mulled wine jelly

1. Pour the wine and brandy into a saucepan. Squeeze in the juice of one orange. You can also add some of the orange peel if you’d like, but make sure to avoid the pith (white part). Stir in the cinnamon, star anise, cloves and juniper berries.
2. Bring the mixture to a slight simmer over medium heat and cook for one minute.
3. Turn off the heat (but leave the pot on the burner), cover and let the mixture steep for at least one hour.
4. Strain the mulled wine into a bowl and discard the solids.
5. In a clean large saucepan, whisk together the Sure Jell, water and ¼ cup (50 g) of sugar until smooth. Pour in the mulled wine and bring to a boil over high heat, whisking constantly.
6. Add the remaining ¾ cup (150 g) of sugar and continue whisking until the mixture returns to a rolling boil. Cook for two minutes at a rapid boil, whisking constantly, then remove from heat. Skim off any foam from the top and carefully pour into jars, leaving at least ½ inch (12 mm) of head space.
7. Let cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate until set (at least 12 hours).

linzer cookies

1. Beat the softened butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
4. Gradually add the flour and almond mixture to the wet mixture and continue mixing until the dough just comes together.
5. Flatten the dough into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours* or until firm.

assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Flour your work surface and roll out the dough to ⅛ inch (⅓ cm) thickness. It may be easiest to start with half of the dough, leaving the other half in the refrigerator.
3. Use a cookie cutter* to cut out 48 shapes (the number will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutter; just make sure you have an even number).
4. Using a smaller cookie cutter, cut the center out of 24 (or half) of the cookies. These will be your window cookies. Make sure to keep these cookies together on a baking sheet, as they might need just a bit less time in the oven.
5. Bake the cookies 12 minutes or until just turning golden brown around the edges. Remove and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Once the cookies have cooled completely, dust the window cookies with powdered sugar.
7. Place a spoonful of jelly on every whole cookie and top with the window cookies. These cookies are best served on the day of filling, but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.