**Pâte Sucrée Extra: The Perfect Base for Linzer Heart Cookies and Other Delights**
Pâte sucrée extra is a versatile and delicious shortcrust pastry that forms the foundation of the classic Austrian Linzer heart cookie, a melt-in-your-mouth treat named after the city of Linz. This enriched dough, made with extra butter and sugar, is known for its rich flavor, crumbly texture, and ability to hold its shape during baking. It's the perfect pastry for creating intricate cookie designs, as the dough can be easily rolled out and cut into various shapes without crumbling. Beyond Linzer heart cookies, pâte sucrée extra is also commonly used for tart shells, galettes, and other pastries that require a sturdy yet tender base. This recipe provides detailed instructions for making the perfect pâte sucrée extra, along with two additional recipes for Linzer heart cookies: a classic version filled with raspberry jam and a unique variation filled with chocolate ganache.
LINZER HEART COOKIES
Named after the jam-filled linzertorte that inspired them, these beautiful heart-shaped cookies are ideal for a wedding dessert buffet, Valentine's Day, or any romantic occasion. Apricot, strawberry, or cherry jam can be substituted for the seedless raspberry jam in this recipe.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes
Yield Makes 3 dozen cookies
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toast hazelnuts until skins darken and begin to split, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a clean dish towel, and rub vigorously to remove skins; discard skins. Place nuts in a food processor; pulse until medium fine.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, hazelnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and zest. Add to butter mixture; beat to combine, about 1 minute. Place in freezer until very firm, about 30 minutes.
- Liberally dust a clean surface with flour, and roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out seventy-two hearts. To make top halves of cookies, use a 1-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out centers from thirty-six of the hearts.
- Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, and bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.
- Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over cookie tops. Spread about 1 teaspoon jam on each of the bottom halves, and sandwich both halves together. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
LINZER HEART COOKIES
This specialty cookie takes a little extra effort, but the delectable results are well-worth it. I bake the tender jam-filled hearts when I need something fancy to serve for Valentine's Day or other special occasions. -Jane Pearcy, Verona, Wisconsin
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 30m
Yield 3 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in almonds. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. From the center of half the cookies, cut out a 1-1/2-in. heart or round shape. , Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool., Spread 1/2 teaspoon jam over the bottom of the solid cookies. Sprinkle cutout cookies with confectioners' sugar; carefully place over jam.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 163 calories, Fat 9g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 29mg cholesterol, Sodium 101mg sodium, Carbohydrate 18g carbohydrate (9g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 3g protein.
PâTé SUCRéE: FRENCH SWEET PASTRY CRUST
Steps:
- Gather the ingredients.
- In a bowl, blend together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with bits of butter no larger than peas. (Alternatively, you can process the mixture on pulse mode in a food processor .)
- Add the egg yolks and continue blending with the pastry cutter (or pulse in the processor) until the eggs are evenly incorporated and the mixture resembles a fine meal.
- Stir in the ice water with a fork, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is just moistened enough to gather and mold into a smooth ball. (Or, with the food processor running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the mixture forms a dough.)
- Divide the dough in half and flatten each portion into a smooth disc. Wrap with plastic and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you prefer.
- Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and allow to rest at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the plastic wrap and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to fit in the tart pan . Lift and turn the dough as you work, keeping the work surface dusted with flour to prevent sticking.
- Lay the dough in the tart pan and press it firmly against the sides and bottom without stretching it.
- Trim off any excess dough.
- Cover and chill the dough in the pan for at least 30 minutes before filling and baking.
- To pre-bake the empty tart shell, prick the dough all over with a fork. Cover lightly with foil and bake at 375 F / 190 C for 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil, and continue baking until barely colored for a partially baked shell or golden brown for a fully baked shell.
- Use in your favorite tart recipe and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 256 kcal, Carbohydrate 28 g, Cholesterol 75 mg, Fiber 1 g, Protein 4 g, SaturatedFat 9 g, Sodium 164 mg, Sugar 7 g, Fat 14 g, ServingSize 2 crusts (10 to 14 servings), UnsaturatedFat 0 g
PATE SUCREE EXTRA FOR LINZER HEART COOKIES
Use this recipe to make Raspberry Linzer Heart Cookies.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking
Yield Makes 24 3-inch cookies
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Put the flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. All ingredients should be cold. Add the pieces of butter and pulse approximately 10 times, or just until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Combine ice water and egg yolks in a measuring cup and add, drop by drop, through the feed tube with the food processor running, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky; do not process more than 30 seconds. Test the dough at this point by squeezing a small amount together. If it is crumbly, add a bit more water, a teaspoon at a time.
- Divide dough into thirds onto three large pieces of plastic wrap. Grasping the ends of the plastic wrap with your hands, press the dough into a flat circle with your fists. (You will have three dough rounds.) Wrap each dough in plastic and chill for at least an hour.
LINZER HEART SANDWICH COOKIES
Provided by Alex Guarnaschelli
Categories dessert
Time 55m
Yield 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies, about 1 1/2 inches
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and continue mixing until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. In another bowl, combine and mix the flour, almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, blend the flour mixture in with the butter. When the ingredients are fully integrated, place 1/3 of the batter on each piece of waxed paper. Coat dough with a light layer of flour, and top with another piece of waxed paper of the same length to make 3 batter "sandwiches". Place 2 of them in the refrigerator and work with 1 at a time.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll the first batch into as neat a shape as possible. What matters most is avoiding creases or cracks and getting it to about 1/8-inch in thickness. When the first is rolled, refrigerate it and repeat the same process for the other 2 pieces of dough.
- Make the cookie bottoms: Remove the first rolled sheet from the refrigerator and cut as many 1 1/2-inch hearts (or rounds). Reserve the scraps in the refrigerator. Arrange them neatly in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the other two sheets, reserving any scraps.
- Make the cookie tops: Cut a heart, with the smaller cutter, out of the center of half of all the cookies to create a heart outline. Roll the scraps in between 2 pieces of waxed paper and cut additional hearts, if desired.
- Bake the cookies until they are lightly brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven and allow them to cool slightly for a few minutes before gently transferring them to a flat surface. In a small pot, pour in the raspberry jam and bring it to a light simmer. Remove from the heat to cool slightly as well.
- Spoon about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon raspberry jam on each bottom and place a "top" heart on each. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Tips:
- Make sure to use unsalted butter and cream cheese, as salted varieties can make the dough too salty.
- Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out will help prevent it from becoming too soft and sticky.
- If the dough is too sticky to roll out, try chilling it for longer or adding a little more flour.
- When rolling out the dough, use a light touch and avoid overworking it, as this can make the dough tough.
- Cut out the cookies using a sharp knife or cookie cutter to ensure clean edges.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are just beginning to brown, as overbaking can make them dry and crumbly.
- Let the cookies cool completely before filling them with jam or frosting, as this will help prevent the filling from leaking out.
Conclusion:
Pâte sucrée is a delicious and versatile pastry dough that can be used to make a variety of cookies, tarts, and other desserts. It is easy to make and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer for up to two months. With its delicate flavor and crumbly texture, pâte sucrée is a perfect choice for any occasion.
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