These raspberry jam-filled linzer cookies are perfect for Valentine's Day! They consist of two very buttery sandwich cookies that are elevated by the nutty addition of almonds and a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. The cookies are so delicious and addictive! But don't let the heart cutouts fool you. They are so easy to create, and make for the most romantic sweet treat!

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Things You\’ll Need

• 10.6 ounces (300 grams) all-purpose flour

• 3.2 ounces (90 gams) almond flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 8.8 ounces (250 grams) unsalted butter, at roomtemperature

• 6.5 ounces (185 grams) granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract

• ½ cup raspberry jam

• Powdered sugar, for sifting

Step 1: Make the Dough

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment, or using handheld electric beaters, beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Pause mixing and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add in the vanilla bean extract and beat until well combined.

Set the mixer speed to low. Add in the dry flour ingredients. Beat until just combined.

Remove the dough from the beater bowl and divide it in half. Pat each half into a rough disc, then cover both in a layer of plastic wrap. Let the dough discs chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.

Step 2: Roll

Pre-heat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 Celsius). Line two large baking sheets with non-stick parchment paper. Set aside.

Set the first dough disc onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is about ¼ inch (0.6 centimeters) thick. Using a large heart cookie cutter, cut as many hearts as possible out of the dough. Transfer the hearts to one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart to allow room for spreading. Re-roll the dough scraps as needed and stamp-out any cookies from the remainder of the dough onto the sheet. Place the sheet in the refrigerator to chill.

Repeat the rolling and cutting process as above with the remaining dough disc. Once the dough hearts have been transferred to the baking sheet, use a smaller heart shaped cookie cutter to make a small cutout in the center of each large heart. Place this sheet in the refrigerator to chill.

Step 3: Bake

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4: Fill & Powder

Once the cookies are cool, begin to fill them. Turn the cookies without the cut-outs flat side facing up. Spoon a teaspoon of the raspberry jam over their center, spreading it almost to the edges.

Sift the powdered sugar over the cookies with the cut-outs. Then gently press the powdered sugared cookies onto the cookies with the jam.

Step 5: Serve!

Serve and enjoy the cookies! They are best kept stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week. The dough can be made in advance by up to 1 month, stored and sealed in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature before use.

With just a few simple pantry ingredients, you can have soft and chewy snickerdoodles on the table in under 30 minutes!

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Things You\’ll Need

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1 tablespoon

• 3 cups flour

Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars

Preheat your oven to 325° Fahrenheit.

In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with both sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Tip

Combine the tablespoon of cinnamon with two tablespoons of sugar in a separate bowl.

Step 2: Add Remaining Ingredients

Add eggs one at a time, plus vanilla and mix thoroughly. Scrape down the bowl, then add baking soda, salt, Cream of Tartar and cinnamon. Mix to combine. Turn mixer on low and add flour last, stirring until only JUST combined.

Step 3: Roll Into Balls

Use your palms to roll balls about two inches in diameter. Then coat each ball in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Step 4: Bake

Place rolled balls on a parchment lined baking sheet (12 per sheet) and bake at 325° Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.

Tip

This recipe makes about 24 large cookies or 36 smaller cookies. Reduce your cooking time by about 2 minutes if you choose to make the smaller version.

Things You\’ll Need

• Raw pistachios, dye-free and in the shell

• Pot

• Water

• Food-storage container

• Colander

• Kitchen towel, optional

• Rimmed baking sheet

• Spice grinder

• Mixing bowl

• Powdered sugar or all-purpose flour

• Whisk

• Flour sifter

• Sealable food-storage bag

Use only pistachios that have an open-ended shell to make flour. Image Credit: Zedcor Wholly Owned/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

A mild flavor redolent of avocados, a hint of tartness and an undercurrent of sweetness makes pistachios a higher class of nut. Pistachio flour adds a velvety mouthfeel and buttery texture to baked goods, and toasts up like caramelized gold when sprinkled on baked confections. These premium qualities, however, come at a premium price, as any pastry chef will tell you — yet another reason you should make your own pistachio flour. Pistachios are 46 percent fat, however, so you must add an absorbent ingredient, such as confectioner's sugar, to produce a dry, finely textured flour that elevates any confection to another level.

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Step 1

Shell the pistachios. One cup of shelled pistachios yields about 1 1/2 cups of pistachio flour.

Step 2

Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil on the stove. Pour the shelled pistachios in a food-storage container or large mixing bowl. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3

Pour enough boiling water over the pistachios to cover them and let them blanch for about two minutes. Drain the pistachios in a colander and hold them under cold running water until they are completely cool, about four minutes.

Step 4

Slip the skins off the pistachios by rubbing them between your fingers or rubbing them in a kitchen towel. Transfer the pistachios to a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and place them in the oven.

Step 5

Dry the pistachios in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, then take them out. Let the pistachios cool to room temperature.

Step 6

Place the cooled pistachios in the bowl of the spice grinder and pulse them until they're broken up into 1/4-inch chunks. Empty the pistachios into a mixing bowl. Continue pulsing the pistachios in batches and adding them to the mixing bowl until you've ground them all to chunks.

Step 7

Sift powdered sugar or all-purpose flour into the mixing bowl with the pistachios to absorb the oil released during the grinding process. Add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar or flour for every cup of pistachios. Whisk to combine.

Step 8

Add the pistachio mixture in small amounts to the bowl of the spice grinder. Pulse the pistachios again, this time to a fine powder or just until they start to feel moist.

Step 9

Transfer the pistachios to a flour sifter and sift them over a bowl.

Step 10

Return any larger pistachio pieces that are sifted out to the bowl of the grinder with the next batch of pistachios. Continue pulsing the pistachios and sifting them in the sifter until you have ground all of the pistachios to flour.

Step 11

Store pistachio flour in a sealable food-storage bag in the refrigerator for up to a month, or in the freezer for about three months.

Warning

Substitute no more than 1/4 of pistachio flour for wheat flour in baked goods.

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Are you craving gooey pull-apart bread, covered in cinnamon sugar and caramel? I thought so. This baked favorite can now be made without the use of the oven, making it an accessible recipe wherever you have an electrical plug. Say hello to Instant Pot monkey bread! This version is made in under 45 minutes, beginning to end. Grab the detailed instructions below.

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Things You\’ll Need

• 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot

• 1 can refrigerated large biscuits

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 stick unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 6-inch round cake tin

Step 1: Cut Biscuits and Make Sugar Cinnamon Mixture

Open biscuits and cut into quarter-sized pieces.

Mix together sugar and cinnamon in a gallon plastic bag and seal. Shake to mix together cinnamon and sugar. Add in biscuit pieces and shake until well coated. Pour sugared biscuits in a greased 6-inch round cake tin.

Step 2: Make Caramel

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and brown sugar together in microwave for 1 minute.

Mix continuously with a whisk until golden caramel color, about 2 minutes. Pour caramel mixture over sugared biscuits until well coated. Cover loosely with foil.

Step 3: Cook Monkey Bread in Instant Pot

Pour 1 cup water in Instant Pot bowl. Place trivet in the bowl, and place the pan on top of the trivet. Lock lid, flip valve to "Sealing", and cook on manual high pressure for 25 minutes. Let it natural release for 5 minutes, then flip the valve to "Venting" to release remaining pressure. Open and remove from bowl.

Tip

Making monkey bread in the Instant Pot will make it more moist and gooey compared to baking in a traditional oven. If some crispiness is desired, broil the monkey bread in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

Step 4: Serve and Enjoy!

Let monkey bread set and cool for 5-10 minutes. Flip on a plate and serve while warm. Enjoy!