Almond flavored butter cookies filled with raspberry jam and lemon zest that are both delicious to eat and pretty to serve.

Linzer Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

Dough:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup ground almonds

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

Filling:

½ cup raspberry preserves

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Tip: Use a citrus zester for fresh zest. Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Baking sheets may be ungreased, lined with parchment paper, or lined with a non-stick baking mat.
   
   Dough:
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; whisk together to mix. Set aside.
   
   
3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar; mix together until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract; mix until thoroughly blended. Add flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
   
   
4. Shape dough into small balls, about 1” in diameter.  Tip: An ice cream scoop is ideal for making uniform-sized cookies.
   
   
5. Place balls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. With your thumb or index finger, press an indentation in the center of each ball to hold the filling. Tip: instead of using your finger, use a wooden spoon with a rounded handle; make a deep indentation with the tip of the handle in the center of each cookie. If the dough sticks dip the tip in flour before pressing.
   
   Bake:
6. Bake 20 minutes or until cookies are set and very lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.
   
   Filling:
7. In a small bowl, combine raspberry preserves and lemon zest.
   
   
8. Fill the center of each cookie with about ½ teaspoon of the filling. Tip: to fill the cookies neatly, point the tip of the spoon down into the indentation and slide the filling off with another spoon or your fingertip.
   
   Makes about 3 dozen cookies
   
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