Linzer Bars
Crispy dough made of toasted nuts and warming spice, holding a lot of good homemade jam and a crunch of slivered almonds is a promise of a comfort homemade pastry.
Linzer bars are a delicious dessert that is very easy to make even for those of you who try to avoid baking for whatever reason it might be.
These bars are so much better than any store-bought version because of a strong flavor and crunchiness achieved by toasting nuts used in the dough. Two kinds of flour provide both – great taste and texture which is super important in recipes like this one – making sure that you can hold your bar without breaking apart when biting into it.
Linzer Dough
80g Almonds with a skin on, toasted
80g Hazelnuts, toasted
200g Flour, white/ plain
150g Butter
80g Spelt flour
100g Sugar, white
1 Egg, whole, large
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
A pinch of Cardamom
3g Salt
Filling & Topping
800g Apricot & Raspberry Jam (1:1 ratio)
Streusel (50g Butter + 50g Sugar + 100g Flour)
Slivered almonds
Linzer Bars Dough: Toast 80g Almonds and 80g Hazelnuts on a skillet or a non-stick pan until fragrant and crispy, for 8-10 minutes. I always toast nuts on low-medium heat, preheating the pan for a couple of minutes before adding nuts. While toasting nuts, make sure to stir them or move the pan frequently. You can also toast nuts in the oven at 350°F/180°C for approx. 10 minutes. Once toasted and fragrant, remove them from the hot pan and let them cool down completely
In a bowl of your stand mixer attached with a paddle (alternatively you can work with an electric hand-mixer), cream 150g of Butter with 100g of Sugar and 1/2 tsp. of Vanilla extract for 2-3 minutes (we're not trying to incorporate too much air). While butter and sugar are creaming, process your cooled down toasted nuts until semi-fine (they don't have to be as fine as almond flour and there can be some bigger chunky pieces). Add ground cold nuts into a creamed butter & sugar and mix just until combined. Crack 1 whole Egg into the bowl and keep beating on medium-high speed until egg is fully incorporated, for approx. 1 more minute
In the meantime, in a separate bowl combine 200g of white/ plain Flour with 80g of Spelt flour, 3g of Salt, 1/4 tsp. Baking soda, 1/4 tsp. Baking powder, 1 tsp. of Cinnamon and a pinch of Cardamom and stir well. Add dry mixture into wet ingredients in two additions, mixing well to fully incorporate. Remove the bowl with the dough from the stand mixer and scrap all the dough onto your work desk. Using your hands, bring the dough together and shaping a disk. Wrap the dough into a plastic wrap and place it into the fridge for at least one hour (or up to three days) before moving on with rolling it. If you're in a rush, throw the dough into a freezer and move on with the recipe once it is hard to touch
While the dough is chilling, prepare your jams, slivered almonds, mix the streusel (in a bowl combine 50g of very soft Butter with 50g of Sugar and 100g of plain Flour and mix with your fingertips until crumbly). Line baking pan with a parchment paper and preheat the oven to 370°F/ 190°C. Make sure that you're using a pan that have some edge (at least 3/4 inch or 2 cm) otherwise jam will be dripping down from the pan during baking
Once your dough is well chilled and hardened, take it out from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Working on the floured surface, roll out the dough into the size of your baking pan (alternatively, you can roll out the dough directly in a baking pan). You can also use fingertips to get the dough into corners and the edges. Spread all the Jam all over the dough (note: if using two kinds of jams, I like to spread one of them on the bottom and then add dollops of the second jam and spreading it slightly). Finally, sprinkle Streusel all over the cake and then finish with slivered Almonds. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes
Once baked, carefully remove the cake from the oven and let it cool down in a baking pan for at least two hours before slicing it. It is important to be patient and not to slice the cake too early because jam needs time to cool down and set. Also, if the dough is still hot when slicing it, it will not hold together and it will crumble. Once the cake has cooled down, slice it into squares and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee. The cake tastes amazing on the second and also third day when it's really well set