12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies-Week 7-Mini-Linzer Torte Cups

Week 7 of Christmas Cookies and do I have a treat for you, I have found a new favorite holiday cookie and it comes from Coleens Recipes. I love her blog and she posts new recipes 5 days a week. I am lucky if I get one on. I have made a few of her recipes and have a dozen more printed out and waiting for me but these are awesome. Everyone knows Linzer cookies, the cookies with the jelly in them, right, but Coleen did a little twist which I absolutely love, she made little linzer torte cups. They were so good, I say were because they are gone already and I am a little bit sad about it, but they will be front and center on my holiday tray this year and for years to come.



Mini Linzer Torte Cups


1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups plus 2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (ground finely in food processor)
red raspberry jam with seeds


Directions:

Finely grind/chop toasted pecans in your food processor. Please take a few minutes to toast them, it does make a difference. Beat butter and pecans on medium speed, in your mixer, until very soft and light, about 3 minutes.

Beat in confectioners sugar and vanilla until well combined. Scrape down the sides of your bowl and add dry ingredients. Beat about 30 seconds, or until well combined. (dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl)

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place in an UNgreased miniature cupcake pan. Find something in your kitchen that is the same diameter as the cupcake hole, and press gently down on each ball to make an indentation like this:

This is where I had a slight problem, I didn't have anything the same exact size, so I used the end of my rolling pin, so I felt my crust wasn't thin enough, but it turned out ok because the crust is sooooo good, anyway. Place a rounded half teaspoon of raspberry jam in each depression and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. The jam will melt and spread out evenly.


Before:

After:

Keep the baked cookies IN the pan, but on a cooling rack for 10 MINUTES. After 10 minutes, you will be able to VERY gently lift the cookies out of the pan. You can use the tip of a knife to help, but you shouldn'y have to...just lift with a steady, gentle pressure and they will pop out.


I sprinkled them with a bit of powdered sugar and they are so festive and pretty and honestly, the taste is out of this world. If you are going to try any new cookies this Christmas, this should be one of them.

My daughter, Justine, loved them.

The pictures don't do them justice, you really can't seee the jewel tone color of the jam. Trust me, you will impress people with these.

And don't be sad when they are gone, like I was. Just make more, like I will...lol

Please make sure you check out April,Kim,Megan,Barbara and Megan to see what they are offering up .