This Linzer cookies recipe makes festive and beautiful cookies that can be served for any occasion, especially during the holidays! Buttery, crispy and nutty, these jam-packed, sugar dusted Linzer cookies are absolutely delicious!
If you love nutty cookies, you may want to try these Mexican Wedding Cookies and these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies with crunchy pecans dipped in white chocolate!
This easy recipe is sponsored by Anolon. As always, all opinions are mine.
You may think this Linzer cookie recipe requires crazy baking skills. The truth is, these sandwich cookies are fun to make and really quite simple. If you can cut out a sugar cookie, I can guarantee you will have a very easy time baking these!
What Are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer cookies are a sandwich type cookie filled with jam or fruit preserves. The cookie dough is made with nuts, traditionally almonds although there are versions made with pistachios, hazelnuts and other nuts. The top cookie has a small cutout like a tiny window that allows you to see the filling.
Linzer cookies come from the town of Linz in Austria and are named after another pastry, the Linzertorte or Linzer tart. A Linzer torte has a beautiful dough lattice that allows you to peek through the beautiful fruit preserves filling.
The Best Linzer Cookies Recipe
Linzer cookies are delicious, beautiful and incredibly versatile. You can make the cookie dough with different nuts and use any flavor filling you’d like – lingonberry jam, raspberries or strawberry preserves, lemon curd, nutella and dulce de leche are excellent options!
Another great thing about these cookies is that you can cut them in many different shapes depending on the occasion. I love making star cookies for Christmas and heart cookies for Valentine’s day.
Linzer Cookie Ingredients
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour and almond flour. You can also finely chop almonds in a food processor.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar.
- Egg Yolk: From a large egg.
- Cookie Dough Flavorings: Vanilla extract, lemon zest, ground cinnamon.
- Salt: I prefer sea salt or Kosher salt for baking.
- Preserves: I use seedless raspberry jam or preserves.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: For dusting the baked cookies.
How To Make This Linzer Cookies Recipe
For detailed instructions on how to make these Raspberry Linzer cookies, please check the recipe card below.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cinnamon, lemon zest, yolk and vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined.
- Divide the dough in half. Press each half into discs, wrap and refrigerate.
- Roll out one disc of dough and using a cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer the cutouts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used my spanking brand new Anolon baking sheet! Gather the dough scraps, roll and repeat.
- Place the cutout cookies in the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degree Fahrenheit.
- While the first half of the cookies is chilling, cut out cookies from the remaining dough. With a smaller cookie cutter cut out peekaboo windows in the center of each cookie cutout.
- Place the cutout cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn a nice golden brown around the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Dust the top halves of each cookie with powdered sugar, then spread the bottom halves with jam. Top with the sugar-dusted cookies to make a sandwich cookie.
What Size of Cookie Cutter Did You Use?
For this Linzer cookies recipe I used a 2 1/2 – inch cookie cutter and a tiny cutter for the peekaboo window.
How To Store Linzer Cookies
Baked Linzer cookies will stay fresh covered in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days and in the refrigerator for up to a week. The cookies will lose some of their soft yet crisp texture as they absorb moisture from the jam.
I prefer to freeze the baked cutout cookies without the jam filling or sugar dusting as they keep their texture better that way. However, you can freeze the baked and assembled linzer cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container placing wax paper between each layer.
Thaw the cookies in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before serving.
The linzer cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I baked these tasty Linzer Cookies using my non-stick Anolon cookie sheet with silicone grips
effortless release, even heat distribution, wide rim and handles, easy cleanup
Linzer Cookie Fact Box
- A Linzer cookie uses the same recipe as a Linzertorte but the dough is cut into cookies instead.
- Linzertorte or tart is one of the oldest known tarts dating back to the 1600s!
- Linzertarts most traditional filling is black currant jam. This rich and buttery pastry is traditionally served for Christmas all around Europe.
- Did you know that Pez candy was created in Vienna, Austria?
- Can you name three famous people born in Austria? hint: one of them wasn’t nice!
Linzer Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- zest of 1 small lemon
- 1 egg yolk, from a large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt or sea salt
- Seedless raspberry jam, cherry jam or lingonberry jam for filling
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scrapping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cinnamon, lemon zest, yolk and vanilla and beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out one disc of dough to about 1/8 – inch thick. Using a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter, cut out cookies (you should have about 15). Transfer the cutouts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gather the dough scraps, roll and repeat. If the dough becomes too soft or sticky, simply refrigerate until firm (about 15 minutes).
- Place the cutout cookies in the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350-degree Fahrenheit.
- While the first half of the cookies is chilling, cut about 15 cookies from the remaining dough. With a small cookie cutter cut out peekaboo windows in the center of each cookie cutout. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Bake all the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn a nice golden brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Dust the top halves of each cookie with powdered sugar, then spread the bottom halves with about ½ teaspoon of the jam. Top with the sugar-dusted cookies.
- Store the finished cookies in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
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