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The Linzer Cookie, Your Ideal Woman’s Dessert

December 1, 2017 by hannahabaffy No Comments
Linzer

What does the world’s oldest recorded cake, the Linzer Torte have in common with Pez, the iconic yet inedible candy turned collector’s item? Just one thing, Linz. Turns out Austria’s third largest city is the birthplace of both the Pez and the Linzer Torte. All similarities stop there and so does any further descriptions of Pez in this article.

For centuries historians believed that the first written recipe describing the Linzer Torte was written in 1696, it wasn’t until very recently, (2005) that an even older version was uncovered in the Veronese cookbook of Countess Anna Margarita Sagramosa succinctly titled: Book of All Kinds of Home-Made Things, Such as Sweet Dishes, Spices, Cakes and also Every Kind of Fruit and Other Good and Useful Things, etc. It’s not often you run across a book with a title so long its only practical ending is “etc.” It was discovered in the archives of Austria’s Abbey of Admont and precedes the other recipe by a cool 43 years.

 

Let Them Eat Cake

 

In the early 1800’s the pastry chef Johann Konrad Vogel was the first chef to mass produce the cake, its popularity rapidly spreading across Europe. By the early 1900s, the cake was in such high demand that it was being packaged and shipped in tins across the continent, each package bearing an image of the ideal woman. Rotund when held in comparison to today’s ideal of beauty the Schöne Linzerin as she was called, was all dimples and cascading curls. Even today in contemporary Austrian slang a sexually appealing woman is known as a Linzer Schnitte. Perhaps it’s the lingual gap, but the term Linzer Schnitte does more to conjure up the image of a hypoallergenic crossbreed or breaded and fried veal cutlets than an attractive woman.

Today we most often see Linzer Tortes in their cookie interpretation. The dough is high in butter and toasted almonds or hazelnuts, making it an ideal recipe for a tender flavorful cookie. Commonly associated with holiday baking, you’ve probably had some of these in those European assorted cookie tins, but the homemade variety is leaps and bounds ahead of any prepackaged versions. A simple quick recipe to put together, it just gets better with time as the flavors meld and the cookie slightly softens. It’s as foolproof as they come and will definitely be among the cookies you bring to any party or gathering in the future.  

 

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”

                                                 -Ernestine Ulmer

The Ideal Woman’s Cookie

 

Ingredients

 

2¼ cups All-purpose Flour

½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

¾ cup Almonds, Unsalted

¼ cup Brown Sugar, Packed

1 cup Butter, Unsalted, Room-temperature

½ cup Powdered Sugar

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

¼ teaspoon Almond Extract

8 oz. Raspberry Jam*, Seedless

*Traditionally filled with black or red currant preserves, raspberry has taken its place in most American interpretations today.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350℉

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Set aside for later use.

Pour your almonds on a cookie sheet and spread them out evenly, bake until toasty about 10 minutes. Toasting the nuts is imperative to achieving a really good flavor in your cookie dough and frankly, it doesn’t ever hurt to toast any nuts prior to use, no matter the application.

In a food processor, pulse together almonds and brown sugar until finely ground.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter and the powdered sugar together until combined. Increase the speed and whip until light and creamy, approximately one minute.

Mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Lower the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients.

Mix until the ingredients start to come together then pour out onto your countertop and using your hands form into a cohesive ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days. Just as in our experiments with aging chocolate chip cookie dough the longer you allow the dough to rest the deeper and more intense the flavors become.

Linzer Cookies

When ready to bake, remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 350℉.

 

Linzer Cookies

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ⅛ -inch thick. Cut into shapes of your choosing, cutting out the centers of half the cookies. Transfer to a parchment-lined pan and bake for 10-12 minutes until just barely golden on the edges.

 

Linzer Cookies

Cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 

Linzer Cookies

When the cookies have reached room temperature dust powdered sugar over all the cookies with missing centers, spread the jam in the center of the remaining cookies.

 

Linzer cookies

Place the sugar-dusted cookies on top of the others so that the raspberry jam shows through.

 

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Hi, I'm Hannah. Creator of Milk + Honey and long time curious eater. Join me as I explore the surprising history behind some of the world's most iconic dishes, and figure out the best ways to prepare them.

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Imagine it: A thick, creamy, salty layer of peanut Imagine it: A thick, creamy, salty layer of peanut butter sandwiched between a crunchy coating of toasted almonds and toffee and a sweet chewy base of dates and oats. Now drizzle that in dark chocolate, and you’ve got yourself these decadent raw chocolate, peanut butter almond bars. 

Vegan, refined-sugar free, and gluten-free, eating responsibly has never felt so indulgent. Get the recipe on the blog this week!
The superiority of chocolate, both for health and The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain.
-Thomas Jefferson

While not necessarily for the health reasons stated, Jefferson’s prediction has certainly come to materialize, at least in my home.
A debate I had with my husband shortly after makin A debate I had with my husband shortly after making this honey-almond “snack cake”: As we sat around “snacking,” we began to discuss what the real difference was between Snack cakes and Snacking cakes. Banal, yet relevant in the moment. 

This arbitrary mystery resulted in a lot of opinions and by the end of it, several unanswered questions. 

So I put it to you, Instagram Family, what is the real difference between Snack cakes and Snacking cakes? Are the terms so similar as to be inconsequential, or do their comparabilities hide deeper differences? 

The perimeters (at least in my mind) are these: Leftover birthday cake that becomes the next morning’s breakfast would definitely be a snack cake. Meaning a snack cake, while sounding laid-back, could be a slice of sophisticated dacquiouse or some other luxurious dessert.
Whereas a snacking cake would be something more along the lines of a sheet cake (like the classic chocolate Texas variety). More than a brownie but less than a layer cake. Something you could take a fork to but would probably just pick up with your hands. 

In short, any cake can be a snack. But not every cake is a snacking cake.

Thoughts?
When confronted by the age old question: ‘chocol When confronted by the age old question: ‘chocolate or carrot,’ which do you choose?
Is it too soon for #pumpkinspice ? Is it too soon for #pumpkinspice ?
Fragranced by delicate basil, rich with parmesan a Fragranced by delicate basil, rich with parmesan and pine nuts, and packing a garlicky punch, our braided pesto bread is the ideal way to use up your garden’s bounty. 

Also it looks impressive. Pull-out all the stops and impress your family and guests with this ultra-easy and rewarding loaf.
Consumed by Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs the ancient Consumed by Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs the ancient Mesoamericans are remembered as the original chocolate lovers. Considered a sacred beverage among them, cocoa was used during celebrations and religious ceremonies and was thought to lend the drinker strength.

It is said that Montezuma kept a massive storehouse of cocoa beans, and drank 50 golden cups of the stuff a day, decreeing that only those men brave enough to face battle would be permitted to join him in drinking it. Chocolate eventually becoming a regular part of military rations among the Aztecs. 

The belief that chocolate was a powerful elixir that lent its drinker extra virility and strength seems to have made its way into European and US thinking as well and may explain the application of including chocolate or pressed cakes of cocoa powder in US military rations, an operation practiced all the way up to the Vietnam war. 

With piles of historical evidence it would stand to reason that chocolate must be good for me, so I’m going to start making a regular habit of indulging in it. Each bite imbuing me with strength, vim, and vigor. Don’t stay a weakling all your life, join me in making these chocolate pot de creme today and start eating more chocolate.
A creamy savior, ice cream was America’s refuge A creamy savior, ice cream was America’s refuge during Prohibition, and one of our favorite forms of solace during the Great Depression. One might argue that without the aid of ice cream we might not be here today.
"Good apple pies are a considerable part of our do "Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." — Jane Austen
Load More... Follow on Instagram
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