Day 4: Four Calling Birds (Mini Linzer Cookies with Cranberry Jam)

Skill Level: Intermediate Special Utensils: Cookie cutters (bird-shaped or round)

Ingredients:

• For the Cookie Dough:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk

• For the Cranberry Jam Filling:

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

• For the Icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk
  • Food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

1. Make the Cookie Dough:

   • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
   • In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk.  
      
   • Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
   • Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. Make the Cranberry Jam:

   • In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt.
   • Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens, about 5-10 minutes.
   • Let cool completely.

3. Roll Out the Dough:

   • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
   • Roll out one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛-inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
   • Place the cut-out cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
   • Brush the edges of half of the cookies with beaten egg white.

4. Assemble the Cookies:

   • Place a dollop of cranberry jam on the unbrushed cookies.
   • Top with the brushed cookies to create a sandwich.
   • Press the edges together to seal.

5. Bake:

   • Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
   • Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  
      

6. Decorate:

   • Once the cookies are cool, decorate with royal icing, if desired. You can use food coloring to create different colors for the icing.

Tips:

• For a more festive look, use bird-shaped cookie cutters.
• If you don't have a lot of cookie cutters, you can use round cutters and decorate the cookies with royal icing to look like birds.