Preheat oven to 375-400° F.Spread 2/3 cup hazelnuts on a rimmed baking pan and and toast for 8-10 minutes. Remove. Either:1) rub loosened skin with a kitchen towel. 2) place in a metal sieve fitted over a bowl and rub until skins are removed. * Skinning can be a pain, some hazelnuts are stubborn. This time, skin remained on 1/3, so we subbed 1/3 with toasted almonds and moved on with the recipe.
In a food processor, pulse cooled nuts and 1/4 cup brown sugar until fine ground.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and clove. Set aside.
With an electric mixer on medium-high, cream butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Add nut/sugar mixture and beat until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Add egg, vanilla, and almond. Reduce speed to the lowest setting and mix until just combined.
Continue with the mixer on low. Slowly add the flour mixture in three to four batches, making sure each is incorporated before moving to the next. Taste the dough. Does it have enough spice? Extract? If not, add carefully then stir to incorporate, so as not to overwork the dough.
Divide dough in four, flatten to 1-inch disks, wrap and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking pans with parchment or a Silpat.* I used a Silpat to make these cookies. Parchment or a light greased pan may need more or less baking time, so keep watch close to the finish time.
1.) Choose corresponding linzer cookie cutters, one larger (1½" ruffled square, rectangle, flower, circle), one smaller (1" heart, hole, star, flower, tree, bell). It's important to work pretty fast and for that reason with one dough at a time.2.) Using a lightly floured work surface, rolling pin, and one disk at a time— roll the dough to an even 1/4" thick. Dip the larger cookie cutter in flour to prevent sticking and cut. Repeat, then use a metal spatula to place the shapes on a cookie pan. Gather the extra dough bits, ball, wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill.
Bake 8-12 minutes, or until the edge starts to brown. * If oven bakes uneven, rotate pan halfway through.
Remove and let stand a few minutes, then transfer to cool on a wire rack.
While the first cookies bake, cut bottoms from the second dough, then window (exposing red jam) tops from the third and fourth doughs. With collected and chilled dough, re-roll once only, cut and bake more shapes. Window insides can be saved, refrigerated, baked, powdered and enjoyed too!
Assembly
1.) Dust tops with powdered sugar. 2.) Spread a thin layer of jam on the bottoms, including an extra dollop in the middle.3.) Carefully place the window top without squeezing jam out the side.4.) Share the love ❤️