Cooking Thursday - December 2

Won't you join me and share with us one of your new recipes, or an old family favorite, you can even throw in a recipe for homemade soaps or detergents (just remember to specify).

For the guidelines, you can go here.

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It's December and that means Christmas, which also means baking cookies, lots and lots of cookies for the home and for gits.

I'll be posting many Christmas related recipes, so starting next week, I'll put up a new graphic for Cooking Thursday's Christmas Edition.  You can still share any kind of recipe you like if you don't have a Christmas one available.

Linzer Cookies

A dough scraper, which can be purchased inexpensively at kitchen stores, makes transferring these star cutouts onto baking sheets a breeze.

Yield: 3 dozen
Ingredients

* 1 1/4 cups butter, softened
* 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
* 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
* Powdered sugar

Preparation

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer; gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy.

Combine flour and next 5 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Roll each portion to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut with a 3-inch star-shaped cutter. Cut centers out of half of cookies with a 1 1/2-inch star-shaped cutter. Place all stars on lightly greased baking sheets.

Bake at 325° for 15 minutes; cool on wire racks. Spread solid cookies with jam; sprinkle remaining stars with powdered sugar. Top each solid cookie with a hollow star.