German Christmas Cookies – Linzer Hearts

German Christmas Cookies Linzer Hearts (or Linzer Herzen in German) are the cookie variation from the Linzer Cake. This German Christmas cookie recipe is similar to the cake as raspberry jam is used for the filling. They are very easy to make and colorful. Happy Baking!

Ingredients German Cookies Linzer Hearts

(for about 40 cookies)
1 jar (340 g) raspberry jam or jelly – Find Jelly here – 
powdered sugar for dusting the cookies

Dough
150 g cold butter, unsalted
75 g powdered sugar
225 g flour
1 egg yolk
1 dash salt
2 cookie cutter heart shaped (or the original Linzer cookie cutter, see link below), one 5 cm (2 inches)  diameter, the other one smaller (2-3cm or 1 inch)

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Baking Instructions Linzer Cookies

For the Dough
– Cut butter in cubes.
– Place butter cubes, powdered sugar, flour, egg yolk and salt in a bowl and mix it with the kneading hooks first, then knead it with hands (have hands dusted with flour) until you get a smooth dough.
– Wrap dough in foil and place it at least for 30 minutes in the fridge.
– For the cookies roll the dough 2mm (less than 1/4 inch, so quite thin) and with a heart shaped cookie cutter cut about 80 hearts out of the dough; with the smaller cookie cutter  cut 40 hearts out of the bigger hearts.
– Bake all cookies in pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes on 175 degrees C or 347 F.
– Bring jam to  a boil and squeeze it through a sieve, let it cool off  a bit.
– Place 1-2 tsp of jam on the cookies without the heart shaped hole.
– Before placing them together dust the cookies that have the hole with powdered sugar.
– Place this powdered cookie on top  of each heart.

TIPS
Use different cookie cutters such as stars or flower shape.
Instead of a red jam use apricot or quince.
Fill them with melted chocolate.

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