Linzer Cookies

CC’s Sweet Memories

The memories of Roberta Castillo, owner and baker extraordinaire of CC’s Sweets & Treats in McAllen, are enveloped by and sealed with the love and recipes of her mom and grandma.

A curly headed little girl running up and down her grandparent’s ranch in Edinburg, Castillo grew up loving the kitchen and loving the land. “There was an abundance of grain, cotton, maize, chickens and cows and plenty of fruits. Some of my sweetest memories are canning and pickling with my Grandma Florence,” Castillo shared.

For Castillo, her memories of baking with her grandma extend far beyond the Christmas season because Grandma Florence was the biscuit maker for Castillo’s elementary school. Little Roberta had quite the swagger as she strolled through the cafeteria line, fully aware that the baker behind the counter had a biased heart and heavy hand when serving her. Kolaches cooling on the dryer and bread proofing every weekend are the core memories engrained throughout her childhood.

Adulthood led Castillo into a career in mortgage lending, but after 10 years and a huge housing crash, she returned to her passion. Now, she has owned and operated CC’s Sweets for 12 years and is working on opening a second location in 2023.

Cupcakes, cookies and brownies adorn her cute storefront but the macarons, boy oh boy, those are the stars. Drawing lines out the door for themed days like Harry Potter and Hocus Pocus, Castillo and CC’s Sweets are thriving in all things sugar.

Every single jam used at CC’s Sweets is named after Grandma Florence, which led to the creation of the confectioner’s best seller: linzers. These cookies are composed of a scrumptious mixture of flavors including soft shortbread and real butter and filled with varieties of Grandma Florence’s Christmas berry jam. They are definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Lisa Pena is a pharmacist, author, speaker and home baker.. The mother to a child with severe disabilities, she also founded and runs the non-profit Labeled and Loved, which provides resources for moms with children with disabilities. You can watch her family’s cooking show The Love and Olive Show on YouTube. A runner-up in the first ever Silos Baking Competition on the Magnolia Network, she baked her RubyRed cream pies, a nod to the famous Ruby Red grapefruits of the Rio Grande Valley.

Linzer Cookies

Makes 24 2-inch in diameter sandwiches

1¼ cups (360 grams) butter 7⁄ 8 cup (180 grams) sugar ¾ teaspoon (4 grams) salt 3¼ cups (400 grams) flour 1½ cups (140 grams) almond flour Zest of 1 lemon or orange Powdered sugar, for dusting Jam, any flavor, for filling Heat the oven to 300° F and line a large baking sheet with parchment.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll it out until it is about ¼-inch thick.

Cut out your desired shapes with your cookie cutters (half solid shapes, half with cut-out “windows”) and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Re-roll out any dough scraps that remain and repeat the process to make use of all of the dough. At this point, if the cut-out cookie dough seems soft and warm, pop the entire cookie sheet in the fridge for 10 minutes to re-chill the dough. Otherwise, proceed immediately to the next step.

Bake the cookies for about 11 to 13 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden around the edges. Different cookie sizes and shapes may require a different time in the oven , so I recommend keeping a close eye on the cookies during the final minutes of baking to be sure they do not overcook.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for a few minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack until they have cooled completely to room temperature.

Transfer the cut-out window cookies back to the baking sheet. Using a fine mesh strainer, dust them with powdered sugar. Then spread a dollop of jam on a solid cookie. Gently place a window cookie on top to form a cute little linzer cookie sandwich.

Repeat with remaining cookies and enjoy!

Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl, and stir until evenly combined.

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Add the zest to the butter mixture and beat on low speed for 30 seconds until combined.

Add the dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed for 1 minute or so until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl at any point if needed.

Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until chilled.

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