Lots going on in the world right now, and I am really feeling it. As long long time friends and followers will know, I get very emotionally invested in current events — in a very unhealthy manner, I must admit. I try to now channel pain and anger into learning — try to learn the language, learn about the people, the culture, the food. This could be anything, not just the current situation in the Ukraine, but conflicts in other parts of the world, or natural disasters, or extreme economic situations. But back to now: I tried to come up with a few recipes, this being the first of which, that form every day cuisine in the Ukraine. And I tried not to be too prototypical. Like, I don’t know if they would actually make Honey Plum Linzer cookies like these, but I do know that honey and plum preserves are common. So I made these. Quite lovely in fact.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup honey
2 egg
4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plum jam
Powdered sugar for dusting
You will also need a linzer cookie cutter, or a cookie cutter and a smaller cookie cutter to make the hole in the middle.
Directions
In the work bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add in the honey and the eggs. In another bowl, combine your flour, salt, baking powder and salt. Mix into the wet ingredients. Form into a ball and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch and cut two identical cookies, one with a whole in the center (in linzer cookie form) with a cookie cutter. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges brown slightly. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Make equal amounts of cookies with and without holes in the middle.
Cool on wire rack. Once completely cooled, use the plum jam to sandwich together two cookies to make a sandwich. Repeat until all cookies are used. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
