Linzer Stangerl

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Piping bag with medium open star tip (10-12mm)
• •Hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Fine-mesh sieve for straining jam
• •Small heatproof bowl for melting chocolate
• •Two baking sheets lined with parchment
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Cream the butter

   Beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar and Vanillezucker until pale and fluffy, about three minutes with a hand mixer. You want it light and almost white. This matters because the air you're beating in now is what makes the piped dough hold its ridged shape in the oven instead of melting flat. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in the lemon zest.

   The butter must be properly soft, not melted. Press it with a finger: it should give easily but still hold its shape. If it's greasy and warm, the dough won't pipe cleanly.
2. 2

   Build the dough

   Sift the flour over the butter mixture and add the ground almonds. Fold everything together with a spatula until the dough just comes together. It will be soft and slightly sticky, which is exactly right. Don't work it like bread dough. The ground almonds make this dough tender and short, and overworking it activates the gluten in the flour, which turns your delicate Stangerl into tough little sticks. Stop as soon as you don't see dry flour.

   If the dough feels too soft to pipe, chill it in the fridge for fifteen minutes. You want it firm enough to hold the ridges from the star tip but soft enough to push through the bag without a fight.
3. 3

   Pipe the Stangerl

   Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a medium open star tip and fill it with the dough. Pipe straight sticks about seven centimeters long, leaving two centimeters between each. Hold the bag at a slight angle and apply steady, even pressure. When you reach the end of each stick, stop pressing and pull the bag away cleanly. The ridges from the star tip are the signature of these cookies, so don't smooth them out.

   If you've never piped dough before, do a test run on a cutting board first. The motion is steady pressure forward, not squeezing in bursts. After three or four you'll have the rhythm.
4. 4

   Bake until pale gold

   Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for twelve to fourteen minutes. Watch them carefully after ten. You want the edges barely golden and the tops still pale. These cookies carry over in heat after you pull them out, and the line between perfectly crisp and overbaked is narrow. They'll feel soft when they come out. That's normal. They set as they cool. Let them rest on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

5. 5

   Strain the jam

   While the Stangerl cool completely, press the Ribiselmarmelade through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. You want a smooth, glossy jam that spreads in a thin, even layer. If the jam is too thick, warm it gently in a small pan for a minute, just enough to loosen it. The tartness of redcurrant is what makes this cookie work. It cuts through the butter and almonds and chocolate and keeps everything in balance.

6. 6

   Sandwich the pairs

   Turn half the cooled Stangerl flat side up. Using a small offset spatula or butter knife, spread a thin, even layer of the strained jam along the length of each one. Don't pile it on. A thin layer is all you need. Press the matching halves gently on top, flat side down, so the ridged sides face outward on both top and bottom. Let them sit for a few minutes so the jam sets slightly.

7. 7

   Dip in chocolate

   Melt the dark chocolate with the teaspoon of butter in a small heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and glossy. The butter gives the chocolate a softer set so it won't crack when you bite through. Dip both ends of each sandwich cookie into the chocolate, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Set them on parchment paper and let the chocolate set completely at room temperature. Don't rush this into the fridge or the chocolate will bloom and turn white.

   Keep the water under the chocolate bowl at the gentlest simmer. Chocolate scorches fast and there's no saving it once it seizes. If it starts to look grainy, you've gone too hot.
8. 8

   Store and serve

   Once the chocolate has set firm, store the Linzer Stangerl in a single layer in an airtight tin with parchment between layers. They keep for two weeks and actually improve after a day or two as the jam softens the cookie just slightly. Serve them on a small plate alongside coffee, the way they'd come to your table at any Konditorei in Linz or Salzburg. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Use Ribiselmarmelade if you can find it. Redcurrant jam has a tartness that no other jam quite matches here. If you can't find it, a good quality seedless raspberry jam is your closest substitute, but strain it anyway for a clean spread.
• •Gretel always said your Christmas cookies are only as good as your butter. Use the best unsalted butter you can afford. You'll taste it in every bite because there's nowhere for it to hide in a dough this simple.
• •Ground almonds vary in texture. If yours are very fine, almost like flour, the dough will pipe beautifully. If they're coarse, pulse them in a food processor until powdery before adding them. Coarse pieces clog the star tip and you'll spend the afternoon fighting your piping bag.
• •These cookies actually taste better on day two or three. The jam softens the interior just enough while the chocolate ends stay crisp. Make them a few days before you plan to serve them and store in a cool, dry place.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature for twenty minutes before piping, or it will be too stiff to push through the bag.
• •Baked, unfilled Stangerl keep in an airtight container for up to a week. Sandwich and dip them the day you want to serve, or up to three days before.
• •Finished Linzer Stangerl store beautifully in a tin for two weeks. Layer them between sheets of parchment so the chocolate doesn't stick.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 28g)