Linzer cookie recipe wows bake-off judges
Seated around the Kurczewski holiday cookie table are, clockwise, from left, John Meyers, Brenda Kurczewski’s father; Brenda Kurczewski; Matthew Kurczewski, son of Brenda and Lothar Kurczewski; Lothar Kurczewski; Sarah Kurczewski, daughter-in-law of Brenda and Lothar, and wife of Nathaniel Kurczewski; Nathaniel Kurczewski, son of Brenda and Lothar; and Margaret Meyers, Brenda’s mother, who is now deceased.
Brenda Kurczewski uses her homemade raspberry jam and raspberry Schnapps imported from Germany to create her Linzer Cookies.
After just one bite, it’s clear why a panel of culinary professionals was wowed by Brenda Kurczewski’s Linzer Cookie.
Simply put, it is amazing.
The Moon Township woman’s cookie recipe was one of 75 selected for publication in The Barnes & Noble “Cookie Bake-Off Cookbook,” as part of the book-seller’s inaugural bake-off contest.
Raspberry aficionados will delight in Kurczewski’s authentic German/Austrian cookie, which is based on the classic Viennese linzertorte: a rich raspberry jam-filled tart topped with a buttery lattice crust typically made with ground almonds, grated lemon rind and spices.
Kurczewski, who is of German descent and spent much of her adult life in Germany after marrying her German-born husband, Lothar, based her recipe on one handed down by her mother-in-law. She tweaked that recipe, adding cocoa powder, raspberry Schnapps and lemon peel, as well as a blend of hazelnuts and almonds, which, she notes, must be ground by hand to achieve the perfect dough. And, she makes her own raspberry jam.
But the end result is well worth it, said Kurczewski, whose husband, Lothar, is single copy manager in the circulation department of the Observer-Reporter.
“It is a very, very different recipe,” Kurczewski said. “I never saw it in a cookbook. Visually, it’s a very beautiful cookie that you don’t see often.”
More than 4,000 home bakers submitted recipes, eyeing a top prize of $2,500 and the opportunity to have their recipe produced and sold at Barnes & Noble Cafés during the holiday season. The recipes were judged by a panel of culinary experts and whittled down to the top 75, then 10, and finally, three. The top three presented their entries to a panel of celebrity chefs in February at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square, New York City. Kathryn Forcey of San Jose, Calif., won with her Triple Ginger Spice Crinkles Cookie. Her cookie is fast becoming a favorite with Barnes & Noble café customers, said Jason Giangrande, vice president of café operations at Barnes & Noble.
Giangrande said judges were looking for “original and beneficial” recipes.
“Brenda’s recipe is an authentic Austrian-German cookie recipe, and it’s something different,” he said in a telephone interview. “It’s a cookie that you’re not going to pick up in an average cookbook. It’s pretty unique.”
The stories behind the cookies played a big role in the selection process, as well, he said.
“Food is as much about the experience as the taste and the flavor. We wanted to tell a story with the food. When you read some of the descriptions around the cookie recipes and you taste it, it completes the experience. There’s almost a romance to it. You read where it comes from and taste it, and it tells a story.”
Kurczewski, who says “baking is in my genes,” saw the call for entries last year in an area newspaper and set the clipping aside. She then promptly forgot about it, only to rediscover it the day before the contest deadline. She rushed to submit her recipe online, and heard nothing for three months.
“Then I got word by email that I was one of the 75,” Kurczewski said.
Hers was one of three recipes selected from the Pittsburgh area and one of 10 from Pennsylvania.
An accomplished cook, Kurczewski draws inspiration from both of her grandmothers, and said she learned quite a bit about cooking while living in Germany.
“We always lived in small country villages, and I came in contact with some amazing cooks and bakers both young and old. I not only collected recipes, but learned completely foreign ways of baking and cooking – methods you can only learn when you live there and watch women do their culinary magic,” Kurczewski said. “I am convinced that some of the world’s greatest recipes are born in these quaint rural villages in Europe.”
She uses only the best ingredients in her baked goods, opting for imported French chocolate and King Arthur Flour, and travels annually to Canada, where she stocks up on unsalted butter because it has a lower water content than most American varieties.
While most folks are just getting started with their holiday baking, Kurczewski is almost done: “All I have left is gingerbread boys,” which are personalized and packaged individually in cellophane. With plans to visit her two grown sons and their families in the West over Thanksgiving, she cut back this year, baking only 25 varieties, which she will transport with her in carefully packed tins across the country.
She keeps track of all of the cookies she bakes every year on notecards. Flipping through the stack, she shares that her most prolific year was in 2008, when she made 39 different kinds.
She already has next year’s contest entry lined up, if she’s eligible to compete.
“I won’t even tell you what it is, but it’s a prize winner,” she said with a grin.
Brenda Kurczewski will be signing The Barnes & Noble “Cookie Bake-Off Cookbook” and sharing her Linzer Cookie samples from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Barnes & Noble at Settlers Ridge. The cookbook is available for sale at Barnes & Noble stores and online at barnesandnoble.com/.
Linzer Cookies (Linzer Plaetzchen)
• Ingredients
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 jumbo eggs, divided use
1 package vanilla sugar
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 cup ground hazelnuts or natural almonds (or a combination)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon high-quality cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
4 teaspoons raspberry Schnapps
Raspberry jam for filling
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy, then gradually mix in the sugar until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg, the vanilla sugar, the vanilla extract and the lemon zest.
Gradually beat in the flour, ground nuts, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon, allspice and raspberry Schnapps, scraping the bowl occasionally, until the dough is well combined. Wrap the dough in foil and refrigerate overnight.
Remove small chunks of the dough at a time and roll thin. Cut with small round cookie cutters. Place on prepared baking sheets. Spread a small amount of raspberry jam onto unbaked rounds (not quite to the edge).
Roll out additional dough and, using a ruler and a pastry wheel, cut small narrow strips. Weave four strips for lattice effect on top of the jam rounds (two in each direction).
Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until firm and golden brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the tops. Store in airtight containers in the freezer with waxed paper between layers.
Note that the quantity will depend on the thickness of the rolled dough and the diameter of the cookie cutter.
Reprinted with permission from The Barnes & Noble Cookie Bake-Off © 2015 by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.