It smells a lot like Christmas… Linzer Cookies… or we call it Spitzbuben

This is my classic Christmas cookie recipe which my great grandma brought into the family. I remember as a little kid, sitting on the counter and stealing the dough. It will always bring my memory back to the times when my mum, grandma and great grandma baked with me before the holidays.

For approx 40 cookies:

3 1/3 cups (420g) All purpose flour
1 cup (200g) White sugar
2 1/4 sticks (250g) Butter
1 large Egg
1 cup (125g) Hazelnut flour, grated Hazelnuts
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract for the dough
1/2 cup vanilla sugar (vanilla mixed with sugar and powder sugar)
2 cups Raspberry jelly or any other dark berries jelly. I like it not so sweet maybe a bit of a tart flavor

Mix the flour with the nuts, add the cold butter, sugar and the egg and start combining it to a smooth dough. This will take a while and a lot of handwork. When it is combined cool the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough to 4-5 mm (0.2 Inch) and use flour cookies cutters. You need one bottom piece and one cover cookie with a hole. I bought nice Linzer cookie cutter at Worldmarket which are really helpful.

Bake for 10 min till the cookies get a light color.

Immediately put the upper half upside down in the cookies in the vanilla sugar. This allows a nice covering of the cookie with sugar. Place them on a cooling rack. Cover lower part of the cookie with one Tsp. jelly and place top cookie on it. Let them cool out before storage.