In the Kitchen: Linzer or jam filled Hazelnut Cookies {recipe}

• 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked
• 1 tablespoon plus 2/3 cup sugar
• 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Mixed berry jam
• Powdered sugar

Servings

1.  Combine hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon sugar in processor; grind nuts finely (or just pound them in a Ziplock bag if you don’t have a food processor!)

2. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 2/3 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy.

3. Beat in hazelnut mixture, then egg, egg yolk, lemon peel, lemon extract, salt, and cinnamon. Beat in flour.

4. Gather dough into ball. Divide into 4 pieces. Flatten each into disk and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

5. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. Roll out 1 dough piece between sheets of waxed paper or parchment to scant 1/4-inch thickness, sprinkling dough with flour to prevent sticking and occasionally peeling off top paper to remove wrinkles.

6. Peel off top sheet. Using 2-inch-diameter fluted cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer to prepared sheets, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and reroll, cutting out more cookies and placing on sheets.

7. Use the smaller cookie cutter on the baking sheet and cut out centers from half of cookies, making rings. Gather centers as scraps.

8. Bake cookies 5 minutes. Reverse sheets; bake cookies until light golden, about 6 minutes longer. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

9. Arrange whole cookie rounds on work surface. Drop generous 1/2 teaspoon jam in center of each. Arrange cookie rings on work surface.

10. Sift powdered sugar over cookies without centers.
Place 1 ring cookie on each whole round, forming sandwich with jam in cutout center. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper in refrigerator up to 3 days.)