Soft slightly salty caramel is sandwiched between chocolate shortbread cookies in this updated version of the traditional Linzer cookie. A drizzle of melted chocolate adds another layer of flavor and a little edible glitter makes the cookies sparkle. This amazing flavor combination brings a new and fun twist to a holiday classic.
My mother always swore by sifting, and I have lately become a believer. By breaking up any clumps of flour or other dry ingredients, my cookies bake more evenly and have a better texture.
Cookie Ingredients –
I converted this recipe from metric so that is why some of the measures are a little odd. I actually have taken to weighing ingredients more than measuring with cups and spoons. I find it is actually much easier and there is less clean up involved.
- 2 cups flour
- 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 2 egg yolks
- 12 Tablespoons un-salted butter, softened
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Sift together all of the dry ingredients together to eliminate any clumps. Use the back of a spoon or your hand to work all of the bits through the mesh.
Mix the butter and the eggs with the sifted ingredients until all the flour is absorbed. The dough will be slightly crumbly but will clump together in your hands.
Shape the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Chill the dough for at least one hour or overnight. Dough will hold for several days in the fridge if needed.
Roll the chilled dough out about 1/4″ thick on a floured surface. Use a spatula or a bench knife to make sure the dough is not sticking as you roll.
Dip your cookie cutters in flour and cut out your desired shapes. Symmetrical shapes work best, the cookies will get sandwiched together back to back so make sure the shape you are using will work.
Cut out the center of half of your cookies with what ever shape you like. These cut out cookies will make the tops of the little sandwiches. Be sure you have equal amounts of cookies with the holes in them and the bottoms.
Arrange your cut cookies on parchment or sil-pat lined baking trays. Place the trays of cut cookies in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes before baking off. This trick helps the cookies keep their shape and also reduces spreading.
Heat your oven to 350°F for conventional or 325°F for convection. If you are baking only one tray at a time position your oven rack in the center. Position your racks in the B & D positions if you are using two racks.
Bake cookies for 8 – 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. It is best to start by baking for 8 minutes and then check for color. Since they are a chocolate cookies you need to watch the edges more than the top.
Remove the trays from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pan for about 3 minutes before moving to a wire rack to completely cool.
Caramel Ingredients –
Be very careful when working with any melted sugar. It gets extremely hot and can burn very easily.
- ½ cup + 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3.5 Tablespoons butter
- ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
Pour the sugar into a medium sized pan over medium heat. Spread sugar over the entire bottom. DO NOT STIR.
Watch for the sugar to begin to melt and take on an amber color after 2 or 3 minutes. DO NOT STIR.
When about a fourth of the sugar has melted and turned a nice color it is time to STIR. The sugar will completely dissolve as soon as you begin to stir. Make sure all the sugar is melted before adding any ingredients.
Add the butter in tablespoon size pieces and stir continuously. The sugar will foam up as the butter melts into it, so just keep stirring.
Heat the cream in the micro before adding it SLOWLY to the bubbling pot of sugar and butter. Don’t boil the cream, just get it hot. Also add the salt and stir. The mixture will be bubbly and foamy, reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and allow to cool to workable temperature. The caramel will thicken as it cools.
Pipe or spoon the caramel on to the back or pan side of one of the solid cookies when the caramel has cooled to a temperature that it can be easily handled.
Gently press one of the cookie tops on to the caramel to make a sandwich. The soft caramel will fill the center when pressed together. Be careful not to break the cookies or squeeze all the filling out.
Drizzle with melted milk or dark chocolate when the caramel has completely set up.
Dazzle your cookies with a little bit of edible glitter to give them an extra holiday glow.
- 2 cups flour
- 2/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 2 egg yolks
- 12 Tablespoons un-salted butter softened
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3.5 Tablespoons butter
- ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Melted milk or dark chocolate
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Mix together all ingredients with a hand mixer. Knead the dough to form a smooth short crust pastry. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least one hour or overnight.
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Position rack in center of oven and heat to 350°F. (If using convection set temperature to 325°F and position oven racks accordingly).
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Roll the dough on a floured work surface to about a ¼” thick. Cut out the desired shapes making sure that half of the cookies have a hole in them.
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Place cut out cookies on parchment or silpat lined baking trays. Place trays of cut cookies in the fridge for about 15 minutes prior to baking to help hold the shape.
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Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.
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Remove from oven and let cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Place the sugar in a pan over medium heat. Do not stir. Heat the sugar until the sugar has started to melt and turn an amber color. When about ¼ of the sugar is melted, give the sugar a stir. The sugar mass will melt and all the crystals should be dissolved.
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Cut the butter into pieces and carefully add to the melted sugar, stirring constantly.
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Heat the cream in the microwave and slowly add to the melted sugar & butter. Stir continuously. Add the salt and continue to stir the bubbling mixture.
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Reduce heat and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle. Caramel will thicken as it cools.
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Melt about ¼ cup of milk or dark chocolate in the microwave.
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Drizzle over top of assembled and cooled cookies.
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When the caramel is cool enough to handle transfer to a piping bag. Pipe an even layer on the back or pan side of one of the cookies with no hole. Carefully press one of the cut out cookies on top. Pipe more caramel into the cut out if desired.
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Let cookies set up until caramel is firm.
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Melt chocolate in the micro and pipe or drizzle over cookies. Allow to set up completely before storing in an air tight container.
