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We make raspberry linzer cookies for the holidays every December, but this recipe is so easy and versatile that we have also used it for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and the Fourth of July. The cookie is tender and not too sweet, and it’s a perfect foil for the sweet-tart jam. They are a fun excuse to buy a set of linzer cookie cutters with stars, hearts, Christmas trees, or gingerbread people. Play around with the size of the cookie and make small cookies or larger statement ones. Try different fruits for the jam depending on what you have in the house or what you like to eat.

MAKES ABOUT 36 SANDWICH COOKIES

• 1 batch Raspberry Jam (recipe follows) or 1 cup store-bought raspberry jam

• 1 cup/2 sticks/225 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

• ⅔ cup/150 grams firmly packed light brown sugar

• ¾ cup/85 grams hazelnut flour

• 1 large egg (about 50 grams), at room temperature

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2½ cups/350 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• About 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for finishing

MAKE the raspberry jam and chill it in the fridge until thick.

USING a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or mixing by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or a handheld electric mixer), beat the butter, brown sugar, and hazelnut flour on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes (10 minutes if mixing by hand). Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle a few times; the sugar and butter love to collect here and stay unmixed. Beat in the egg and vanilla on medium speed until thoroughly combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and the paddle again to make sure the egg is thoroughly incorporated.

IN a medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to mix evenly. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine on low speed until the dough comes together, about 20 seconds or so. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap it well, flattening it into a disk. Place the dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. (You can freeze the dough for up to 1 month at this point. If frozen, defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then proceed as directed.)

WHEN ready to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

REMOVE the dough from the fridge and divide it in half. Place one half back in the fridge and roll out the other half on a well-floured work surface into a sheet ¼ inch/0.6 cm thick, generously dusting underneath and on top of the dough throughout to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and work surface. Use a 2½-inch/6-cm fluted round cookie cutter to cut out 30 to 32 circles, rerolling the scraps. Transfer the cut cookies to one of the prepared baking sheets and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and pale brown in the middle. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the sheet, then remove the cookies from the sheet and let them continue cooling on a wire rack.

WHILE the cookies are baking, roll out the second half of the dough from the fridge. Use the same cutter to cut out another 30 to 32 cookies. Cut out a smaller circle (or heart or tree or star) in the middle to create the characteristic linzer top cookie. Place the cutout cookies on the baking sheet and bake after the first sheet comes out of the oven. Repeat baking instructions above.

WHEN all the cookies are fully cooled, line up the bottom cookies and spoon about 2 teaspoons of the raspberry jam onto each cookie. Line up the linzer cutout cookie tops and lightly dust with the confectioners’ sugar. Top each jam-covered cookie with the linzer cutout cookies and press down slightly to adhere the sandwich cookies together. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Raspberry Jam

Simple and fresh, this raspberry jam will be your go-to when you have fruit that has seen better days but you still want to enjoy its flavor. I make this with overripe stone fruits (I reduce the sugar a bit if the fruit is super sweet) and different berries, too, and it always comes out perfectly.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

• 2 pints fresh or frozen raspberries

• 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

• 4 teaspoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)

• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

IN a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt and warm over medium-low heat. Continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and set a timer for 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes or so to move the mixture across the pan with the spatula to prevent any burning and to gauge its viscosity. You want to thicken the fruit mixture while also reducing its volume by half and breaking down the fruit. Let cool completely at room temperature before using. Store the jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.