White Chocolate Raspberry Linzer Cookies

After making raspberry sauce last week I have been craving the taste of raspberries. Of course not in their healthy fruit form, but in their almost as healthy preserve form. To satisfy this craving I needed to bake something. I debated as to whether to make a Raspberry Linzer Torte or Raspberry Linzer cookies as traditionally each has a raspberry preserve filling. In looking at the 'have not been used in awhile' collection of both antique and new heart cookie cutters, there seemed to be little choice of what I would bake. Cookies it would be. But that wasn't the only reason I decided to make Linzer cookies. I have been wanting to make a recipe out of the recently published Napa Valley Model Bakery cookbook for some time now. Their Raspberry Linzer cookie seemed like the perfect one to make first. And with Valentine's Day less than a week away I thought I too would jump on the 'make something heart shaped confection' bandwagon.

I noticed the Raspberry Linzer cookie recipe in Model Bakery's cookbook was different than one they had apparently published several years ago (one I found online). The newer version used all-purpose flour and two teaspoons of vanilla while the older one used pastry flour and one tablespoon of vanilla. Decisions, decisions. The all-purpose flour version might create a firmer cookie but the pastry flour might create an ever so slightly tastier cookie. The pastry flour version won the debate I was having with myself. More vanilla is always a good thing, so why not stay with a tablespoon was my thinking.

Traditional Linzer cookies are dusted with confectionary sugar, however, I thought maybe it was time to mess with tradition just a bit (a moment of conservative rebellion). What better way to further enhance this classic cookie than by dipping the tops of the cookies in white chocolate. I only had to wonder how ambitious of an endeavor this change in tradition would be.

I channeled my inner Thomas Keller today when making these cookies. What this means is that I decided to measure out the ingredients using a scale.

The Linzer Torte has Austrian origins, however, the Linzer Cookie is a North American adaption of the  lattice topped pastry. Hazelnuts are the more traditional nut used in the torte, however, almonds and walnuts can also be used. With hazelnuts being one of those acquired taste nuts (in spite the recent surge in popularity of Nutella) this Linzer cookie would have almonds.

The almonds need to be ground into a fine meal. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade the almonds and one-half cup of the flour are processed together to get this desired consistency. The flour helps to prevent the almonds from turning into a paste. Using skins on sliced almonds give the dough and finished cookie a look that says 'there are nuts in here'.

This dough came together really well. Beginning with beating the butter until a light consistency, followed by gradually adding the granulated sugar, lemon zest and vanilla, you are almost done making the dough. The ground almond/flour mixture is then added in three batches and mixed until dough is smooth.

 The first step in deciding whether or not I like a cookie is tasting the dough. Good dough, good cookie, great dough, great cookie. This was great dough. Once the dough is divided in half, it is flattened to a disk and refrigerated for 2 hours or overnight. If the dough becomes too firm, allow to set out for 15 minutes before rolling out.

On a lightly floured surface, the dough is rolled out to about an 1/8-1/4 inch thickness. This dough rolled out perfectly. 

Using either a heart or round cookie cutter you cut out both the bottoms and tops for the cookies. Many use a crimped edge cookie cutter to make Linzer cookies, however, since I was using one of my antique cookie cutters (one without a crimped edge and one without a corresponding smaller crimped edge one) my cookies would be having a flat edge.

In a preheated 350 degree oven the cookies bake for 15-16 minutes. The parchment paper lined cookie sheet is placed in the upper third of the oven and rotated mid-way through the baking process. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for at least five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish the cooling process. Whether you are coating these cookies in chocolate or not, they need to cool completely before the raspberry preserves are spread on them.

Before dipping the cookie tops in white chocolate, they need to cool completely. To be honest, the dipping process wasn't hard, just a little more time consuming than dusting with confectionary sugar. As long as you are careful, you won't break any cookie tops. After tasting the finished white chocolate dipped Raspberry Linzer Cookie, I would definitely dip them again and not just for the finished look. The flavors of the almonds, lemon zest, white chocolate and raspberry preserves were amazing together.

The confectionary sugar topped Raspberry Linzer cookies are equally delicious. If you are not a fan of white chocolate, make the confectionary sugar topped version. But regardless of your finished Linzer cookie top preference, this is a cookie so worth all of the time and love that goes into making them.  Just don't make them only for Valentine's Day or any other holiday because life is short to deny yourself such divine deliciousness.

Recipe
White Chocolate Raspberry Linzer Cookies (inspired by Model Bakery's Raspberry Linzer Cookie recipe)
Makes about 24 2 1/2-3 inch cookies

Ingredients
2 cups/230 g sliced almonds (with skins on)
2 1/4 cups/325 g pastry flour, plus additional flour for rolling out the dough
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks)/280 g unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup/130 g granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Grated zest of one lemon
12-13 ounce jar of raspberry preserves (seeded or seedless)
1 1/2 cups white chocolate for dipping or confectionary sugar for dusting

Directions
1. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the almonds and 1/2 cup of the flour until nuts are finely ground. Be careful not to process to much or a paste will form. Transfer ground almonds/flour mixture to the remaining flour. Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle blade, beat butter until smooth (about 1 minute).
3. Gradually add in granulated sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes).
4. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest.
5. Add flour mixture in three batches. Mix until smooth.
6. Divide dough in half, forming two disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (2 hours to 1 day). Note: If dough is too hard to roll out, let sit for approximately 15 minutes to soften slightly.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
8. Lightly flour work surface and roll out one dough disk until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Using a round or heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Place half of cut dough on a cookie sheet.
9. With remaining half of cut dough, cut centers (this will form the tops of the cookie).
10. Bake cookies for 15-20 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
11. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooking racks. Cool completely.
12. Melt 1 cup of white chocolate over hot water. Carefully dip tops of cookies (cut in the center). Allow chocolate to set.
13. Spread raspberry preserves on each whole (uncut in the center) cookie.
14. Place chocolate covered cookie on top of each whole cookie. Press dough slightly to form cookie sandwich.
15. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Note: If using confectionary sugar instead of white chocolate, dust confectionary sugar over cookie tops before finishing the cookie assembly.

As soon as February arrives there always seems to be an increase in the number of articles, stories and surveys related to relationships of all kinds. Most likely prompted by the holiday of month (Valentine's Day), the reminders and redundant messages that come from these sources are usually received differently, depending mostly on which side of the relationship world you live in as well as your level of skepticism over articles on relationships (particularly when they espouse ideas different than your own). For reasons too complicated to explain, I experience an endorphin rush when I read things with redundant ideas that resonate with some of the things I believe. Multiple sources of validation can sometimes make you feel less of an outlier.

Some say the secret to every relationship (every successful, satisfying relationship that is) is honesty. And that if honesty is a constant presence it can be so powerful it masks all of those little imperfections (our neurosis, fears, struggles with perfectionism). So if this is really true, don't you wonder why anyone would allow honesty to erode in a relationship they value? If for whatever reason(s) you are in a relationship where you can't be honest (and we aren't just talking lying here), the other person often may find it more difficult to talk to you because they won't know which 'who' they are talking to. Particularly if the who you are today and the who you were yesterday are not always the same person (we are talking selective memory here). If more time is being spent discussing imperfections, honesty might just be the underlying (sometimes unspoken) real issue causing havoc in the relationship. If you have ever been lucky enough to be in a relationship where honesty really mattered then you know those little imperfections (either yours or theirs) really didn't. And you didn't have to read that anywhere.