Linz cookies with pecans and blackberry jam

Ingredients:

• 0.5 cups toasted pecans
• 1 cup of premium flour + extra for working with the dough
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 110 g butter at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
• 1 tbsp grated orange zest (2 oranges)
• 1/4 cup seedless blackberry or raspberry jam
• Special equipment: round cookie cutters with a diameter of 5 cm and 2 cm.

Preparation:

1. Place the nuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground (it should be like a powder, not a paste), about 15 times. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until smooth. Set aside.
2. Place the butter and both types of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until creamy, 2–3 minutes. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the vanilla and egg yolk. Mix until smooth.
3. Stir in the orange zest, ground pecans, and flour mixture. Divide the dough into two equal portions, roll each into a thin disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature until pliable enough to roll out. On lightly floured parchment or waxed paper, roll out half the dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm.
5. Cut 5 cm (2 in) circles from the dough. Using a 2 cm (0.8 in) cutter, cut out the centers of half the circles to create rings. Freeze the circles and rings for 5 minutes to set the dough. Gather the dough scraps and refrigerate.
6. Transfer the cooled cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake two baking sheets at a time, rotating them halfway through, until the bottoms are golden brown, about 12–15 minutes total. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Repeat until all the dough is used. To assemble the cookies, spread 0.5 teaspoon of jam on the bottom of each round cookie and arrange a ring of cookies on top.