
    

Keeps well for about 2 weeks in room temperature itself!

My Notes:

• The cookies spread out slightly while baking so leave enough space between each cookie.
• I always place the cookie tray in fridge till the preheating time, so that the cookies will be firm until baking time.
• Rolling the dough in between 2 butter papers ensures easy rolling without sticking.
• Do not be tempted to overbake just 10-12mins will be just fine.It will be soft when taken out of the oven after cooling it will be crisp.
• Once the jam is sandwiched the cookies become soft, so it is recommended to sandwich them at the time of serving time.
• You can use any of your favourite jam.
• As I took it out from fridge I had to warm it up a little to make it goey so that its easy to spread.
• For eggless version check my sugar cookie / shortbread cookie recipes.

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