LINZER COOKIES


2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 package Confectioner's sugar for dusting; optional

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Cook, swirling the pan,
until the butter turns a nutty brown, about 1 minute. Pour into a small
bowl.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil and the browned butter; beat with
an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into the sugar/egg mixture;
mix on low speed just until blended.

3. Divide the dough in half; roll and freeze one half.

4. Position oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350
degrees. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets or coat them with non-stick cooking
spray. With a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out an even number of
circles. Using a thimble or 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut the center
out of half of the circles. Using a metal spatula, transfer the solid
cookies to a prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart. Lay
the cookies with the holes on top of the solid cookies.

5. In a small bowl, whisk raspberry jam until smooth. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon
jam into the center of each cookie.

6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch and
lightly browned on the bottom. Cool on wire racks. Dust with Confectioner's
sugar, if desired.

* CHEF'S NOTE: Inspired by the Linzertorte, a buttery Austrian confection.
If made with a full-fat sugar-cookie dough, these cookies would weigh in at
8 grams of fat each; the low-fat version has just 1.9 grams of fat!

Yields 2 1/2 dozen cookies

CALORIES: 60; PROTEIN: 1g; FAT: 2g; CARBS: 10g; FIBER: 0g; CHOL: 9mg;
SODIUM: 40mg.
