Almond Raspberry Linzer Cookie Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put butter and sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until fluffy. Add almond paste (be sure it is fresh and soft) and mix. Lower mixer speed after almond paste is incorporated then add egg, almond extract and salt. Add flour, in small amounts at a time until all of it is mixed into the dough.

When mixture comes together, use a little flour to roll out dough on your work surface. Roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out an equal number of cookies.

Place cookies on a baking sheet that you’ve lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10 minutes or until they turn golden around the edges.

When done remove pans from the oven onto a cooling rack. After cookies cool, lightly sprinkle powdered sugar on the top of half of the cookies. A mesh tea infuser, fine mesh strainer or sifter all work great for this.

Place about 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry jelly on the bottom of the other half of the cookies.

Picking up a top cookie by the sides (as to not mess up the beautiful powdered sugar on top), line the top cookie up with the shape of the bottom cookie and place cookie top of the jelly, creating a sandwich. Repeat process until all cookies are sandwiched together.

You can use any jelly that will go well with almond flavor such as apricot, blueberry or cherry.