German Cookie question

[Anonymous]

Im attempting german cookies as a surprise for my husband. Any bakers on here who have made either Linzer or rumtorchen? They seem very similar to me. I haven't had either. Is one tastier or easier to make than the other?

[Anonymous]

I was intrigued by the name rumtorchen but google doesn’t bring up anything! Do you have a recipe? I bake a lot of cookies and haven’t heard of this one.

[Anonymous]

Are rumtorchen rum balls? If so, those are do-able but you need the right rum. Linzer cookies are crazy hard. My MIL is an amazing German baker and she makes both. I really want to try linzer and she even gave me the recipe, but I am intimidated.

[Anonymous]

Linzer cookies are pretty simple and basic. Not sure why the op says they are hard.

[Anonymous]

Wondering if you mean lebkuchen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was intrigued by the name rumtorchen but google doesn’t bring up anything! Do you have a recipe? I bake a lot of cookies and haven’t heard of this one.

rumtortchen (with umlaut over the o)

http://www.lecker.de/rumtoertchen-66842.html

[Anonymous]

I can't read the German, but from the ingredient list (can sort of understand what everything is if you compare to the picture) it looks like a basic sugar cookie (like pate sucre) with cherry jam pressed between two cookies and then topped with royal icing. I don't think that would be hard.

[Anonymous]

Linzer cookies are labor intensive, but not hard. I love them!

[Anonymous]

Linzer cookies aren't hard -- it's a basic sandwich cookie with a jam filling. These cutters make it easy to make fancy cookies with a cutout to let the jam show through:

http://a.co/hhFiB8Y

Serious Eats is my go-to recipe site, and has a number of Linzer cookie recipes, including this one:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/linzer-cookies-hazelnut-jam-recipe.html

The rumtoertchen don't look too hard either, but are going to have a different flavor profile (rum-cherry).

The Lecker recipe:

300 g (plus extra) flour
150 g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar (Dr. Oetker is the brand I know of)
salt
1 medium egg
150 g cold butter
150 g cherry jam (I'd use a smooth one, not a chunky one)
6-7 tablespoons rum
250 g powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Loose translation with my annotations:

1) Mix 300 g flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, 1 pinch salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. {I would sift them together}. Add flaked butter {small pieces} and egg {I would beat first}. Mix with the dough hook until the dough comes together, then use your hands to finish kneading quickly into a smooth dough. {Use a light hand; knead with the machine and your hands just until the dough comes together. Don't overknead as you don't want the gluten to become over-developed; it will make your cookies tough.}

2) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

3) Preheat oven to 390 F {I'd probably do 350-375}. Set out three baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 mm, using a little flour on the counter to keep it from sticking. {A Silpat works really well for this, and the less flour you add the more tender your cookies will be.} Use a 5 cm round cookie cutter to cut out ~70 cookies. You will need to pick up the dough scraps, re-knead {gently!} and re-roll to get as many cookies as possible.

4) Place the cookies on the prepared sheets and bake 7-9 minutes. Let cool. {I'd transfer them to cookie racks to cool.}

5) Stir the jam and 2 tablespoons of rum together until smooth. Cover half the cookies with jam; top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches.

6) Whisk together the powdered sugar, 4-5 tablespoons of rum {start with the lower quantity}, and lemon juice together until smooth. Using a pastry brush, apply glaze to cookies and let dry.

[Anonymous]

OP here, Thank you to the previous poster. this translation is very helpful.

[Anonymous]

16:28 -- you're welcome! I'd probably go with the Linzer cookie, one because I like them better personally, two because hazelnut/raspberry sounds like a fantastic flavor profile, and three because I have usually had great results with Serious Eats recipes and I don't know how good a recipe the Lecker site is.

But if you try either one, let us know how it goes!

[Anonymous]

I make Rumtorchen every Christmas all month long. My mom grew up in Beilngreis Bavaria and we use red plum jam inside with powdered sugar all over the top.