My Omi's famous Christmas Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Preserves are the PERFECT Christmas Cookie / Secret Santa treat or hostess gift this time of year!
In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together the butter, sugar and vanilla with the paddle attachment until just combined.
Add the flour, water and salt and mix on low speed until the dough comes together in a uniform mass. Transfer the dough to your work surface and shape into a flat disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Once chilled, sprinkle some flour on the dough and roll the dough out to a uniform ¼ inch thickness and, using a cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible. Rework any leftover dough and repeat until no dough remains, adding a few tablespoons of flour if it's still sticky. Using a smaller cookie cutter, make holes in the middle of half of your rounds. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill for an additional 15 minutes prior to baking
Bake the cookies for 15 - 20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature.
Dust the cut out cookies with confectioners' sugar and spread raspberry preserves on each solid cookie. Sandwich your cookies together and serve.
Notes
Raspberry jam looks so pretty with the powdered sugar! Make sure and dust them just before serving so the powdered sugar doesn't soak in.