Linzer Cookies with 01 Spent Grain Flour

Linzer cookies are an Austrian holiday tradition, also popular in Czechia and Slovakia. 01 spent grain flour gives adds more depth of flavour to the shortbread and a wholesome colour too! 

1. Remove the butter from the fridge 30 minutes before baking.
2. Sift the flour in a bowl. Add cold, sliced butter, sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon, zest, and vanilla.
3. Use your fingers to bring everything together into a smooth ball. The mixture will be crumbly at first, but will soon clump together. Stop kneading as soon as the dough is smooth to prevent the cookies from becoming too tough. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
   
4. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it soften slightly for 20 minutes. Divide in half, and place one half back in the fridge while you work. On a flat, clean surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to 3mm thick.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shape. If you're making cookies with a hole in the top layer, be sure to prepare an equal number of tops and bottoms. Place on a parchment-lined baking tray.
6. Gather the scraps of dough and knead them together. Replace in the fridge to firm up again, while you get to work on the second half of the dough. Repeat until all the dough has been used up.
7. Bake the cookies in a pre-heated oven at 175C (fan) for 9 minutes.
8. Leave to cool before filling with jam (spread a thin layer of jam on the bottom cookie, and sandwich with a cookie on top). Dust the cookies with icing sugar to finish.

Tips

If the dough is sticking to the surface you are rolling it out on, dust it lightly with plain flour.