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Christmastime is Here: Totoro Linzer Cookies

Dec 14 by Anita 16 Comments

Totoro Linzer Cookies grid

Happy holidays! It’s the season of  joy and wonder and wishes come true, and these Totoro linzer cookies might make it just a bit more magical.

I was struggling for Christmas cookie inspiration this year. Rescue came in the form of Isabelle, who in just the last couple of weeks decided to fall in love with Totoro, the giant furry forest spirit from My Neighbor Totoro. This was one of my favorite animes when I was little, and seeing Isabelle take to it as readily as I did has been quite a joy. Hearing Isabelle sing the Totoro song around the house in her chirpy little voice, the answer became suddenly obvious: Totoro linzer cookies!

Click here to jump to recipe

Isabelle and Snickers

(Isabelle, almost 5 years old, and Snickers. Sisters and best buds.)

I’d picked up these Totoro cookie cutters a while back but never got around to using them yet. The round cookie cutter meant for the tummy make these the ideal linzer cookie cutters.

My tried and true linzer cookie recipe, with a couple of small tweaks, made a merry bunch of Totoro-shaped cookies. The dough is delicate, so minimal handling and frequent chilling if turns soft and sticky, will yield the most melt-in-your mouth cookies. My preference for filling is the classic traditional redcurrant jelly, for its sweet tanginess, and its vibrant, perfectly seasonal red color. Its glassy shine also makes it a good decorating surface, so if you choose a different filling, go for a smooth jelly rather than chunkier jams or preserves.

Totoro Linzer Cookies

Here’s another happy, serendipitous brainstorm: what to do with the cutout circles? I realized they were a perfect fit for another favorite Totoro character: the little soot spirits! These funny little dust balls become chocolate sprinkle-flecked rounds with googly eyes.

Totoro Linzer Cookies screen

I rarely get the long stretches of time needed for intricate pastry making anymore. When I was poring over possible cookie recipes, I was actually trying to find some of the easier, more kid-friendly ones. However, hubby gifted me with a long peaceful Sunday afternoon where I could sift and mix, roll out and bake, and sit and decorate to my heart’s content. Space and time for quiet inspiration and to enjoy the pleasure of creation; that’s part of holiday magic too, isn’t it? I hope you find these Totoro cookies as delightful as the joy I had in making them.

Totoro Linzer Cookies grid

Totoro Linzer Cookies
 
Print
Author: Anita Chu
Serves: about 30 cookies
Ingredients
Linzer Cookies
  • 2½ cups (315 g) all purpose flour
  • ½ cup (60 g) almond meal or ground almonds
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-in pieces
  • ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • redcurrant jelly or raspberry jam for filling
Royal Icing
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 large egg white
  • ½ teaspoon juice
Piping Chocolate
  • 150 g dark chocolate, chopped into 1-in pieces
Instructions
For the cookies:
  1. Combine flour, almond meal, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Combine butter and sugar in food processor and process until light and fluffy, a couple minutes.
  3. Add egg and process until combined. Add vanilla extract and process until combined.
  4. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until the dough just comes together.
  5. Turn out dough onto a clean surface, divide in half, and form each piece into a flat rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours until firm.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  7. Roll dough to about 1/16 inch on lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes with a 2-inch wide cookie cutter. Use a small cookie cutter to make cutouts in half of the cookies, so when you make sandwiches the filling will show through. Arrange cookies on cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
  8. Chill cookies on the sheets for about 15 minutes before baking (This will prevent them from spreading).
  9. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until cookies turn golden brown and smell like toasting nuts, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool sheets on wire racks.
  10. Wait until cookies are completely cool before assembling them.
For the royal icing:
  1. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and egg white together in a small bowl until smooth. If the mixture is too dry, add in a teaspoon or two of milk. It should be thick and slightly stiff, not too liquidy.
  2. Whisk in the lemon juice.
  3. Place the icing in a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip or in a ziplock bag. Cut off a small corner of the ziplock bag for piping.
For the piping chocolate:
  1. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Melt chocolate, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
  2. Place the melted chocolate in a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip or in a ziplock bag. Cut off a small corner of the ziplock bag for piping.
To assemble the cookies:
  1. Spread jam over cookies without cutouts. Place cookies with cutouts over the other halves. Pipe decorations with the royal icing and chocolate. Let set before serving. Store in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper.
3.5.3228

 

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Filed Under: Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: christmas, cookies, linzer, totoro

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Comments

  1. 1

    Y says

    Dec 14 at 6:09 pm

    These are so gorgeous! (And who doesn’t love Totoro?) Might have to find some time to make something similar 🙂

    Reply
    • 2

      Anita says

      Dec 22 at 3:57 pm

      Thank you so much! I’m honored that you’d be inspired by my baking experiments:) Happy holidays to you and yours!

      Reply
  2. 3

    Natalie says

    Dec 15 at 3:32 am

    OMG these cookies are so cute!

    Reply
    • 4

      Anita says

      Dec 22 at 3:56 pm

      Thanks so much Natalie! Happy holidays to you!

      Reply
  3. 5

    michele @ i-heart-baking says

    Dec 15 at 9:59 am

    omg those are ADORABLE!!!

    Reply
    • 6

      Anita says

      Dec 22 at 3:56 pm

      Thanks so much Michele! Just inspired by all your amazing sweets! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

      Reply
  4. 7

    [email protected] says

    Dec 23 at 8:33 pm

    Nothing is better than home-made cookies… Definitely gonna give this one a try soon, hope it will be tasty for the kids. Thanks!

    Reply
    • 8

      Anita says

      Jan 16 at 10:18 pm

      Thanks so much for your sweet comment, I hope your kids like the cookies!

      Reply
  5. 9

    Sudhakar Patel says

    May 13 at 2:17 am

    Love Totoro. These are so cute. Isabelle is adorable.

    Reply
    • 10

      Anita says

      May 21 at 11:08 pm

      Thanks so much for your sweet comment!

      Reply
  6. 11

    Vi Nguyen says

    Jan 4 at 10:20 am

    Hi! This is amazing! The link to the cookie cutters is broken. Please fix it when you have a moment. Thanks !

    Reply
    • 12

      Anita says

      Jan 19 at 3:03 pm

      Hi Vi,

      Thanks for letting me know about the link. It looks like they’re not carried on Amazon anymore. I found some similar cutters on Etsy, hope these help!

      https://www.etsy.com/listing/263447160/totoro-cookie-cutter-biscuit-mold?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=totoro+cookie+cutter&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1&pro=1

      Reply
  7. 13

    [email protected] says

    Apr 4 at 8:55 am

    Yum! Going to make these to go with a cup of tea! No joke, I was looking for the recipe yesterday. So glad you uploaded one!

    Reply
    • 14

      Anita says

      Apr 8 at 10:42 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Totoro Cookie Box - Dessert First says:
    Dec 23 at 11:09 am

    […] was already inspired by Totoro to make these Totoro linzer cookies a few years ago, so I brought them back and came up with a a bunch more cookies inspired by the […]

    Reply
  2. Apple Butter Linzer Cookies - Dessert First says:
    Mar 20 at 4:40 pm

    […] You can use apple butter pretty much however you might use jam or other spreads: on toast, scones, pancakes, muffins, etc. They’re really good on savory items too like potato panckes. It’s also great as a filling, like for my favorite linzer cookies. […]

    Reply

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

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