Bobbette & Belle's pecan linzer cookies

Instructions

• LINE 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

• IN a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pecans, cinnamon  and salt. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and water with a fork.

• IN the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the creamed butter mixture and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl at least once.

• WITH the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture, mixing until just combined and a few dry clumps remain. Do not overwork the dough or it will become tough. Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry work surface and continue bringing it together by hand until it forms a ball. Divide the dough into two balls.

• LIGHTLY flour your work surface and roll one portion of dough out to 1/4-inch thickness.

• USING a 2-inch fluted round cookie cutter, cut out at least 24 rounds. Then, using the end of a large piping tip or a small fluted cookie cutter, cut out the centres of half the cookies. Transfer  all the cookies to the lined baking sheets, leaving a small space between each cookie. Place the cookies in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.

• PUT oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F.

• BAKE the cookies for 11 to 13 minutes or until they are lightly golden and firm to the touch. For even baking, rotate the sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

• REPEAT steps 5 through 7, using the second portion of dough.

• COLLECT the cookies with the hole in the centre and place them right side up on a clean work surface. Using a fine-mesh sieve, lightly dust the tops with icing sugar.

• ARRANGE the cookies with no hole in the centre upside down on your work surface.

• PLACE the jam in a small bowl and stir with a spoon to loosen it and remove clumps. Stir in a dash of water if the jam is very thick. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the centre of each cookie. Sandwich with the cookies that have icing sugar on them, being careful not to smudge the sugar. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.