Linzer Cookies or Ischl Tarts

And I saved the best for last.

Yes, I bought a Linzer cookie cutter too. Yes, making cookies was supposed to be the less expensive option compared to chocolates. Well, hmph. These were sooooo worth it. I saved the best for last. These are heavenly. Delicious. The smell alone is worth any amount of work. These will be a Christmas tradition from now on. Leo and I fell in love with them from the first bite.

So, I initially planned on making these Ischl Tarts from my Better Homes and Garden Ultimate Cookies and Bars magazine. However, after a horrible Ginger Lemon Meringue incident (they tasted like cough drops) I decided to go with the Joy of Baking Linzer Cookie recipe. So what's the difference between Linzer Cookies and Ischl Tarts? Nothing that I could discover from googling. They both use about the same ingredients and are named after towns in Austria, where these cookies come from.

Anyway, I also noticed that one reviewer of a online recipe said these cookies are not worth putting almonds into. (Some recipes have almonds, some don't.) Well, I don't know where that person's taste buds went to, but obviously, he was lacking them. I think the almonds (I toasted mine before grinding them) MADE the cookie. Seriously so delicious. Also, I used red currant jam which some recipes say just seedless raspberry jam. Really, go for the currant jam. I love currant anything though. So yummy. Oh, and as a side note for all this cookie baking, I followed the Joy of Baking advice and bought real Vanilla extract and used real butter in all my cookies. I think it made a difference for the better. Anyway, without further ado, here's the link to this recipe.