Linzer Cookies: Vanilla + Strawberry and Chocolate

These cookies are the perfect Christmas gift, and what’s even better about them is that you can make two different flavours from the same dough. So there are vanilla cookies with strawberry jam and chocolate cookies with a chocolate ganache filling.

I’ve heard that, apparently, cookies are the very first thing anyone makes. Well, I’m pretty sure it was the first thing I made by myself and I ended up breaking the salt jar. My mum would have been so mad I imagine.  But don’t worry, be rest assured that I’m not like that clumsy girl I use to be (sort of). Although, I am still very messy and tend to spill flour everyone or spread jam in places where it shouldn’t be.

So here’s a little fun fact for you, a linzer torte is actually the world’s oldest torte recipe. It was originally created in Austria and a torte is essentially a dough containing nuts like almond meal. You’ve probably heard of a chocolate hazelnut torte which is a cake that is usually flourless (recipe here).

Someone sent me a DM today on Instagram saying that they couldn’t believe I was really 15! It’s honestly a massive compliment so thank you. But one of the things I actually get told the most is how professional my photos look which is pretty funny because I think they could be a lot better. .

My art teacher even said that the use of the white background, and I quote, “is very contemporary”. Don’t really know what that means but I’m guessing she means modern or on trend so it must be good, right? I was even asked today if I wanted to turn Beyond Our Sky into a catering business or something along those lines.

And I was thinking – wow, slow down, I still have two years of schooling left plus university so we’ll see what happens. I might be taking a bit of a break during January however because I want to focus on some video making/editing for a bit.

I plan on releasing a sort of trailer or something for Beyond Our Sky that will be featured on the about page. There should also be a video on my trip to Whistler that will be coming soon as well, sometime in January. But I actually prefer video making and photography over baking to be honest. I just find more joy and pleasure in it. Not really sure why.

So please make these cookies! They’re very easy and delicious. You don’t even have to make them for Christmas, you can simply have them on any day at any time! I tried to make the recipe as clear and easy to follow as possible, but feel free to ask any questions if need be!

Linzer Cookies

Makes approximately 15 sandwiched cookies of each flavour and 30 all together. 

• 220g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup (135g) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (50g) almond meal
• 1/2 cup (50g) hazelnut meal (can be substituted with almond meal)
• 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder
• Good quality store-brought or homemade strawberry jam (good recipe here)
• Chocolate ganache (recipe below)
• Icing/powdered sugar, to dust

1. Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F and line two trays with baking paper.
2. Cream together butter and sugar for about 5 minutes or until light and pale in colour. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
3. Divide the mixture in half and remove one portion into a separate bowl (should be about 120g each).
4. For vanilla dough: Add 1 1/2 cups of flour, almond meal and 1/2 tsp baking powder to one portion of the mixture. Fold until a soft dough forms. Press the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 3 days).
5. For chocolate dough: Add 1 1/4 cups of flour, hazelnut meal, 1/2 tsp baking powder and cocoa powder to the other potion of mixture. Fold until a soft dough forms. Press the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 3 days).
6. Roll each disk of dough in between two pieces of parchment paper until half a centimetre or less than a 1/4 inch thick. If the dough has gotten too soft, refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
7. Using a 5cm or 2 inch ring mould, cut circles from the dough. Then in half of the circles, use a smaller ring (or even a heart/star cutter) to cut circles in the centre (one will be the bottom and the other will be the top).
8. Transfer onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes (or until golden brown).
9. Set aside to cool completely.
10. Once cooled, invert the bottom linzer cookies and spread the vanilla ones with jam, and the chocolate ones with chocolate ganache.
11. Dust the tops of the linzer cookies with icing/powdered sugar, then sandwich the two together. Serve and enjoy!

For chocolate ganache filling:

There is a high ratio of chocolate to cream since the ganache needs to be thick and spreadable.

• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• 50g milk chocolate, chopped
• 45mL (3 tablespoons) heavy cream

1. Microwave method: In a bowl, combine both chocolates and pour over cream. Heat in microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring well in between until chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool at room temperature for 2 hours in order to thicken.
2. Stove top method: Place both chocolates in a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat cream on medium-high heat until simmering (almost boiling). Pour over chocolate, let it sit for 1 minute and stir until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool at room temperature for 2 hours in order to thicken.