Even though these are bars rather than cutouts, they taste just as fantastic. A family of sweets called Linzer sweets has enough variations that some of its recipes call for cocoa. No matter the kind, all cookies have a base of finely chopped nuts and a fruit-jam core; they are all crunchy, buttery treats!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs |
| Servings: | 16 |
| Yield: | 16 bars |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅝ cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely chopped almonds
- ¼ cup chopped dried apricots
- ½ cup apricot preserves
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds
- 1 tablespoon coarse granulated sugar
Instructions
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest, egg and vanilla. Mix in 1 cup of chopped almonds, then stir in the sifted ingredients. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a greased or parchment lined 8×8 inch baking pan. Roll the remaining portion between two pieces of waxed paper, out to an 8 inch square. Refrigerate all of the dough for at least 2 hours.
- While the dough is chilling, place the apricots into a small saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Drain the excess liquid from the apricots and mix in the preserves and lemon juice.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the apricot filling evenly over the chilled crust, leaving a 1/4 inch border on edges. Cut the chilled square of dough into 1/2 inch strips. Place the strips over the filling in a lattice design. Trim edges to fit and press the edges into the border. Brush the top with egg white then sprinkle with remaining chopped almonds and coarse sugar.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 228 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 25 g |
| Cholesterol | 31 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 154 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made this using raspberry jam for the filling. I mixed 1 1/2 Tbsp milk into the egg white for the glaze, mixing it with a fork; this makes it easier to brush on with a pastry brush while still giving a nice glaze to the dough. Using turbinado sugar for sprinkling on the dough (under glaze ingredients) bakes up well and adds a nice texture. Baking time was longer than suggested- about 23-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Delish!!! I added sugar to the recipe!
I had a great time searching for a Linzer Cookie recipe, as I love the true nutty, lemony flavor and chewy texture of Linzertorte. This recipe really delivers and being a bar cookie saved me lots of time and effort in making individual rolled cookies. I had a difficult time handling the lattice crust on top, however. My strips kept falling apart. But overall this was an awesome treat.