Almond Rye Heart Cookies Recipes

ALMOND HEART COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Place almonds in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are ground. Set aside.
• 2. Whip butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until smooth. Add the sugar and continue mixing until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time so the butter and sugar are fully integrated and somewhat "fluffy." In another bowl, combine and mix the flour, almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• 3. Because this dough has a good amount of butter, it needs no "resting" time and needs to be rolled fairly quickly. Lay 3 large pieces of wax paper in a single layer on a flat surface. Sprinkle each one with a light coating of flour. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, blend the flour mixture in with the butter. When the ingredients are fully integrated, place ⅓ of the batter on each of the pieces of wax paper. Coat dough with a light layer of flour, and top with another piece of wax paper of the same length. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a disk to make 3 dough "sandwiches." Place two of them in the refrigerator and work with remaining disk of dough.
• 4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll the first batch into as neat a shape as possible while keeping the waxed paper in place. Avoid creasing or cracking the dough as you roll it to about a ½-inch in thickness. When the first batch is rolled, refrigerate it and repeat the same process for the other two.
• 5. Remove the first rolled sheet from the refrigerator. Place it on a flat surface and remove the top layer of waxed paper. Spread a small amount of flour onto your work surface and invert the dough onto it. Carefully remove the second sheet of waxed paper. Cut as many 1½-inch hearts (or rounds) as possible. Reserve the scraps in the refrigerator. Arrange the cut cookies neatly in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the other two sheets, reserving any scraps.
• 6. Cut a heart, with the smaller cutter, out of the center of half of all the cookies to create a heart outline. Roll the scraps in between two of the pieces of wax paper using the method indicated above and cut additional hearts, if desired. Waste dough? No such thing. Simply reroll all the scraps and refrigerate for a few minutes before cutting into additional cookies.
• 7. Bake the cookies until they are lightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and allow them to cool slightly for a few minutes before gently transferring them to a cooling rack. Put the raspberry jam in a bowl and whisk to remove large lumps.
• 8. Spoon about ½ teaspoon raspberry jam on each bottom and place a "top" heart on each. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
• Note: Dough can be rolled without waxed paper if allowed to chill in the refrigerator for one hour prior to use.

HEART-SHAPED COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl and add to butter mixture. Mix well.
• Put a handful of the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to desired thickness. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Put the rolled dough, including the parchment paper, on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes or longer. Repeat the process with scraps after cutting cookies.
• Cut 24 heart-shaped cookies of the same size from the dough. Use a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut a second hole in half of the cookies; this will be the window where the jam will show through. Transfer the cut cookies to a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to allow to cool, 20 to 30 minutes. Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of jam into the centers of the cookies without the heart-cut centers. Sprinkle powdered sugar on the rest of the cookies with the heart-cut centers, and mount onto the cookies with jam.

ALMOND-RYE HEART COOKIES

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse almonds and flours until nuts are finely ground. Add salt and cinnamon; pulse to combine.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Add egg yolk and almond extract; beat until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll tablespoon-size portions of dough into 1/4-inch-thick ropes, each about 7 inches long. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and shape into hearts. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden brown and crisp, about 17 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets on wire racks. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

LINZER HEART COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in almonds. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. From the center of half the cookies, cut out a 1-1/2-in. heart or round shape. , Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool., Spread 1/2 teaspoon jam over the bottom of the solid cookies. Sprinkle cutout cookies with confectioners' sugar; carefully place over jam.

SIRI'S HEART SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg, allowing it to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next with the vanilla extract.
• Dissolve cream of tartar in milk; beat into the butter mixture. Add 4 cups flour and pinch of salt; beat until doughy.
• Spread 1 cup flour onto a flat work surface. Roll the dough out on the prepared surface; cut out in desired shapes until all dough is used.
• Bake on non-stick baking sheets in preheated oven until cookies are set in the middle, about 12 minutes.