Thursday, October 31, 2019

Halloween Linzer Tarts

Halloween Linzer Tarts


I hope you have a fun-filled and safe Halloween! This is the first time I made Linzer Tarts and the set I bought from R&M International include mini Halloween shapes that are just adorable. I made Linzer witch hats, bats, ghosts, cats, and tombstones. If you never made Linzer Tarts you need to asap! Linzer Tarts originate from Austria from the city of Linz, and in Germany are known as Helle Linzer Plaetzchen. Linzer Tarts consist of two shortbread cookies sandwiched together with a jam filling in the center. The beauty of this cookie is the jam visible in the cutout center of the top cookie that is covered with powdered sugar. Linzer Tarts are named after the Linzer Torte, a pastry with a dough lattice over a jam filling. The texture of this cookie is soft and chewy, and the strawberry jam makes this a divine and buttery treat. You can substitute with any extract (lemon or almond would also work great), and any jam you prefer such as seedless raspberry, orange marmalade, pineapple, blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, etc. The combinations are endless. See recipe and directions below.

Halloween Linzer Tarts

Yield: 2 Dozen Cookies (depending on size of cutter and thickness of dough)

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour

1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Coarse Salt

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, slightly softened

1 Large Egg

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 cup Strawberry Jam

Halloween Linzer Tarts

Directions
In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on low; 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for 5 seconds.

Add egg and vanilla extract, and mix until incorporated; about 1 minute.

Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.


Halloween Linzer Tarts
Turn off the mixer, add the flour mixture and cover with kitchen towel, and then turn mixer on low speed and incorporate.

The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Form into a disk shape and cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-3 hours or overnight. I chilled the dough for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Use two sheets of parchment paper with dough in between and roll with rolling pin until desired thickness is reached.


Halloween Linzer Tarts
Cut out dough using a round cutter.

Take half of the cutout cookies and press Halloween or desired shape into the center of each.

Place onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, and put in freezer for 20 minutes. The cookies hold their shape when you do this.

Bake 8-12 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned. My cookies baked in 12 minutes.

Oven temps vary so check the cookies at the 8 minute mark.


Halloween Linzer Tarts 

Make sure cookie sheets cool in between baking. I place them in the freezer for a few minutes.

Do not use hot cookie sheets or the cookies will spread and lose their shape.

Wait 5 minutes before transferring cookies with cookie spatula to wire racks to complete cooling; about 1 hour.

Take cookies with the cutout shapes and dust with powdered sugar; set aside.


So yummy!
Spread 1 teaspoon of jam onto each bottom cookie and then top with the cutout shaped cookies and lightly press them together.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

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