Easy Homemade Linzer Cookies (Linzerkarika)

Although Linzer Cookies are not an original Hungarian dessert, but are well-known and very popular in Hungary. There are several versions of the recipe – with or without walnut, lemon-zest and using different type of jams. With just a few ingredients these are really easy to make and much-much better than the store-bought version. Ingredients (makes about 30 cookies): 450 grams (1lb) flour 200 grams (7 oz) confectioners sugar 85 grams (3 oz) ground walnut 1 packet (12 grams/0.4 oz) baking powder 1 packet (10 grams/0.35 oz) vanilla sugar pinch of salt 250 grams (8.8 oz) cold butter /cubed 2 egg yolks 2 tbsp of sour cream about 200 grams (7 oz) apricot jam Confectioners sugar for dusting 1. Sift the flour into a bowl then add the confectioners sugar, ground walnut, baking powder, vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix it together. 2. Now, add the cold, cubed butter, egg yolks and sour cream. Knead the dough with your hands until it comes together and you have an elastic, but not too soft dough. 3. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour. 4. Place the dough onto a floured surface, then cut it half. (just easier to work with a smaller dough) 5. Flour the dough and the rolling pin and and roll the dough out until it's about 5 millimeters (0.2 inch) thick. 6. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. (of course you can use smaller or bigger, and different shape /like flower/ cutters too). Place them on a baking sheet, covered with baking parchment. 7. Cut out the center of every second round with a 1-inch cutter – those will be the top of the cookies. 8. Do the same (rolling, cutting etc) with the other half of the dough. 9. Preheat the oven to 350F (170C) and bake the cookies for about 9-11 minutes, just until lightly golden brown. (Bake them in batches, and/or use more baking sheets as you need to bake about 60 rounds.) 10. Remove from the oven and let them cool a little bit 11. Spread each cookie bottom with 1-2 tsp apricot jam and place the cookie with hole in it on top. Do the same with all the cookie bottoms and tops. 12. Dust with generous amount of confectioners sugar and serve! 13. ENJOY! 14. (If you cover the leftover cookies with cling film, they become much softer for the next day!) /The music is based on a Hungarian folk song, played and made by my husband, MrStick© - (all rights reserved)/