Christmas Baking

Linzer Cookies and Product Review

 Linzer cookies came from the Linzertorte–a tart filled with preserves and topped with a lattice crust. The name Linzer is from the city Linz, in Austria (Foodreference.com). They are two circle cookies sandwiched together with jam in between, but the top cookie has a cut-out shape. In this case, they were Christmas shapes. I made linzer cookies for the first time using a kit from HomeGoods. 

The dough is almond-based, so I toasted almonds in the toaster oven. They got a tad burned and didn't toast evenly, but I gave up after two tries and just decided to use them. I ground them up in a nutribullet and continued to make the dough. It turned out a little darker, and I was worried the cookies would taste burned. After waiting an hour for the dough to harden in the fridge, I rolled it out and started using the cookie cutter. It was a two-in-one gadget; there was a handle in the middle to push down for the cut-out (you twist them in underneath). When I pressed down, it made a weird circular indentation in addition to a poorly cut outside. I had to resort to just using the mini Christmas cut-outs by themselves and eyeballing the center of the circle of the cookie. Improvisation, but hey, it worked just fine. 

After they cookies came out of the oven, I tasted them, and to my surprise, they didn't taste burnt at all. Phew! I let them cool, and then spread Smucker's seedless raspberry jam on the bottom cookie. Next, I topped it with a cut-out cookie. Also, dust the cut-out cookie with powdered sugar before sandwiching them together, otherwise the sugar will get in the jam. Using a sieve helps to distribute the powdered sugar evenly. And powdered sugar is very, very, messy! I do not recommend the kit I used (after washing it, it began to rust!), but the cookies were delicious and very pretty! 

My Great-Aunt's Gingerbread Cookies

Every year, my family and I bake my great aunt's gingerbread cookies!  I always invite a friend over to come decorate them with me. The recipe is on an old recipe card in her handwriting.

We make the dough the day before, chill it overnight, and roll it out in the morning. Over the years, I've changed some of the techniques we use while making these cookies. We used to flour a wooden board and rolling pin, but every time it would get stuck and we'd end up using too much flour. So, I learned a trick– sandwiching the dough between two pieces of wax paper to roll it out so it doesn't get stuck to the rolling pin.

Before, we always used the frosting tubes that come with the plastic piping tips and are impossible to squeeze out. We'd have to microwave the tubes to make them warm and easier to squeeze. Also, these frosting tubes are filled with corn syrup, chemicals you can't pronounce, and heavily dyed with food coloring. Enter royal icing! It's so easy to make and made of real ingredients, aside from the food coloring. And you can adjust the consistency to your preference. It uses meringue powder/egg whites, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. To color the frosting, I use the Wilton food gels because you don't have to mix primary colors.

These cookies are moist, soft, and have the perfect amount of spices. I prefer them over any store/bakery bought gingerbread cookies. Sometimes, homemade is just better!