Linzer Cookies Recipe | Food Diaries | Zarnak Sidhwa | Dessert

Method:
Beat 175gm butter and 175gm sugar until light and fluffy. Beat 3 of the eggs and pour in, a little at a time, mixing after each addition. Sift together 140gm flour, 1⁄2 tsp baking powder and the cocoa, then fold into the butter mixture along with the almonds. Combine 100ml milk, 1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla and all the food colouring and add to the batter, then mix until evenly coloured. Pour into a greased and lined loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. When cool, cut the cake into 4cm slices. Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out the hearts.
Repeat step 1 to make a second cake mixture, do not add cocoa or food colour in this batch. Pour 3⁄4 of the mixture into a greased and lined loaf tin. Push the bottoms of the hearts into the batter in a tightly packed row. Spoon over the remaining cake mixture, covering as much of the hearts as possible. Bake for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing, gently heat all the ingredients over a low heat until combined. Leave to cool, then chill until needed. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with the sprinkles.

Method:
Mix flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. In a food processor, pulse almonds with brown sugar until finely ground. Beat butter and add icing sugar. Mix in egg, then blend in vanilla and almond essences. Mix in almond mixture, slowly add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Form mixture into a ball and drop onto a sheet of cling, then flatten into a 6-inch round disk, cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 2 hours.
Dust work surface with flour, cut disk in half and then evenly roll out each portion into 1/8 to 1/6-inch thickness. Cut into heart shapes using a cookie cutter, then using a smaller heart shape cookie cutter, cut smaller hearts into the centers of half of the hearts.
Carefully transfer to silicon lined baking sheets (you can run a sharp knife or pastry scaper under cookies to help lift them if needed. Also, chill dough that’s not currently being rolled or baked, the hearts hold their shape better when cold), spacing cookies 1-inch apart.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees c for 10 – 12 minutes until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread seedless strawberry jam over whole hearts, dust cookies with heart cut centers with powdered sugar then place those cookies over tops.Store in an airtight container.