Chocolate Topped Linzer Cookies

I thought that these cookies would be just fabulous for Valentine's Day.  They are cute, but still look fancy.  They also tasted amazing.  I was a little bit worried that the spices would be too strong  for the rest of the cookie (you know how I don't like spices with chocolate), but they weren't.  The chocolate topping overpowered the jam just a little bit, but that could be fixed by using a little less chocolate, or better yet, using more jam.

Chocolate Topped Linzer Cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups + 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar, divided

1 large egg

1 cup slivered almonds, finely ground

3/4 cup boysenberry jam (or raspberry, strawberry, etc. whatever you prefer)

2 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 Tablespoon milk

In a small bowl, mix the flour and spices.  In a larger bowl, beat together the butter and 1 cup powdered sugar with a mixer until well blended.  Add the egg and mix well.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture, then add the nuts and beat well.  Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk.  Wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut the dough with the desired  shape 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter, rerolling the scraps as necessary.  Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheet, then using a 1 inch cookie cutter of the same shape, cut out the centers from HALF of the shapes.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown.  Cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Spread jam over the whole cookies, then top with the hollow cookies.  Using a fines mesh strainer, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar over the cookies.

Melt the chocolate carefully in a medium sized microwave safe bowl, stirring until smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat with a mixer until the chocolate and cream cheese are fully incorporated and creamy.  Beat in the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy.  If the chocolate is too thick, add the milk, a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.  Spoon a heaping teaspoon of chocolate mixture onto the center of each cookie.  Let stand until chocolate is firm.  Makes 18 to 20 cookies.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy