These stunning cream cheese Linzer cookies are made from a lightly spiced dough that rolls out beautifully and holds its shape when baked. Best of all, they taste more delicious than ordinary Linzer cookies, thanks to the hint of ginger and cardamom in the dough.
To make the dough: In a large bowl, beat together the shortening, butter, sugar, and cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, ginger, cardamom, baking soda, and salt, and mix until the dough comes together.
Divide the dough into quarters and place each piece on its own sheet of parchment. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rough 9" x 13" rectangle, about 1/4" thick. Stack the pieces of dough, separated by parchment, on a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
To cut and bake the Linzer cookies: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Lightly flour your work surface. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out the dough to 1/8" thick and cut into rounds about 3 1/2" in diameter. Gather, re-roll, and cut any scraps.
Use a cutter of any shape to cut a 1" hole in the center of half the rounds; these will be the top cookies. Transfer all the cookies to the prepared baking sheets. (Save the cutout centers to bake and enjoy separately, if desired.) Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
Bake the Linzer cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling completely.
To assemble the Linzer cookies: Place 2 teaspoons of jam on each of the solid cookies. Dust the remaining cookies with non-melting or confectioners’ sugar. To finish, center the sugar-dusted cookies on top of the jam-topped cookies and press down gently to adhere the top to the bottom.
Storage information: Store the filled Linzer cookies, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.
