COLORFUL
These buttery, jam-filled Linzer Cookies are the perfect sweet snacks to make this holiday season. A bunch of these easy-to-make raspberry-packed sandwich cookies adorably dusted with snowy confectioners’ sugar will surely bring on all the cheery, festive vibes! Let the heavenly smell of toasted almonds fill your kitchen with the loveliest holiday aroma!
Christmas time is upon us! You can feel it in the frosty air, taste it in your favorite Starbucks holiday drinks, and hear it Mariah Carey’s voice as she sings while you shop the season finds at Target! There’s just something so magical in the about this time of year that drives me into a frenzy of baking! After making my super fun Christmas Tree Cookies and Christmas Brownies, I decided to change things up and try these classic Austrian Linzer cookies!
What Are Linzer Cookies?
These sweet and tasty treats are cookie versions of the popular Christmas shortcake, Linzer Torte. It is An Austrian pastry originating from the city of Linz and is known for its beautiful lattice crust and jam fillings. Linzer cookies, also called Linzer tarts, are typically made by sandwiching raspberry jam between two shortbread cookies with a distinct cut-out in the middle of the top cookie to let the jam prettily poke through. It is garnished with powdered sugar for a snow-like finish.
The Best Homemade Linzer Cookie Recipe!
I made the cookie dough with freshly roasted ground almonds. It filled the kitchen with a stomach-grumbling aroma that made me super excited for the final result. And it certainly did not disappoint! The almond-flavored cookies were buttery and crisp with lovely hints of vanilla and cinnamon. For the filling, we used Maman raspberry preserves. It’s thick enough to hold together well in the cookie, and the fresh raspberry pieces in the jam made them so much prettier!
Why You’ll Love Them
- These from-scratch, made-with-love, Linzer cookies are easy to prepare and are super fun to make! But be prepared for some idle time though when the cookies are chilling in the fridge.
- Though they are generally known to be Christmas cookies, they can be made all year round! Why not make them on Valentine’s day, birthdays and anniversaries too?
- You can make them using different jam fillings like red or black currant preserves, blueberry, apricot or strawberry jam…whatever you like.
Ingredients Needed
- Whole almonds
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Salted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar
Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need
- Baking/ cookie sheet
- Food processor
- Cookie cutters
- Cooling wire rack
- Electric hand mixer
How to Make Linzer Cookies
This might look like a lot, but I promise you, there is nothing complicated about making these cookies.
Preparations:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. (to be used for the cookies, not the almonds)
STEP 1: Make the Almond Meal. Place the raw almonds on a baking sheet. Place in the oven’s middle rack and toast until lightly browned. Once cooled, pulse using a food processor until it is finely grounded.
STEP 2: Add the Dry ingredients. Pulse in the flour, cinnamon, and salt.
STEP 3: Cream the Butter. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy, then add sugar. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg and scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything is incorporated, then mix in the vanilla.
STEP 4: Mix the Flour and Butter Mixture. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and continue to beat at a low speed.
STEP 5: Form the Dough and Chill. Divide dough into two and form into discs. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours. While waiting, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
STEP 6: Roll the Dough. Get one disc, place it on a well-floured work surface. Let it sit for a minute or two, then roll it out to about ¼ inch thick. Do the same with the other disc.
STEP 7: Shape the Dough. Cut out as many cookies as possible using a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a shape from the middle of half of the cookies.
STEP 8: Bake. Place cookies in the prepared pan and bake for 12- 15 minutes.
STEP 9: Let them Cool. After baking, let the cookies cool in the pan before cooling completely in a wire rack.
STEP 10: Assemble the Cookies! Spread ½ teaspoon of jam onto the bottom cookies. Dust the tops of the cookies(with the cut outs) with powdered sugar, then place them on top of the cookies with the jam filling.
Tips when Making Linzer Cookies
- Do not overmix the cookie dough of you will end up with flat and dense cookies.
- To make the most out of the dough, roll the scraps (cut-out parts) into a dough and chill. You can make them yo use more cookies!
- If you have different cookie cutter shapes, you can use them to shape the center of the top cookies. This way, you will have some lovely varieties!
- Do not remove the cookies from the baking sheet right away or they will tear or deform. Let them sit for a few minutes to firm up before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Make sure to dust the top cookies with powdered sugar before placing them on the jam cookies; otherwise, the jam center will be covered. It won’t turn out as pretty!
Storage Instructions:
The dough can be made up to 5 days ahead and kept in the fridge. Once baked, place the Linzer Cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. Or you may freeze them for up to 1 month (just make sure the jam is fully set before wrapping them).
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there fillings other than raspberry jam that go well in Linzer cookies?
Yes! You could use different flavors of jam (apricot is especially nice). Or you could use lemon curd or a chocolate spread.
I am finding that the dough really cracks when I roll it out – am I doing something wrong?
Make sure to let it sit for a minute or 2 out of the fridge. Then, if it cracks, you can patch the cracks with scraps of dough.
I find that my jam is really runny – how could I thicken it up?
While the dough is chilling, place ¾ cup raspberry jam in a small saucepan. Allow this to simmer until it has thickened and reduced to about ½ cup. Remove this from the heat and allow it to cool completely before using it to fill the cookies.
I’m rolling out the dough, but now it seems sticky – what can I do?
Put the dough into the fridge and allow it to chill again. It is easier to work with when it is well chilled. If you still find that it is sticky, use more flour on the rolling surface and rolling pin. I like to sprinkle the top of the dough with flour as well.
Do I have to toast the almonds before putting them in the food processor?
No, but it does add an extra depth of flavor.
If you’ve tried these LINZER COOKIES or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how they turned out. We love hearing from you! You can also follow along with me on FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM to see more colorful recipes!
These buttery, jam-filled Linzer Cookies are the perfect sweet snacks to make this holiday season. A bunch of these easy-to-make raspberry-packed sandwich cookies adorably dusted with snowy confectioners' sugar will surely bring on a cherry, festive vibe!
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup raw whole almonds
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup raspberry jam, We used Bon Maman preserves! It’s thick enough to hold together well in the cookie and the fresh raspberry pieces in the jam look festive!
- ½ cup powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the raw nuts (blanched or unblanched) on a baking sheet. Toast them on the middle rack until lightly browned (it will take 5 to 10 minutes). Once they have cooled completely, pulse them in a food processor. Once this mixture is finely ground, pulse in the flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set this aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it is creamy. Then beat in the sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the egg. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything is mixed well. Beat in vanilla.
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just mixed. Do not over-mix.
- Form the dough into 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator. Allow this to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove one disk at a time from the fridge. Place it on a well-floured surface. Allow it to sit for 1 or 2 minutes before rolling. Roll it out to about ¼ inch thick. You will need to be generous with the flour.
- Use a 2 ½ inch cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies from this dough as you are able to. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out a shape from the middle of half of the cookies. (like a little window) Roll scraps into a disk, wrap, and allow to chill. Then you can roll this out again to make more cookies.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12- 15 minutes. They should be just starting to turn golden on the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. Then remove them to a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread a heaping ½ teaspoon of jam onto the bottom side cookies. Dust the top cookies (with the cut out) with powdered sugar. (Make sure to dust the top cookies with powdered sugar before placing them on the jam cookies otherwise the jam center will not show as well.) Place the cookie with the cut-out on top of the jam cookie.
NOTES
Storage Instructions:
The dough can be made up to 5 days ahead and kept in the fridge. Once baked, place the cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for 2-3 days. Or you may freeze them for up to 1 month (just make sure the jam is fully set before wrapping them).Frequently Asked Questions
- Are there fillings other than raspberry jam that go well in these cookies? Yes! You could use different flavors of jam (apricot is especially nice). Or you could use lemon curd or a chocolate spread.
- I am finding that the dough really cracks when I roll it out – am I doing something wrong? Make sure to let it sit for a minute or 2 out of the fridge. Then, if it cracks, you can patch the cracks with scraps of dough.
- I find that my jam is really runny – how could I thicken it up? While the dough is chilling, place ¾ cup raspberry jam in a small saucepan. Allow this to simmer until it has thickened and reduced to about ½ cup. Remove this from the heat and allow it to cool completely before using it to fill the cookies.
- I’m rolling out the dough, but now it seems sticky – what can I do? Put the dough into the fridge and allow it to chill again. It is easier to work with when it is well chilled. If you still find that it is sticky, use more flour on the rolling surface and rolling pin. I like to sprinkle the top of the dough with flour as well.
- Do I have to toast the almonds before putting them in the food processor? No, but it does add an extra depth of flavor
NUTRITION
Calories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 127mgPotassium: 73mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 259IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @sweettea_and_sprinkles or tag #sweetteaandsprinkles
Great recipe and hints to help us all.
Thank you! I’m so glad you like the recipe and tips! 🙂
Approximately how many cookies does this make? Thanks.
Approximately 10-12 depending how thick you roll out the dough and how many times you use the scrap dough!
Raspberries and shortbread! 👍🏻
The almonds add such a nice flavor and texture to these cookies. And they taste great with that raspberry filling!