Growing up near Austria, Linzer cookies are a nostalgic part of my childhood. I've since created my favorite sourdough version, which I now prefer! These buttery cookies, perfect for any occasion, have a melt-in-your-mouth quality that makes them both beautiful and delicious!
Using a stand mixed with a paddle attachment, start mixing the butter while slowly adding in the powdered sugar. Mix until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
Lower the mixing speed and add sourdough discard. Mix briefly, then start adding in the flour. After adding in all the flour, give the dough about 3 minutes of mixing to come together. If it doesn't, add a SMALL splash of water and go from there until you get a dough that is pliable enough to form a dough ball.
Take the dough from the stand mixer, and knead with your hands until a ball forms. This shouldn't take more than a minute. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour (and up to 2 days). This will allow the dough to harden so it’s easier to roll out.
On a surface dusted with flour, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough, sprinkling more flour on the surface and pin as needed to prevent sticking. Aim for a thickness of ¼ inch (0.6 cm).
With a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter, create circle shapes from the dough, re-rolling and cutting any scraps. Then, use a 1 ½ inch heart-shaped cutter to make a cutout in the center of half the circles.
Arrange whole and cutout cookies on parchment-lined (or baking mat-lined) baking sheets (you'll probably need two).
Place the cookies on the top and bottom racks of the oven, swapping and turning the pans halfway through baking, until the edges turn a light golden color.
Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes at 350°F (about 175°C). After baking allow the cookies to cool.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies with cutouts.
Then, spread jam on the bottom of each solid cookie and top with a sugared cookie, sugar-side facing up.
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Notes
As with all sourdough discard recipes, different sourdough discards (especially if you eyeball the feedings) will have different consistencies. That is the reason why there is always the possibility of the dough not coming together after mixing. If it ends up a bit too sticky, add some flour. If it looks crumbly and will not form a ball, add a TINY splash of water. Only make small adjustments at the time and go from there!
You can place these cookies close on your baking sheets because they don't spread at all!
The dough has a high butter content and can soften quickly. Roll out one batch at a time, keeping the rest chilled until needed. If it gets too soft, don't worry, just refrigerate it again.
In Austria, it's common to enhance the jam you put in cookies with a bit of rum (a tradition I like as well!). If you like, mix in 1-2 tablespoons of dark rum into the jam.