Chai Spice Orange Linzer Cookies

Ingredients 

Makes 14-15 Cookies 

• 1 1/4 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Spooned and Leveled

• 1/2 Cup Blanched Almond Flour, Spooned and Leveled

• 1 1/2 Teaspoon Dona Chai Zero Waste Spice Dust (Masala Chai)

• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt

• 1/3 Cup Dark or Light Brown Sugar, Packed

• 1/2 Large Whisked Egg, Room Temperature

• 1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

• 1/4 -1/3 Cup Orange Jam or Marmalade

• Powdered Sugar for dusting

To Make 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, chai spice and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer and large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together at medium high speed until mixture appears light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Mix vanilla extract into the butter mixture followed by the egg. 

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet batter at low speed just until cookie dough comes together and starts to form into a ball. Take care to not overmix.

Transfer linzer cookie dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface and shape the dough into a flatten disk.

Wrap the disk of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. If cookie dough is chilled for more than 3 hours, allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 8-10 minutes to soften up a little before rolling and cutting into shapes.

Preheat the oven to 350F(180C). Line (2) large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 

Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll the cookie dough into a 1/8 - 1/4 inch large circle.

Using a 1 1/2 or 2 inch circle/fluted cookie cutter, cut out cookie dough circles and transfer to the prepared baking sheets placing each circle 1 inch apart.

Re-roll cookie dough scraps and cut as many circles as you can. 

Transfer the cookie dough circles to the prepared baking sheets. Cut out the centers of half the cookie dough circles with a 1 inch star cookie cutter or your preferred cookie cutter shape. (Open cookies with cutouts should be on the same baking sheet as the bake time will be less than the bake time for the full cookies without cutouts.)

Place cookie dough circles in the freezer for 10-15 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking. This will allow the butter in the cookies to firm back up and prevent the cookies from overspreading once baked. 

Bake the full cookies (without cutout) for 10-12 minutes and the open cookies (with cutouts) for 9-10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through bake time. Cookies are ready when the edges appear golden brown. For the full cookies, the centers will not appear wet once baked through.

Cool the cookies on baking sheet(s) for 3-4 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely to room temperature.

Sprinkle powdered sugar either lightly or generously on the tops of open cookies with the cutouts.

Spread a thin layer of orange jam (about 1/2 teaspoon) on the bottom of the full cookies without the cutouts.

Form linzer cookies by placing the cookies with the cutouts on top of the cookies with orange jam sandwiching them together before serving.