Posted by: mamaSue 11-05-99 2:51
Hazelnut-Raspberry Cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups raspberry jam
Combine flour, salt and baking powder in medium bowl.
Finely grind nuts with 2/3 cup sugar in food processor.
Using electric mixer, beat butter in medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add ground nut mixture; beat to blend. Beat in egg, yolk and extract.
Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture.
Divide dough into 4 portions. Flatten each into disk. Wrap disks in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Roll out one dough disk on heavily floured work surface to thickness of 1/8 inch (keep remainder refrigerated).
Cut out cookies, using floured tree-shape cutter. Quickly transfer cookies to ungreased cookie sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart.
Using 3/8-inch round pastry bag tip, cut out rounds or "ornaments" from half of cookies. Gather scraps;
reshape into disk and refrigerate.
Bake cookies until golden, about 10 minutes. Using spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool.
Repeat rolling, cutting and baking with remaining dough disks and scraps.
Lightly sift powdered sugar over cookies with ornament cutouts.
Boil jam in heavy small saucepan until thickened, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes.
Spread 1 teaspoon jam over solid tree cookies, leaving 1/4-inch border. Immediately top each cookie with 1 tree with ornament cutouts; press gently to adhere. Sift powdered sugar on top before presentation.
Cookies can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Can be layered in a sturdy plastic container with wax paper in between layers and freeze until ready to use. Sandwich them with jam when ready to serve.