Full question
Like Nigella, I love everything about Christmas, so when I saw how making Linzer Cookies put her in the Christmas spirit I thought I’d try and make them myself. So at 5am (insomniac here) I lit some candles and put on some Christmas jazz to set the mood. What a fabulous way to start the day. These cookies were very easy to make and taste delicious. But for some reason my cookies when baked had some bumps to them so they didn’t look as perfect as Nigella’s. I don’t know why this happened and it didn’t change the taste, but how can I prevent this happening again?
Our answer
Nigella's Linzer Cookies (from COOK, EAT, REPEAT) melt in the mouth thanks to the combination of ground nuts and flour in the cookie dough. We are not sure if the bumps in the surface of the cookies are from the cookies cut from the first rolling or from the cookies cut from leftover dough scraps, but if it is from the cookies cut from the dough scraps then they are probably air bubbles.
When the dough scraps are put together there are small gaps in between the pieces of dough that trap air. Even though the dough has been rolled again there can still be some air trapped (you won't see it in the rolled out dough) and these will expand as the cookie bakes, causing bumps. You can gently and briefly knead the dough scraps together by hand, but then refrigerate the dough before rolling it again as it can become quite soft. This should help to reduce the risk of bumps. Otherwise, try to make the cookies cut from the dough scraps into the bottom layer of the cookies, where you won't see the bumps.
Tell us what you think
Thank you {% member.data['first-name'] %}.
Explore more questionsYour comment has been submitted.