Linzer Hollywood Stars Recipes

Steps:

• For the cookie batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the butter until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and continue mixing until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, 5 to 8 minutes.
• In another bowl, combine and mix the flour, almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Mix and roll the cookies: Because this dough has a good amount of butter, it needs resting time and it needs to be rolled fairly quickly. Lay three large pieces of wax paper in a single layer on a flat surface. Sprinkle each one with a light coating of flour. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, blend the flour mixture in with the butter. When the ingredients are fully integrated, place one third of the batter on each of the pieces of wax paper. Coat with another light layer of flour and top with another piece of wax paper of the same length to make three dough "sandwiches." Press these wax-paper-and-dough-sandwiches down with your hands until the dough is fairly thin. This will save a lot of time on rolling later on. Place two of them in the refrigerator and work with them one at a time. Roll the first batch into as neat a shape as possible. What matters most is avoiding creases or cracks and getting it to about 1/8 inch in thickness. When the first is rolled, refrigerate it and repeat the same process for the other two. Let them chill at least 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the cookie bottoms: Remove the first rolled sheet from the refrigerator and cut as many 1 1/2-inch stars (or rounds) as you can. Reserve the scraps in the refrigerator. Arrange the stars neatly in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the other two sheets, reserving any scraps.
• Make the cookie tops: Cut a star, with the smaller cutter, out of the center of half of all the cookies. Roll the scraps in between two of the pieces of wax paper and cut additional stars, if desired.
• Bake and assemble the cookie sandwiches: Bake the cookies until they are lightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on the trays for a few minutes before gently transferring them to a flat surface. P
• Place the raspberry jam in a small pot and bring it to a light simmer. Remove from the heat to cool slightly. Spoon 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon raspberry jam on each bottom and place a top star squarely on each. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Steps:

• In food processor, place almonds and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Cover; process until nuts are finely ground. In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
• In large bowl, beat butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add nut mixture. Beat in egg, lemon peel and vanilla. On low speed, beat in flour mixture until combined. Shape dough into 2 balls; flatten into rounds; refrigerate 1 hour. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper. On floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with 3-inch star-shaped cutter. Using 1-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out star in center of half of the cookies. On cookie sheets, place 3-inch cookies 1 inch part. Place small stars on separate cookie sheet. Bake 3-inch cookies 7 to 9 minutes, 1-inch cookies 5 to 6 minutes, or just until golden. Remove to cooling racks; cool completely. In small bowl, microwave jelly on High 15 seconds; stir. Spread about 1 teaspoon jelly on each cookie. Top with cutout cookie. Sift powdered sugar over sandwich cookies and small stars. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon jelly into center of each sandwich cookie.

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:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together hazelnut flour, 2 cups cake flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Pulse pecans and remaining 1/2 cup cake flour in a food processor until finely ground (but not wet); add to bowl with flour mixture.
• Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture until combined. Divide dough in half, shape each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out each disk of dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Refrigerate on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
• Cut out star shapes using a 3-inch cutter. Cut a star from the center of half the cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 2 inches apart.
• Bake until pale gold, 13 to 14 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets set on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks, and let cool completely.
• Dust cookies with confectioners' sugar. Spread 1/2 teaspoon preserves onto the center of each uncut star; top with cutout stars, offsetting, if desired, to create a "burst."

Steps:

• Mix the flour, 1 tsp cinnamon and the allspice in a large bowl until combined. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the almonds and caster sugar. Drizzle in the egg and mix with a cutlery knife until the dough comes together in large clumps. Using your hands, knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a tight, compact disc. If the dough is still very soft, chill for 15 mins.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly dusted work surface to 5mm thickness. Stamp out 20 x 7cm rounds using a crinkle-edged cookie cutter and place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Re-roll the off-cuts and cut out as many more biscuits as you can (you need to end up with an even number). Use a small round or other festive cutter to stamp a circle from the centre of half the biscuits. Chill all the biscuits in the freezer for 20 mins or the fridge for 30 mins until firm.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the biscuits for about 10-12 mins, or until lightly golden and sandy to the touch. Leave to cool for 5 mins on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix the icing sugar with the rest of the cinnamon and dust this over the cut-out biscuits. Spoon the jam over the whole biscuits and smooth with the back of a spoon. Sandwich these with the icing-sugar-dusted biscuits. Will keep in an airtight container for six days. Best eaten within three days.

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the cookie crumbs, almonds and 2 tablespoons of sugar; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and stir it into the almond mixture.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Beat in the remaining sugar. Beat in one egg and the vanilla extract until creamy. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until just combined. Halve the dough, form into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and chill until very firm, at least 2 hours.
• On a floured surface, roll out half the dough to a 16-inch thickness. Use a pastry brush to brush off excess flour on the top of the dough, and use a large (about 3 1/2 inches at its widest point) heart-shaped cutter to stamp out as many hearts as possible. Use a wide spatula to transfer them to parchment-lined cookie sheets and chill. Gather the scraps, form into a disk and refrigerate. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Using a slightly smaller (about 2 inch wide) heart-shaped cutter, cut out the centers of half the chilled hearts. Leave the exterior rings on cookie sheets, and add the cut-out centers to the scraps. Roll out the chilled scraps and cut out an equal number of large hearts and rings. Chill them for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a cup, lightly whisk the remaining egg. Remove the chilled large hearts from the refrigerator and, using a small pastry brush, brush a coating of egg around the edges of each. Use a spatula to carefully lift the rings from the cookie sheets and place each over a heart. Press gently with your fingers to make them adhere. Brush the rings with more egg. Bake the cookies until the hearts are lightly colored, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and drop about a tablespoon of the preserves into the centers, spreading to fill. Return the cookies to oven and bake until the jam is set but not bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the sheets.