Linecké Cukroví

The story

Named for the Austrian city of Linz, linecké cukroví are two layers of tender butter dough joined by a layer of jam (most often raspberry or currant), the top layer cut with a small opening that lets the color of the filling show through. Despite the name, they have become an indispensable part of the Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian holiday cookie repertoire, far beyond the borders of Austria. The cutouts are usually shaped like a heart, a star, or a small circle, and it is exactly that visual detail — a glimpse of red or dark jam through the cut shape — that makes linecké cukroví some of the most recognizable cookies on a plate crowded with dozens of similar small ones. The dough must be well chilled before cutting so that it holds its shape, and many grandmothers claim the secret lies in the ratio of butter to flour, which makes the dough tender enough to eat yet firm enough to cut. For the diaspora, linecké cukroví are among the most visually impressive, and technically the most demanding, parts of the Christmas cookie plate.