Teacher Appreciation - Linzer Tarts
Mini Linzer Tortes
A Linzer Torte is a layer of fruit jam spread on a buttery hazelnut cookie dough tart shell and topped with a lattice crust of the same dough. It is of Austrian and Hungarian decent and is a classic Christmas treat. The dough is a spiced mixture made with ground nuts, typically hazelnut, but in this instance I used almonds. Slightly reminescent of a ginger spice cookie this dessert is usually made in a large tart pan, however, I wanted to make them in smaller portable hand sized versions for Teacher Appreciation week at my children's school. I adapted this version from Zoe Bakes, however I first learned to make them in culinary school where the lattice tops almost made me loose my religion a few times! Give them a try, they make an impressive treat without too much work.
Mini Linzer Tortes:
(makes approximately 18 4-inch tarts)
3 ounces almonds, lightly toasted
2/3 cup sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 ¾ cups cake flour
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
jam for spreading between the cookies (I choose Blackberry and Apricot)To make the dough:I bought sliced almonds and toasted them in a shallow pan. Then in a food processor, grind the nuts and 1/3 cup sugar until they are very fine. Adding some of the sugar keeps the nuts from becoming a paste. Set aside.In a separate bowl whisk together the cake flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set asideIn a stand mixer, beat the butter and other 1/3 cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon zest; beat until incorporated. Add the flour and mix just until the dough comes together, try not to overmix.Separate the dough into two disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for about an hour (or freeze for 15-30 min) before rolling out. This dough can be frozen for up to a month, although you’ll use it all up before then!Preheat the oven to 350°F, with the rack in the middle of the oven.
Use one 9-inch tart pan or 18 mini tart pans that are 4 inches across the bottom. Take one disc of dough out and roll on a well-floured surface to ¼ -inch thick. As the dough gets warm it will get sticky, so be sure to use plenty of flour. (If using a 9-inch pan, carefully lift the round into the tart pan. Press it back together if it cracks.) For the mini tarts, using a 4-inch round cutter, cut the dough into circles. Reroll any scraps. Fit the small rounds into the mini tart pans.Cover the bottom of the tart(s) with jam, leaving a space around the edge so the top will stick. Between two sheets of parchment (I used 1 sheet of plastic wrap and my silpat liner for all the rolling) roll out the other piece of dough approximately 1/8-inch thick. Peel up the plastic and you can cut them into strips to be used as lattice. I didn’t want to mess with that much work so I cut them with the same round cutter I used for the bottoms and then used a small square cutter to cut out several spots to mimic a lattice top. Much easier, a lot less work!Lift the cut out round tops and place over the jam filled bottom layer of dough. Press the edges together gently, so they will bake together into one piece.Bake for 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size. They should be browned on top, but because the dough is already a brownish color it may be harder to tell, so keep a close eye on them. Once out of the oven, allow them to cool for 3-4 minutes then carefully remove them to a cooling rack. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.