Recipe - Linzer Hearts

Linzer Hearts

Bite-size, melt in your mouth, and perfect for Valentine or anytime gifting. Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook, where the recipe is accompanied by this quote:

The rule is jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, but never jam today.

Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

We say, everyday!!

INGREDIENTS

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies

- 3/4 pound sweet (unsalted) butter, softened

- 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

- 1 egg

- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

- 1 cup cornstarch

- 2 cups shelled walnuts, finely grated (process in a food processor with a metal blade until very fine)

- 1/2 cup les collines Strawberry Preserve with Lapsang Souchong

PREPARATION

Notta bene: don’t skip either of the chilling steps!

1. Cream butter and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well.

2. Sift together the flour and cornstarch; add to creamed mixture and blend well. Mix in walnuts thoroughly.

3. Gather dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and chill for 4 to 6 hours.

4. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter about 1 1/2 inches long, cut out cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Chill cookies for 45 minutes.

5. Whisk the jam with a fork to break up any larger bits of strawberries. Set aside.

6. Preheat oven to 325 F.

7. Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes, or until they are evenly browned. Depending on your oven you may want to rotate sheets halfway through. Watch carefully. Remove to a rack to begin cooling.

8. While they are still warm, spread half of the cookies with the preserves, using about 1/4 teaspoon for each. Top with remaining cookies. Sift the remaining confectioners’ sugar over the tops.