Linzer Snowflakes

Makes about 16 filled cookies

¼            cup granulated sugar

1            vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved

1            tablespoon finely grated orange zest

1            heaped cup whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

2½         cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1            cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting

1¼         teaspoon ground cardamom

¼            teaspoon ground cloves

½           teaspoon ground ginger

¼            teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1¼         teaspoon kosher salt

20          tablespoons (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

½           cup cherry preserves or jam (preferably sour)

Nutritional information per filled cookie: Calories 331 (53% from fat) • carb. 35g • pro. 4g • fat 20g • sat. fat 9g • chol. 38mg • sod. 88mg • calc. 8mg • fiber 2g

1. Put the granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Gently work scraped vanilla bean seeds and orange zest into the sugar with fingers until well dispersed.
2. Insert the chopping blade into the work bowl of a Cuisinart® food processor. Add hazelnuts along with sugar mixture and pulse until nuts are very finely ground and resemble a coarse meal. Transfer to same bowl used to mix sugar.
3. Add the flour, confectioners’ sugar, cardamom, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and salt to the work bowl. Process on Low to sift. Add hazelnut mixture and pulse a few times to blend. Add the butter and pulse in 3-second-long bursts until large clumps form. Scrape down the bowl and continue to pulse until dough comes together into a rough mass. Do not overprocess. Divide the dough in half and pat into 2 discs. Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.
4. Remove dough from fridge and let soften for 5 to 10 minutes. Working with 1 disc at a time, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. The ideal thickness is somewhere between ¼ and ⅛ inch thick. Using a linzer cookie cutter, preferably snowflake-shaped, cut out an equal number of whole bottom cookies and cookie tops with cutout centers to sandwich.
5. Transfer all the bottoms to one parchment-lined baking sheet and all the tops to another. Reroll scraps and cut out cookies until all the dough is used. Allow the cut cookies to chill for at least 30 minutes. Set oven racks in upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 325°F.
6. Bake cookies until edges just begin to turn golden, about 12 to 15 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway; expect tops to take less time than bottoms. Let cookies rest for 5 to 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
7. To fill cookies, turn bottom cookies flat side up and spread about 1½ teaspoons of jam onto the center of each. Lightly dust top cookies with confectioners’ sugar and place onto bottoms to form sandwiches. Linzers are best the day they are made but can be enjoyed for up to 3 days. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

*Note: Yield is based on a 3½-inch linzer cookie cutter and will vary depending on size used.