Cookies for tea

If you've been following my blog (which I want to thank you for :D), you might have wondered why I haven't posted a recipe on cookies. To tell you the truth, I don't really like them as much as cakes or other desserts which you can easily bite into. They're also sometimes too sweet for my taste. On top of that, most of my previous attempts at making cookies have failed.

This one though, was an exception. I recently took a liking to jam sables after having the first bite in Melbourne's Brunetti cafe. They make theirs with blackberry or apricot jam and both go really well with coffee. So I was flipping through Dorie's book when I saw this sable recipe that just screams out to be tried.

This recipe calls for quite a lot of cinnamon powder. If you don't like cinnamon, I'd suggest you cut down or omit it altogether. You can substitute it with a tsp of vanilla extract and/or 1/2 tsp of almond extract instead. Always get good quality jam. It is the ingredient which holds the cookie together. And not just literally :)

Linzer Sables
adapted from here
makes 50 cookies or 25 sandwiched ones

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 tsp water
113g butter, softened, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raspberry jam plus 1 tsp water
pure icing sugar (for dusting) 

Method
1. Whisk together the almond meal, flour, cinnamon and salt.
2. Using a fork, stir in the egg and water together in a small bowl.
3, Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg mixture and beat for 1 minute
5. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated.
6. If the dough comes together, but some dry crumbs remain, use a spatula to finish blending.
7. Divide the dough in half.
8. Work with one half at a time. Put the dough between 2 large sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.Using your hands, flatten the dough into a disk.
9. Use a rolling pin and roll out the dough until around 0.5mm thick.
10. Repeat with the other dough.
11. Chill both doughs for 2 hours in the fridge or 45 minutes in the freezer.
12. After taking them out, thaw until the dough is just soft enough to cut out. Use your desired cookie cutter and cut as many cookies as you can from the dough.

13. You can roll the leftovers again and cut more cookies from it.
14. Line a baking tray and bake the cookies in a 190C oven for 9-13 minutes until they are lightly golden, dry and just firm to the touch. Keep an eye towards the end.
15. Transfer cookies to a rack and cool to room temperature
16. To make the sandwich cookies, heat the jam and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
17. Turn off heat and let the jam cool slightly.
18. Spoon 1/2 tsp in the center of the full cookie and sandwich with the cut out half.
19. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar.