Cranberry Linzer Tarts Recipes

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Lower heat to a brisk simmer and stir frequently, until cranberries burst. Continue cooking, mashing fruit a bit with the back of a spoon, until thick as jam, about 30 minutes. Set aside. (Filling may be prepared in advance.)
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place hazelnuts and almonds on a baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes, until well browned. Rub skins off hazelnuts while still warm, discarding skins. Cool nuts, then grind finely in a food processor, adding 3 tablespoons of flour to keep them from becoming oily. (Nuts should have the texture of coarse cornmeal.) Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine butter, sugar, and lemon and orange zest. Beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, mix together ground nuts, the rest of the flour, cloves, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture in three parts, mixing each time until it forms a slightly sticky dough.
• Divide dough into two pieces, one slightly bigger. Form larger piece into a ball, wrap and flatten to a 1-inch thickness. Form smaller piece into a rough rectangle, wrap and flatten to a 1-inch thickness about 4 by 5 inches. Chill 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
• Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour an 11-inch fluted French tart pan. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes. On floured parchment paper, roll the larger piece of dough into a 12-inch circle, dusting the top with flour as necessary. If dough is difficult to handle, chill again. Pat evenly into pan until sides and bottom are completely lined with dough about 1/8-inch thick. Refrigerate or freeze tart shell until firm.
• Roll out smaller piece of dough on floured parchment paper to rectangle about 10 by 12 inches and 1/8-inch thick. Cut into strips about 3/4 inch by 12 inches. Transfer parchment to a tray and refrigerate or freeze until firm.
• Spread cranberry jam evenly into shell. Lay strips across top in a lattice pattern. Form remaining dough scraps into a rope 1/2 inch in diameter and use it to encircle outer edge of tart. Score diagonally with the handle of a spoon or flute with fingers to make a border.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until jam is bubbling and pastry is lightly browned. Let cool, and dust with powdered sugar if desired. Serve in small wedges.

Steps:

• Beat 3/4 cup butter and and white sugar together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat egg into butter mixture.
• Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir. Beat vanilla into butter mixture. Form dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
• Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick. Cut dough with a round or Linzer cookie cutter. Use a smaller cutter to cut the center from the tops. Place cookie bottoms and tops 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
• Stir cranberries, brown sugar, and water together in a saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir butter and lemon juice into cranberry mixture; remove from heat and cool.
• Spread a small amount of the cranberry mixture onto one side of the bottom half of a cookie. Place the top half of the cookie on top of the cranberry mixture. Repeat assembly process with remaining cookies and cranberry filling.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in thirds. Shape each into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. holiday cookie cutters. Using floured 1-in. shaped cookie cutters, cut out the centers of half of the cookies., Place solid and window cookies 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Sprinkle window cookies with additional confectioners' sugar. Spread 1 teaspoon Nutella on the bottom of each solid cookie; place window cookies over filling.

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, the ground almonds, and cinnamon. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture becomes a slightly stiff dough.
• Shape the dough into a ball; divide it in half. Wrap both halves in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough into a sheet 1/8 inch thick. With a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles from the sheet as you can. Knead the leftover scraps of dough into a ball and roll it out again into a 1/8 inch sheet. Cut out more circles. You should now have about 12 circles.
• Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. Refrigerate while working with remaining dough.
• Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other half of the dough, but after placing the second batch on the baking sheet, cut out the center of each circle with a 1/2 inch cookie cutter.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
• Spread a thin coating of jam on each of the cookie rounds. Set a cutout cookie on top of each, pressing the two together so they make a sandwich. Spoon a dab of jam into the opening of each tart and sprinkle the tops with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Steps:

• Combine cranberries, sugar, zest, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer until fresh cranberries begin to burst, about 10 minutes.
• Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving liquid in the pan. Reduce liquid over low heat until thick, about 10 minutes. Pour over cranberries and mix well. Set aside to cool.
• Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Line a 9-inch tart pan or eight 3-inch tart pans with dough. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Roll out remaining dough to make lattice or leaves to decorate top. Chill on a baking sheet until firm.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Fill tart shells and decorate tops, attaching lattice or leaves with a bit of ice water. Bake until pastry is brown and filling is bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes.