Totoro Linzer Cookies
 
 
Author:
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.
Recipe by Dessert First at https://dessertfirstgirl.com/2017/12/totoro-linzer-cookies.html