Linzer Stars

Ingredients

• 2 1?4 cups all purpose flour
• 1?2 tsp baking powder
• 1?2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1?2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• 2 cups ground almonds
• apricot or raspberry preserves
• icing sugar

Instructions

1. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together. Whisk in almond extract until mixture is light and creamy. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until just combined. Fold in orange zest and ground almonds.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for a minimum of two hours.
4. Preheat over to 325F. Remove one ball of dough from fridge and place between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll dough to 1/8” thickness. Using a 2” or 3”cookie cutter, cut out desired shapes. Gather excess dough and roll and cut into shapes again until all dough is used.
5. Using a 1” cookie cutter, make a window in the centre of half of the cut out shapes. Tip: An inexpensive Linzer Cookie Cutter Set allows you to cut a shape and make the centre window at the same time.
6. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet for 13-15 minutes until cookies just start to brown. Repeat, using remainder of dough in fridge.
7. Once cool, spread preserve on bottom halves of cookies (flat side up). Dust top halves with icing sugar. Place top of cookie on bottom.
8. Makes about 20 - 3” cookies or 40 - 2”.