Snack: Best Linzer Cookies

Jeremiah Driansky, test engineer, says, "I'm Jewish, so my family doesn't celebrate Christmas. But every December, my best friend's mom, Enrichetta Grey, would welcome me into her home so I wouldn't miss out on all the holiday feasting and festivities. Th

Ingredients

1 bag pecans
1/2 c. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. butter (no substitutions)
1 1/3 c. confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. seedless red raspberry jam

Instructions

In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse pecans and cornstarch until pecans are finely ground.
In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until mixed. Increase speed to high; beat 2 minutes or until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. At medium speed, beat in vanilla, salt, and egg. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour and pecan mixture just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl.
Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each into a disk. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 5 hours or until dough is firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator; if necessary, let stand 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature for easier rolling. On lightly floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. With floured 21/4-inch fluted round, plain round, or holiday-shaped cookie cutter, cut dough into as many cookies as possible. With floured 1- to 11/4-inch fluted round, plain round, or holiday-shaped cookie cutter, cut out centers from half of cookies. Wrap and refrigerate trimmings. With lightly floured spatula, carefully place cookies, 1 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet.
Bake cookies 17 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough and trimmings.
When cookies are cool, sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar through sieve over cookies with cutout centers.
In small bowl, stir jam with fork until smooth. Spread scant measuring teaspoon jam on top of whole cookies; place cutout cookies on top. Store cookies, with waxed paper between layers, in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week or in freezer up to 2 months. (If cookies are stored in freezer, you may need to sprinkle with confectioners' sugar again before serving.) Nutritional information is based on 1 cookie.

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