Tuesdays with Dorie: Linzer Sablés
December 2, 2008 at 12:34 am | Posted in cookies & bars, groups, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 47 Comments
Seems the next few weeks of TWD will be dedicated to cookies. Very holiday-appropriate, no? Despite my best intentions, I never make a multitude of Christmas cookies…when the time comes, this little elf just doesn’t really feel up to the task, so I guess this will give me a bit of a shove. First up, we have Linzer Sablés, chosen for us by noskos of Living the Life. If you’ve ever had a linzer cookie or torte, you will know that they usually have a pastry made with cinnamon and ground nuts, and some type of jammy filling (often raspberry). I love this combo…I even made linzer cupcakes once.
I think linzer dough is most tasty and flavorful when made with hazelnuts. Alas, I still do not have my food processor, and pre-ground hazelnut meal is hard to find here. Almond meal’s pretty easy to source (I got a nice speckled one, made with skin-on almonds, from TJ’s), so I went with that this go-round.
I made half a batch of dough, but guess I forgot what I was doing when it came time to add the cinnamon. Luckily I caught myself before the full 1 1/2 teaspoons went in, but my dough was dark with the extra spice. It actually had great flavor! I used mixed berry preserves from Sarabeth’s as my filling. I was careful to roll my dough to a thickness 1/4-inch, as Dorie states. After sandwiching the cookies, I wished I’d rolled them thinner. Too much cookie and not enough jam. Next time, I’ll go about 1/8-inch instead.
For the recipe, look in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. You can also find it on Living the Life. Check out the TWD Blogroll to find plenty of other baking tips for these cookies!
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Your crescent shaped cookies are absolutely darling!
Your linzer cupcake recipe sounds so delicious – I’m definitely going to give it a try.
Comment by Linda— December 2, 2008 #
I like the look of the darker cookie! And I thought they were thick, too. Half an inch plus filling? The cookie that eats like a meal.
Comment by Rebecca— December 2, 2008 #
How lovely! These look beautiful and love the spicy. Mine were about an inch thick…oops! 🙂
Comment by foodlibrarian— December 2, 2008 #
i bet those tasted great w/a little extra cinnamon 🙂 i agree about the thickness of the cookies – too much cookie and not enough jam…
Comment by Jaime— December 2, 2008 #
You always have a way to make everything so pretty, Steph! They’re too cute!
From the photos I had previously seen of the cookies (on other blogs), I too, thought 1/4 of an inch was pretty thick… so I tried to make them closer to 1/8. And you’re right, it is just the right thickness for the amount of filling that goes in (although I did use chocolate ganache instead of jam, and didn’t skimp on dosage!LOL).
I hope you get your kitchen devices soon, as I know how not having your usual “friends” can be a pain! LOL
Comment by Vibi— December 2, 2008 #
Your sables look fantastic Steph! Your stuff always does. I used almonds as well. I would love to try this with Hazelnuts as they are, as you said, the best nuts for Linzer cookies. Yours look wonderful though!
Comment by Marie— December 2, 2008 #
Very nice and delicous these bisciuts!
Comment by Mary— December 2, 2008 #
Gorgeous!!
Comment by VeggieGirl— December 2, 2008 #
They look great, love all the different shapes! I couldn’t find a scalloped cutter so just made round ones.
Comment by noskos [Living the Life]— December 2, 2008 #
Tasty photo! I love the half-moon shape. So fancy with Sarabeth’s filling too. Sadly, I’ve rolled and cut out some, and plan to bake & post later today. Should I reroll? I still want to talk rice pudding.
Comment by Lauren— December 2, 2008 #
Extra spice sounds good to me! I’m lucky enough to have access to a great bulk department that includes things like hazelnut meal, so that’s what I’m using.
Comment by Di— December 2, 2008 #
super beaux tes biscuits 🙂
Comment by isabelle— December 2, 2008 #
Don’t go thinner, just add more jam between the cookies. 😉 I went thinner to get a nice crisp type cookie and it was just too thin. It broke too easily, cooked too quickly and overall just wasn’t want it was suppose to be. I will not be posting my pictures. 🙂
Comment by Sherra— December 2, 2008 #
Love your cookies! I actually put balsamic vinegar in with the preserves, and they came out really nicely. Helped with the overpowering cookie effect.
Comment by macduff— December 2, 2008 #
Steph, your review is the exact opposite of mine! I used ground hazelnuts and thought that the flavor was too strong! I was wishing the I had rolled mine alittle thicker! LOL! Your cookies look beautiful.
Comment by Kimberly— December 2, 2008 #
I love hazelnut meal better too – for some reason it just tastes nuttier to me and stands out better in cookies like this. Yours look absolutely beautiful (and dark!), so I hope this spurs you to more holiday cookie baking!
Comment by Caitlin— December 2, 2008 #
Those look lovely. They’re on my list….. I’m thinking almond meal and raspberry jam. Perhaps a little chocolate…..
Comment by Jules— December 2, 2008 #
Gorgeous cookies.
I used pecans in mine.
Comment by chocolatechic— December 2, 2008 #
Very cute cookies! They look great!
Comment by Jodie— December 2, 2008 #
Beautiful cookies!!! I aslo have the best intention every year to make tons of cookies, but with every thing else to do, I make just 2 or 3 kinds. Thanks to TWD, I’ll have no choice but to bake!
Comment by Julie— December 2, 2008 #
Sounds like they turned out deliciously! I need to make mine this week. We just got a Trader Joes so I will have to go check it out!
Comment by Karen— December 2, 2008 #
Yours look beautiful! I’m glad that you liked them. This cookie is going on my annual Christmas cookie list!
Comment by Cathy— December 2, 2008 #
Oh I love those Sarabeth’s preserves! I bet your cookies were delicious…and they look great too!
Comment by Rachel— December 2, 2008 #
They look lovely!!
Comment by Carolyn— December 2, 2008 #
they look so pretty! love your different shapes. they do look dark from the extra cinnamon and almond skins, it really makes the powdered sugar “pop” 🙂
Comment by kim— December 2, 2008 #
Very pretty color. I did not know there was nut meal. That would have been easier than grinding. I also do not have my food processor. I am waiting for Santa to bring me one. Great job on the cookies!
Comment by Carolina— December 2, 2008 #
I love the look of your darker linzers and I love the moon shape. Great job.
Comment by pinkstripes— December 2, 2008 #
they look so cute! I think the biscuits needed the double amount of spice
Comment by Tammy— December 2, 2008 #
these cookies look nice . I like extra cinnamon too 🙂
Comment by snookydoodle— December 2, 2008 #
They look perfect! I wish I’s bought TJ’s almond meal before I moved…
Love the moon shape, too.
Comment by Lindsey (Cafe Johnsonia)— December 2, 2008 #
Purdy cookies! I am totally digging your linzer cupcakes! Not sure if you knew but I am a little cupcake obsessed! 😉 I put them on my baking bucket list! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought
Comment by CB— December 2, 2008 #
Your darker cookies (and those crescents) look wonderful! When mine got too dark, they just looked burned!
Comment by Madam Chow— December 2, 2008 #
Your cookies do look enticing. Sorry you couldn’t find hazelnut meal, although I am sure they are delcious with almonds too. Beautiful!
Comment by Mary Ann— December 2, 2008 #
These look so lovely and the crescent shape looks so good with the circle cut-out. I am going to have to try hazelnut next time, it sounds really good.
Comment by Carol Peterman— December 2, 2008 #
Since I love spice, adding the extra cinnamon would be fine by me. I think I included a bit more cloves than written, actually. The cookies look really delicious.
Comment by Judy (Judy's Gross Eats)— December 2, 2008 #
I love your shape, I used almonds and they were good.
Ulrike from Küchenlatein
Comment by Ulrike— December 3, 2008 #
Great cookie and yours are just great looking! Love December and having all these cookies to make!
Comment by Peggy— December 3, 2008 #
Your linzer sables look great! I once made half a cake recipe but put the full amount of cinnamon in it, you can imagine how “spicy” my cake was. 😛
Comment by Piggy— December 3, 2008 #
I love all your shapes! They’re so fun!
Comment by Stephanie— December 3, 2008 #
Your cookies are pretty! These were a big hit at my house. I used almonds and raspberry. Next time I’m going to try hazelnut with a chocolate filling.
Comment by Annette— December 3, 2008 #
I haven’t seen your crescent or half-moon around and I really like how cute they are. I thought the spice were a nice blend with the almond (which is what I used) flour. Liked it all. I also didn’t add quite enough jam. More for the ones in the freezer. Yippee
Happy Holidays
AmyRuth
Comment by Amy Ruth— December 3, 2008 #
These look beautiful!
Comment by Erin— December 3, 2008 #
I love the shapes you used! The cookies look delicious.
Comment by Tracey— December 4, 2008 #
This is a new cookie to me…I cannot say that I have seen it elsewhere! I love the flavors and the beautiful shapes!
Comment by nina— December 4, 2008 #
They are so gorgeous looking.
Comment by Tracy— December 5, 2008 #
They look wonderful, and I love the dark color. I’ll have to try them with hazelnuts next time too.
Comment by Shari— December 6, 2008 #
Your cookies are beautiful! Did you use chocolate in the dough?
Comment by Maya— December 11, 2008 #