Snowflake Linzer Cookies -- The Triangle Folds That Hold Us Together

The second anniversary of Marvin's move to Cedarhurst approaches — March 14th. Two years. Seven hundred and thirty days (approximately; I round, because exact counting at this scale induces a vertigo I cannot afford). Seven hundred and thirty containers of food. Seven hundred and thirty hours of sitting beside him. Seven hundred and thirty drives to the parking lot, seven hundred and thirty walks down the hallway, seven hundred and thirty openings of the door to his room, seven hundred and thirty "Hi, Marv, I'm here."

The visits have evolved. In the first months, I talked constantly — filling the silence, narrating the world, bringing the outside in. Now I talk less. I read more. I sit more. I hold his hand more. The holding of the hand is the visit's center, the still point, the place where the visit exists most fully: two hands, touching, the warmth of skin, the pressure of fingers, the physical fact of presence. I hold his hand and I am present and the present is the love and the love is the hand and the hand is the chain and the chain is: I am here, Marv. I'm right here. Two years. Seven hundred and thirty days. I'm right here.

I made hamantaschen — Purim is this week. The triangles are folded. The filling is Sylvia's. The cookies are baked. The tradition continues. I brought hamantaschen to Marvin. He ate two. He is still eating. He is still receiving. The food crosses from my hands to his mouth and the crossing is the bridge and the bridge is the marriage and the marriage is: two years in Cedarhurst and I am still here, every day, at two o'clock, with food. Always with food. The food is the love. The love is the food. The chain does not break.

The hamantaschen I brought Marvin this week were Sylvia’s recipe — the filling passed down, the folding done by hand, the tradition unbroken. When I sat down to write out a recipe to share here, I kept coming back to these Snowflake Linzer Cookies, because they are, at heart, the same kind of cookie: a tender, buttery dough, a jam filling at the center, folded and shaped into something that holds together. The window of jam in a Linzer is not so different from the poppy seed or apricot nestled inside a hamantash — both are cookies built around what’s at their core, and both taste most like themselves when you make them for someone you love.

Snowflake Linzer Cookies

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 24 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup seedless raspberry or apricot jam
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Make the dough. Whisk together flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low and mix in the flour mixture until the dough just comes together.
2. Chill. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
3. Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Roll and cut. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch snowflake or star cutter, cut out an even number of shapes. Using a smaller 3/4-inch cutter (a star, circle, or snowflake), cut a window in the center of half the shapes — these will be the tops. Transfer all cutouts to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
5. Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. Do not overbake — the cookies should remain pale. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Dust the tops. Once completely cool, sift powdered sugar generously over the cutout top cookies only.
7. Fill and sandwich. Warm the jam briefly in a small saucepan or microwave until it is spreadable. Place a small teaspoon of jam in the center of each solid bottom cookie. Gently press a powdered-sugar-dusted top cookie over the jam, aligning the edges. The jam will peek through the window.
8. Set and serve. Allow the assembled cookies to rest for 15 to 20 minutes so the jam sets slightly before serving. Store in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 165 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 45mg