Linzer Cookies

~buttery and sweet

I love these cookies. I know I often say that something is 'one of my favourites', but if you want to know whose on top of that list, here you have your answer. They are soft, sweet and flavoured, can be cut into any shape or form depending on the season and can be filled with literally anything: jam? yes! butter cream? go for it! chocolate? you have no idea! - unless you dare to try..

Ingredients:

✔ 400 g flour

✔ 250 g butter

✔ 120 g icing sugar

✔ 10 g vanilla sugar

✔ 2 egg yolks

✔ zest of a lemon

✔ a pinch of baking powder

✔ a pinch of salt

✔ approximatevly 200 g jam

✔ icing sugar to be sprinkled on top

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C.

2. In a large bowl, knead the dry ingredients together, then add the rest of the ingredients. Be careful to work quick enough and that it's not too hot in the room, because the more the butter melts while you're working with the dough, the harder it will be to cut the shapes and transfrom them onto the baking paper.

3. When the dough is formed, roll it out to about 0.5cm thickness, then cut the shapes. You have to have an equal number of simple sides and sides with a little hole in the middle. If the dough is too sticky, you can add a bit more flour (if you add too much, the cookies will turn out hard instead of soft). You can also try rolling the dough directly on the baking paper, so that you don't have to move the cut cookies.

4. Bake for 10 minutes on 170C. They don't have to get darker in colour - they remain almost white.

5. Don't worry if they are too soft, they will get harder as they cool.

6. When the cookies are cold, take the simple sides, add about 1 tsp of jam on each and stick the other sides (the ones with the holes).

7. Sprinkle some icing sugar on top.

Enjoy! :)