Mini Raspberry Linzer Cookies for Dough-Nibbling Bakers

February 9, 2011 by Geni - Sweet and Crumby 33 Comments

These delicate, raspberry or Nutella filled mini Linzer cookies are rich and buttery, just slightly crispy and have so few ingredients, you are guaranteed to have them on hand. This recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa and requires NO EGGS which concerned me at the get-go, but after tasting them, I was sold and so was my Girl Scout Troop as they ~~nibbled~~ inhaled the raw cookie dough sans salmonella.

I have to admit, that I am NOT a Mise En Place kind of girl. I usually dive into recipes without a care in the world until I realize that I need something that is not sitting in my pantry and have to run out to the store mid-stream. So, on the day of my Girl Scout troop meeting, literally minutes before I had to be at the school picking them up, I realized that this recipe did not include an egg in the list of ingredients and I was a bit perplexed. I had never made any cookies without eggs before and worried that my troop might end up a little disappointed with the results. I trudged forward and threw the batter together anyway. What else could I do?

When telling the girls that we would be baking Raspberry Linzer cookies, I added a disclaimer. “They may not turn out…not sure…really haven’t made cookies without eggs before BUT and here’s the biggest BUT…the dough is safe to eat as-is, raw so feel free to nibble on the dough as we bake.” The cheers could have been heard down the block.

This was a pretty big coup as far as my girls were concerned. They were being told they could EAT THE COOKIE DOUGH! This cookie project ended up being a huge success as girls happily cut out and nibbled on dough, chatted away and spread Nutella or Jam on their cookies while being politely asked not to lick their fingers.

As icing on the cake or perhaps more like powdered sugar on the cookies, they got to use the coolest cookie cutter EVER. Really. It’s from Wilton and I picked it up from our local Michael’s craft store for $4.99. It cuts beautiful mini Linzer cookies AND has a choice of six differently shaped centers to cut out. The girls would twist on and off the little centers of the cookie cutters and choose the design of their liking. What fun for kids and adults alike!

I hope you get a chance to make this traditional Valentine’s Day cookie because they are oh-so-beautiful and just as delicious—and you have MY permission to nibble on the dough!

Mini Linzer Valentine Cookies
From Ina Garten of the Food Network
3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup good raspberry preserves
1/2 c. Nutella for centers
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

For the Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 3/4-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a heart or spade shaped cutter. Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners’ sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and or Nutella and the confectioners’ sugar on the top.