COOKIE SWAP Linzer Tart Cookies by Nanci

I LOVE linzer tart cookies. I have always wanted to attempt to make them so, when this year's cookie swap came around I immediately thought to make these. It is a pretty straight forward recipe but I warn you it is a little time consuming. The dough needs to be prepared ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator. Then there is a lot of rolling out of dough and cutting the bottom and top cookies. Then of course after they're cooled they need to be filled and dusted with powdered sugar. It is definitely worth it though. They are really pretty cookies not to mention delicious. This particular dough recipe is really easy to handle and makes a perfect crispy vessel for the raspberry jam!!

 Variation with Apricot Jam

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 1/2 cups flour
Raspberry Jam
Confectioner's sugar

Preparation:

Beat eggs well. Add oil and sugar, beating well. Beat in vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour until a dough forms. Chill dough for at least an hour. May be chilled overnight but let it sit out a while so it is not so cold. The dough will be easier to work with. Roll the dough onto a floured board.  Cut out all the dough with a flower cookie cutter.  Use a smaller flower cookie cutter and cut out a small hole in the center of half of the cookies to make the tops of the linzer tarts.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 min (only until very lightly browned around the edges....the cookies should not have a lot of color).  Cool completely.  Spread rapberry jam on bottom half of cookie (you can use apricot filling or Nutella too).  Cover jam with top cookie.  Dust with powedered sugar.