Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Tuesdays with Mommie: Linzer Sables

This week's TWD recipe is very special. For the first. time. ever. in Cake or Death history, I had my mom baking with me! Or more accurately, I baked with her, since we were in her kitchen using her ingredients. (Thanks, Mom! Sorry for spilling that ganache on the floor. And for dirtying so many dishes and countertops. And for dropping that rubber band in the oven and melting it to the oven floor. Love you!)

Familial Camaraderie: it's what's for dessert

We had a great time making the Linzer Sables together. We made the dough a day in advance, and aside from some massive frustration involving her poorly designed, eternally frustrating food processor, it all went smoothly. (I have added her food processor to my list of Inanimate Arch Nemeses. It's a big list.) We used toasted almonds for the nut meal, and the dough had a nice nutty flavor. I loved the addition of the spices, although it kept tricking my nose into thinking we were making gingerbread. My taste buds, however, could not be fooled.

The next day, we started cutting our shapes. I have a big collection of miniature "fondant" cutters from Wilton, that I rarely use for fondant but often use for cookies and chocolate decorations. The cookies ranged in size from under 2" to slightly over, and we also made some minis, so we ended up with a healthy number of cookies in the end. I think my dough was rolled a little thick--I thought the resulting cookies could have been thinner, and baked a little less, so the filling-to-cookie ratio was a little higher.
We used several different fillings: strawberry jam, raspberry jam, chocolate-caramel ganache, and Nutella. I was expecting the chocolate-based cookies to be the most popular, but the jam versions were actually the winners around my house! Who'da thunk it? There was something about the pairing of fruity filling and nutty cookie that worked beautifully.
So yes, the cookies were tasty, and I would definitely make them again. They looked beautiful, especially those filled with the jewel-toned strawberry jam. With seasonal cookie shapes, they'd be perfect for a Christmas or Valentine's Day gift plate.

You may be saying to yourself, those cookies sound awesome. What is their secret? Is it special equipment? Premium ingredients? Innate pastry skills that are impossible to duplicate? Well, it might be those things, but truly, the secret to our baking success is love.

...No, just kidding. The secret is saliva! Eat up, fools!

26 comments:

  1. Hahaha - love the ending :) It's awesome that you got to bake with your mom, and your cookies look just adorable. Beautiful job!

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  2. Cute cookies. So fun to bake with your mom!

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  4. Anonymous8:15 AM

    So cute! These designs really stand out. Gorgeous.

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  5. Wow! You went all out Liz!
    I love the addotion of the cut-out on top of the jam! ...and what to say about all those shapes and designs! Very creative!

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  6. Ok.. so cute. Cute all of it. You're cute, your mom is cute and your cookies are cute. Great job.

    What a great thing to get to bake with your mom. When I was making cookies yesterday, I was wishing my daughter was with me. We would have had fun making this together. I think we will when she comes for Christmas.

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  7. aaawww, looks like fun! My daughter bakes with me too. It is a wonderful experience. Your cookies look marvelous.

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  8. What a fun day (days?) in the kitchen with your mom! Clearly you prevailed over the arch nemesis food processor. Your cookies could not be prettier! And such variety too! I love the secret(s) of your success!

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  9. Your cookies came out great!
    I am making mine tonight I am being a tad slow this week :}

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  10. Anonymous11:46 AM

    I love that last pic! I like the shapes and the different fillings too. great job!

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  11. This is such a great post. Your cookies turned out AWESOME. I love all the variety!

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  12. ooh gorgeous linzers!! i love all of the different shapes and fillings you used. fancy schmancy :)

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  13. Looks like a fun time in the kitchen. Great photos and even better cookies:)

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  14. Those are the prettiest cookies I've seen yet!

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  15. LOL, this is the BEST post yet! Your cookies are real original and I love them! How great you and your mom had so much fun!

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  16. Perfect mom-daughter bonding. I love all the different shapes and fillings. Sounds like a wonderful time with great memories.

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  17. Awesome Cookies! Love them!

    -Mikelle

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  18. Wow - what a creative presentation!

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  19. Oh wow, you went the extra mile. Those are adorable... I love all the varieties. Nice work!

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  20. Love all the different shapes! Looks like you and your mom had fun making these!

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  21. I love you and your mom! WHAT FUN! I'm so jealous. Am I eligible for adoption? I can bake too! :D

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  22. Pretty cookies! So neat you were hanging out with Mom, thats sweet. I saved most of a double batch of dough for closer to Christmas. I don't think I rolled it out quite thin enough either. I'll give it another smack before I cut this time. Have a great holiday.
    AmyRuth

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  23. Liz, your cookies are so pretty, and the strawberry jam sounds perfect! I baked the Twofer Pie with my daughter over Thanksgiving and we had a blast. You two are way too cute!
    Nancy

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  24. hahaha, love the last picture! i love all your various shapes and fillings...i think others felt the same way...the jam actually won over the chocolate! great job!

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  25. Wowie!! Those look good.

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  26. Anonymous9:03 AM

    The cake shapes is very nice.

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