Flutterheart Linzer Cookies

(photo prop sources below just before recipe)

It all started over 20 years ago with a butterfly cookie that made my heart flutter and I've come full circle to share this sweet buttery linzer cookie that is as pretty as it is delicious.

Back then it wasn't easy to source cutters and decorating tools, but I was determined to have that cutter, and along the way I found and collected so many other beautiful baking and decorating bits and pieces. I kinda think that I might not have this blog if it was not for that cookie that ignited my passion for all things baking.

Of course you will not have the same difficulty finding a cutter as I did as these days it's as easy as clicking a button (some links below).

I think these cutters are so cute that they can be made with minimal decorating so I've only added a dusting of icing sugar to let the shape shine.

I can only hope one of my blog posts might inspire someone else the same way I was inspired by a cookie all those years ago.

Happy Baking

Shop the photo shoot

Simply Sweet Home - Cherry tin, tea towel, mini latte cup and mini bowl all Greengate
Fine Nordic - Pink bowl with candy (IB Laursen) and Love pitcher (Krasilnikoff)
Butterfly Cookie Cutter - this link to amazon

Hazelnut Linzer Cookie Recipe makes around 12 double filled Flutterheart butterfly cookies
I used a butterfly cutter (approx 8cm or 3.25"), heart plunger and small rose leaf#/teardrop shape cutter (12mm or 0.5") . #my rose leaf was from the Ateco 12 piece flower & leaf cutter set see below example.

You can just use a regular linzer cutter instead.



225 g (8oz) unsalted butter room temperature
100f (3 1/2 oz) or 1/2 cup sugar * I used caster (superfine) sugar
1 large egg yolk
300 g (10 1/2 oz) or 2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
80g (2 3/4oz) hazelnut meal (ground hazelnut) # you can substitute almond if preferred
1/2 cup cherry jam (jelly)

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the sugar and butter at high speed for a couple of minutes until light and creamy. Reduce the speed to medium low and mix in the egg yolk, scraping down the sides as required. Add the flour, hazelnut meal, cinnamon and salt and mix at low speed until combined.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours until the mixture is firm.

Dust your workbench with flour and generously flour a rolling pin, then roll out the dough and cut out shapes as desired. (If you have difficulty rolling out this dough you can roll it out between 2 sheets of nonstick/baking paper, then chill until ready to cut).

Cut out butterfly shapes, place the cookies on trays lined with baking paper. Leave half the cookies as they are and cut shapes out of the remaining half, using a heart plunger cutter to cut a heart in each wing and teardrop cutters to cut 2 shapes at the bottom of each wing (see picture below).

Place the trays into the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and bake the cookies until golden (around 12 - 15 mins).

Allow the cookies to cool on the tray.

Place the jam (jelly) in a microwave safe bowl and heat at high for 20 - 30 seconds until just starting to bubble. Stir until smooth.

Place the jam (jelly) into a disposable piping bag (or ziplock bag) but a small hole in the corner and pipe jam onto half of the cookies (the half without the bits cut out). Gently press the remaining cookies onto the top of the jam topped cookies using the jam to stick the cookie into place.

If desired pipe a little extra jam into the heart and teardrop cut outs.

Cookies in picture have been dusted with icing sugar (powdered sugar) just prior to serving.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Simply Sweet Home is owned by my sister-in-law.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer please do not reuse without permission. 

I'll have what she's having Nutella Cookies

Welcome to my kitchen, where it's kinda obvious I can not resist any type of pretty thing for my house.

It's been a problem for a while now, you might have noticed over the years I have the same thing going on with food which I frequently decorate with pink sugar flowers and sprinkles, because most everything tastes better that way.

But not these cookies. Nope, they will not win any beauty contests, but oh the taste, the yummy chocolately taste will win you over in no time.

There seems to be a lot of ingredients, but these are easy to make if you have a mixer to help cream the butter and sugar together. Just follow the steps and soon you will have a batch of soft chocolately cookies of your own.

Also make sure you take them out while they are still soft, they will continue to cook on the tray a little bit and as they cool they will harden up a little bit.

Like all chocolate chip cookies I love them best when they are still a bit warm, but if you can resist you can store them in a cookie jar for up to 3 days.

Happy Baking Xx

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (makes 20 Super delicious cookies)
Conversions are rounded to nearest 5 gram.

250g (9oz) plain (all purpose) flour
30g (1oz) cocoa powder
2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)
115g (4oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
115g (4oz) brown sugar (approx 1/2 cup)
60g (2oz) white sugar (approx 1/4 cup) * I used caster or superfine but regular is ok
1 large egg
145g (5oz) Nutella (heaped 1/3 cup)
230g (8 3/4oz) chocolate chips or chunks * I used a mixture

Preheat oven to 160C (320 F) and line 2 or 3 trays with baking paper.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, cornflour (cornstarch) and bicarb soda (baking soda).

Cream butter and both sugars for approx 3 minutes at high speed. Reduce speed to medium-low and mix in egg and then Nutella until combined.

Add flour mixture, mix at low speed until just combined and then add the chocolate chips mixing until the chips are distributed evenly.

Place approx 2 Tbsp (US 2 1/2Tbsp) mounds of cookie dough onto prepared trays leaving enough room for the cookie to spread during baking. Flatten the cookie dough slightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. The cookies will still be soft when you remove them, however leave on trays to cool and you will be able to pic them up.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission. 

Perfect Lunch Box Apple Muffins

I'm always looking for easy to make kinda healthy food for the kids lunches.

Maybe like me, you are not completely organised but have good intentions.

I am not that mum that has the freezer filled with super healthy organic treats ready to pack and go it a pinch.

Sometimes if we are being fancy I top them with 

Cream Cheese frosting and raspberries

But I do have a few recipes up my sleeve that I can mix up and make in under 10 minutes, bake while I'm in the shower and have ready for the school lunches that day. They might not get endorsed by any fancy celebrity diet chefs but they are fast, I have the stuff in my pantry and I figure it's way ahead of a packet of processed stuff any day.

Plus they make 12 so I use them for afternoon tea and school lunch the next day with the few left overs for me :)

cupcake cases Greengate 

Quick Mix Apple Cinnamon Muffin makes 12 regular sized muffins
Note if you are out of buttermilk substitute milk mixed with a little vinegar, that's what I did with the ones in the picture.

3 small apples or 2 medium - grate approx half and cut the remainder in small pieces
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup buttermilk (#see note above if you are out)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use light olive oil)
1 egg
1 Tbsp butter melted (optional)
1 Tbsp cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160 C (325 F).

Line a regular 12 hole muffin tin with baking cases.

Place flour, sugar, cinnamon, buttermilk, oil, egg and apple into a large bowl and mix until just combined.

Spoon evenly into the prepared muffin tin.

Place the muffin tin into preheated oven and bake for 22-24 mins or until golden on top, if you insert a skewer no mixture should stick to the skewer.

(Optional)One muffin at a time brush the top of each muffin with a little melted butter and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar onto the top.

*Sometimes if we are being fancy I top the muffins with a little swirl of cream cheese frosting and a raspberry but it squishes too much for lunchbox treats so it's just an at home thing.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.