Holi Linzer Cookies

Name: Holi Linzer Cookies
Prep time: PT-481906H52M5S
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: PT-481906H52M5S
Ingredients: 110 g mango puree (fresh or canned); 88 mL whole milk; 37 g granulated sugar; 3 tbsp Meyer lemon juice; 1 tsp Meyer lemon zest; 7 g cornstarch; pinch of salt; 11 g unsalted butter; 1/4 tsp rose water; 169 g all-purpose flour; 64 g almond flour; 1/4 tsp salt; 136 g unsalted butter, room temperature; 36 g powdered sugar; 41 g granulated sugar; 1/2 tsp meyer lemon zest; 1 egg yolk (or 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp heavy cream); 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract; 5 tbsp powdered sugar; 2 tbsp freeze-dried strawberries; 1 tbsp jamun powder; 1 tbsp pineapple powder; pink, green and orange powdered edible glitter

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Last week, I went to Sigona’s Market ( a local grocery store here in the Bay) and was able to snag a box of Manila mangoes for $4! I ended up pureeing them that night and decided to make some mango curd with it since I had some Meyer lemons that I got from a friend’s tree! I made this an eggless Meyer lemon mango curd- and it turned out so silky smooth and delicious! And with Holi coming up, I decided to make some rangoli/holi inspired linzer cookies!

Linzer cookies are a type of sandwich cookie originating from Linz, Austria. Traditionally they’re two buttery, almond-flavored cookies sandwiched together with jam or preserves, often with a decorative cutout in the top cookie that allows the filling to peek through. The most often used filling is raspberry jam , but I used my meter lemon mango curd instead. They have a delicate and slightly sweet flavor, which helps the mango curd just sing!

Usually, Linzer cookies are made with almond flour, but I only had almond meal, so I used that instead. This is why I have little brown specks in my cookies, but if you have almond flour, I’d use that instead! Also, the dough is quite soft, so freezing it and keeping it cold is key to getting a nice, clean edge and cuts. If you feel the dough getting soft, just pop it back in the freezer!

You can have Holi without colorful powders! I colored some powdered sugar with a mix of edible glitter and freeze-dried fruits! I love how pretty and paste the colors turned out. You don’t need more to decorate the cookies. Feel free to use just one color, other freeze-dried fruits, or powdered food coloring instead to get the right hues!

The mango curd recipe makes just enough for the cookies with a little bit left over. You can use any leftover curd with ice cream, spread on toast, crepes or mixed with yogurt! The curd makes the Holi linzer cookies nice and soft. Make sure to decorate and fill them right before serving, otherwise they may get soggy or too soft.

Holi Linzer Cookies

Author: milk&cardamom
Total Time: 1 hr 10 minutes
Yield: 1 dozen cookies 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Linzer cookies filled with a meyer lemon and mango curd – a tropical twist on traditional Linzer cookies! Makes 1 dozen cookies (3 inch cookies)

Instructions

Meyer Lemon and Mango Curd

Add mango puree, whole milk, sugar, Meyer lemon juice, zest, cornstarch, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender to blend everything together. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and stir continuously over medium-high heat. Once the curd mixture bubbles up, cook for an additional minute and remove from heat. Stir in the butter and rose water until well combined. Pour the mixture into a jar and refrigerate until completely cool.

Linzer Cookies

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter, powdered sugar, sugar, and lemon zest and mix at high speed for 2 minutes using the paddle attachment. Scrape down the bowl, add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and mix for 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.

Roll the dough out into a 1/8th-inch thick sheet between two pieces of parchment paper. Place the sheet of cookie dough onto a baking tray and freeze for 15 minutes. Then, use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Use a spatula to lift up any cookies stuck to the parchment paper and place them on a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking trays. Reroll the scraps and cut out the rest of the cookies. You should have 24 cookies in total. If the dough starts to soften, pop it back in the freezer for 10 minutes. Place the trays with the cut-out cookies in the freezer for another 15 minutes.

Use small cookie cutters to cut out rangoli-ish designs from 12 of the cookies. These will be the tops. If the cookie dough gets stuck in the cookie, leave it alone and continue cutting out the rest of the cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and pop the cookies into the freezer while the oven comes to temperature.

Once the oven is hot, remove the cookie trays from the freezer and use a small toothpick to gently push out any pieces of cookie dough that might have gotten stuck. Place the cookies 1 inch apart and bake for 9-10 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges.

Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the tray before moving them to a rack to cool completely.

Colored Powdered Sugar

Add 1 1/2 tbsp of powdered sugar to a small spice grinder with freeze-dried strawberries and a pinch of orange edible glitter. Blend until fine. Pour into a small bowl.

Repeat with 1 1/2 tbsp of powdered sugar, pineapple powder, and green glitter, then again with 1 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar, jamun powder, and pink glitter. Set aside.

Assemble

Place the cookies with the cut out on top of a rack and use a small strainer or sifter to dust the cookies with each of the different colored powdered sugar.

Spoon 1 1/2 tsp of the chilled mango curd onto the rest of the cookies (the ones without the cut outs) and lightly spread it around with a spoon. Gently press the cookies with the powdered sugar on top and press down. Enjoy!