Chocolate Linzer Cookies

Here's a fun twist on a traditional Linzer cookie: these Chocolate Linzer cookies with chestnut puree and currant jelly will spice up your cookie routine!  Any filling will work, so be creative with you jellies - I've heard dolce de leche makes a great filling too!

Chocolate Linzer Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• chestnut puree and/or currant jelly
• powdered sugar
• cookie cutters

Makes approx. 18 cookies
Cook Time: 10 - 12 minutes

In stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until thoroughly combined.  Add vanilla, espresso powder, and beaten egg; continue beating until a homogenous mixture is formed.  
Meanwhile, combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.  Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the mixer on low.  Once dough comes together, remove from mixture, combine with hands if necessary, flatten into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.  This will allow the butter to harden and set up.  
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
After dough has hardened up some, roll one disc into a 1/4" on floured counter or between two sheets of parchment paper.  If dough is sticky pop it back into the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden back up.  
Cookie cutters: you will need to sizes of cookie cutters for this project.  Using your large cookie cutter, cut out cookies on one disc of dough.  These can be transferred to your parchment-lined baking sheet.  Roll other disc of dough just as the first disc; using the larger cookie cutter, cut out an equal number of cookies as the first batch.  Now, using the smaller cookie cutter, punch a "mini" cookie into the center of each cookie from this second disc of dough.  Using a thin spatula, transfer cookies to baking sheet, while removing the smaller cut-out of dough from the center.  
Bake for 10 minutes, then check and bake for an additional two minutes, if necessary.  Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes to cool.  Once cookies are cooked you can begin decorating them: if using jelly as a filling microwave for a few seconds to make more spreadable (chestnut puree is more pliable and will not need the microwave).  Spread a thin layer of either chestnut puree or jelly on each cookie that does not have a cut-out in it, then mound up a small dollop of filling in the center of each of these cookies.  Using a fine sieve, sprinkle the cookies with the cut-out in the center with powdered sugar.  To assemble: top each cooking with filling with a cookie with powdered sugar: this will create a beautiful Linzer sandwich cookie!