Blueberry Linzer Tarts Recipes

LINZER TARTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in thirds. Shape each into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured 2-1/2-in. holiday cookie cutters. Using floured 1-in. shaped cookie cutters, cut out the centers of half of the cookies., Place solid and window cookies 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Sprinkle window cookies with additional confectioners' sugar. Spread 1 teaspoon Nutella on the bottom of each solid cookie; place window cookies over filling.

BLUEBERRY LINZER COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla- beat well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, mix well. Cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll- 45 minutes or so.
• Divide the dough in half, and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut one batch of bottoms, then follow with an equal number of tops until you run out of dough, rolling the cut out centers back into the rest of the dough. (I used a large glass for my cookies, and a baby bottle cap to cut out the centers of the tops.).
• Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes 'til lightly browned. (I normally like chewy cookies, and under cook my dough- these are best if they aren't overly chewy for structural reasons.).
• Cool cookies on a rack when they come out, placing the bottoms upside down once they are cool enough to handle. Sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar if desired.
• Meanwhile, combine the berries, sugar, and jelly in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes. (I used my hand blender to smooth out the berries.) Remove from heat, allow to cool a little- the goal is to have it warm enough to spread on the cookies, but not too hot to handle.
• OK, the assembly: spread a thin layer of filling onto the bottom cookie, keeping away from the very edge. Top off with a top, being careful not to disturb the powdered sugar.
• After all of the cookies are 'glued' together, evenly distribute the remaining filling between the cookies, spooning it into the centers. Allow the centers to cool completely before moving (aprox. 30 minutes.) I placed a layer of wax paper in between when I stacked the cookies, because while the filling firms and isn't at all sticky, I didn't want to test it out.
• EDIT: After making these with a tough batch of berries I discovered that you will need to add about 1/3 cup of flour to thicken the sauce if you strain the berries out - just bring it to a boil after straining.

LINZER TARTS

Steps:

• Cream butter, add sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients and blend thoroughly.
• Chill for about 1/2 an hour.
• Roll out dough between 1/8 and 1/4 inch on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut half of the dough with flower cookie cutter, and the other half with the same cutter, but with centers removed.
• Bake each batch 6-10 minutes at 400 degrees, or until just golden brown.
• Spread preserves on whole cookies (bottoms), and top with cutouts.
• Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar until covered.

LINZER TARTS

Steps:

• Beat butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, the ground almonds, and cinnamon. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture becomes a slightly stiff dough.
• Shape the dough into a ball; divide it in half. Wrap both halves in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough into a sheet 1/8 inch thick. With a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles from the sheet as you can. Knead the leftover scraps of dough into a ball and roll it out again into a 1/8 inch sheet. Cut out more circles. You should now have about 12 circles.
• Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between them. Refrigerate while working with remaining dough.
• Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the other half of the dough, but after placing the second batch on the baking sheet, cut out the center of each circle with a 1/2 inch cookie cutter.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until light brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 20 minutes.
• Spread a thin coating of jam on each of the cookie rounds. Set a cutout cookie on top of each, pressing the two together so they make a sandwich. Spoon a dab of jam into the opening of each tart and sprinkle the tops with confectioners' sugar before serving.

LINZERTORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and lemon zest; stir until mixture forms a ball. Divide into fourths. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until chilled. , Remove two portions of dough from refrigerator; press each into an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Spread 2/3 cup jam over each., Between two sheets of lightly floured waxed paper, roll one portion of remaining dough into a 10x6-in. rectangle. Cut six 1-in.-wide strips; arrange in a lattice design over jam. Repeat with remaining dough (return dough to the refrigerator if needed). , Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and crust is browned. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

LEMON BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk the egg yolk, water and vanilla; add to crumb mixture. Stir until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes., On a floured surface, roll dough into an 11-in. circle. Transfer to a greased 9-in. fluted tart pan with a removable bottom; trim even with edge of pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. , Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. , In a small bowl, beat the filling ingredients; pour into crust. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. , For topping, microwave blueberries and spreadable fruit on high for 1-2 minutes or until bubbly around the edges; stir. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Gently spoon over filling. Refrigerate until chilled.

MINI BLUEBERRY TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Crush half the blueberries. Sift together sugar and cornstarch. Add whole and crushed blueberries; toss until berries are well coated. Set aside., On a lightly floured surface, unroll crusts. Cut out six 4-1/2-in. circles; press circles onto bottoms and up sides of greased muffin cups. Evenly spoon in blueberry mixture. Cut out six 2-in. circles from remaining crust; place over filling. Brush with yolk., Bake until crust is golden and filling bubbles, 13-17 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; run a knife around sides of muffin cups and remove tarts to a serving plate.