Linzer Cookies

Instructions

1. In a food processor, finely chop the hazelnuts with the sugar and icing sugar. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt. Pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture has a sandy texture. Add the egg yolks and mix until smooth. Remove the dough from the food processor and form into a disc with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the dough is firm.
2. On a floured work surface, knead the dough for 30 seconds to soften. Divide the dough into two pieces.
3. On large sheets of parchment paper, roll out one piece of dough at a time until ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. Using a 2 ½-inch (6 cm) round fluted cookie cutter, cut out cookies leaving them on the parchment paper. Using a smaller star or tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the centre of half of the cookies. Slide the sheets of parchment paper with the dough one on top of the other, then slide onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes or until the dough is firm.
4. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
5. Remove the dough scraps from around and from the centre of the cookies. Reuse the scraps to shape more cookies (see note). Arrange the cookies without centre holes on one baking sheet and the cookies with holes onto a second baking sheet. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 14 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheets.
6. Flip over the cookies without centre holes. Top each one with about 1 tsp (5 ml) of the jam. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with holes with icing sugar. Place over the jam-filled cookies to form sandwiches. The cookies will keep for 1 week in an airtight container at room temperatures or 3 months in the freezer.