Linzer Cookies
These Linzer cookies are made with an almond cookie dough and filled with raspberry jam. No holiday gathering is complete without a plate of these cookies to nibble on!
Traditional raspberry Linzer cookies have an interesting history. They’re named after the Austrian Linzer Torte, which is a type of pastry that features a buttery lattice top that sits over a jam filling.
Linzer cookies are a classic cookie usually made for Christmas, but they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day too! The cookie dough requires a little extra elbow grease — namely in the form of chilling the dough, then rolling and cutting it out — but otherwise it’s a very simple recipe.
I made this Linzer cookie recipe with almond flour and raspberry jam, but you’re welcome to play around with different fillings and flavors!
Ingredients Notes
Linzer cookies are essentially a buttery almond shortbread cookie with a raspberry jam filling. Let’s go over a few important ingredients you’ll need to make this traditional cookie:
- All-purpose flour: Don’t scoop the flour straight from the bag, as that will compact it and you’ll accidentally measure out too much. Instead, spoon and level the flour to measure it.
- Almond flour: Make sure that you’re using blanched almond flour for these cookies. You can usually find this in the baking aisle at most groceries stores.
- Baking powder: Just 1/2 teaspoon gives the cookies a little lift.
- Lemon Zest: This ingredient is completely optional, but it adds a lovely lemon flavor to these cookies. You can leave it out if you prefer, but I highly suggest using it!
- Raspberry jam: Use a good-quality jam since it’s the star of the recipe! I really love Bonne Maman raspberry jam.
How to Make Linzer Cookies
If you don’t have a rolling pin or cookie cutters, you can still make this recipe! You’ll just have to get creative and use a smooth bottle instead of a rolling pin, the lid of a jar instead of a round cookie cutter, and so on.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: Combine the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar: This should only take 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture doesn’t need to be light any fluffy, just well combined.
- Combine the wet ingredients: To the butter-sugar mixture, add the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet: The dough may be a bit crumbly at first, but continue to mix it until a smooth dough forms. If needed, you can use a rubber spatula to work the dough together.
- Roll out the dough: Divide the dough in half. Then, roll out each ball of dough until it’s roughly 1/4 inch thick.
- Chill the dough: After both pieces of dough have been rolled out, place them in the fridge for at least two hours. This will give the butter in the dough time to firm up and help the cookies keep their shape as they’re baking in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Cut out the cookies: After 2 hours, remove both pieces of dough from the fridge. Using a cookie cutter or the lid from a jar, cut the dough into 2-inch circles. Be sure to re-roll any scraps of dough. You want to cut out as many cookies as you can!
- Cut small circles in the center: Cut out a small circle in the centers of half of the cookies. Do NOT cut small circles in the center of every cookie, otherwise the jam will ooze out of both sides of the finished Linzer cookies.
- Bake the cookies: They need to bake in the oven just until the tops are set and the edges are lightly browned.
- Cool completely: I let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Dust the top cookies with confectioners’ sugar: You want to dust just the cookies that are missing a small circle in the center with confectioners’ sugar. Adding the confectioners’ sugar at this step makes for a cleaner looking Linzer cookie once the jam filling has been added.
- Fill with jam: Spread 1 teaspoon of jam onto the bottom of the solid cookies (the ones without the center cutouts).
- Assemble the cookies: Top each jam cookie with one of the confectioners’ sugar-dusted cookies.
Additional Fillings to Try
For this particular recipe, I made raspberry Linzer cookies. However, you can experiment with other fillings and jam flavors, if desired.
Some more Linzer cookie fillings to try include:
- Lemon curd
- Dulce de leche
- Salted caramel sauce
- Chocolate ganache
- Another flavor of jam or fruit preserve
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Storing at room temperature: You can store Linzer cookies in the refrigerator, but it’s not necessary. I recommend storing the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll last about five days on the counter. Note that the cookies will soften over time.
Freezing Instructions: Cookies will freeze well for up to 3 months in a freezer bag/container. When you’re ready to enjoy the cookies, place them on the counter several hours ahead of time and thaw to room temperature.
Baking Tips
- If you don’t have a small circular cutter to cut out the holes in the center of the cookies, you can simply use the circular back of a piping tip.
- Note that the baking time will vary depending on if you’re baking the whole circle cookies or the pan with the cutout centers. I typically bake the whole circle cookies for a minute more than the ones with the cutout centers.
- You must let the cookies cool completely before adding the jam to the centers, otherwise it will slide off.
More Cookie Recipes to Try!
- Soft Molasses Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Recipe Video
Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (250 grams)
- 1 cup blanched almond flour (100 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (230 grams)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (135 grams)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- Zest of 1 medium lemon optional, but recommended
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup raspberry jam (155 grams)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar (15 to 23 grams)
Instructions
- To make the cookie dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined. Mix in the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, the cookie dough will be a little crumbly at first but will come together as you continue mixing it.
- Divide the dough in half. Place each half of the dough onto a large piece of parchment paper that is lightly sprinkled with flour. Flatten the dough just a bit with the palm of your hand and then place another large piece of parchment paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick, between the parchment paper. Repeat with the other half of the dough and two more pieces of parchment paper.
- Once both pieces of dough are rolled out between parchment paper, place onto a baking sheet and into the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two to three large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, then remove the top layer of the parchment paper and cut into 2-inch circles (or a similar consistent shape). Place 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Re-roll any scrap pieces of cookie dough to cut out more cookies, flouring the surface and top of the dough as needed.
- In half of the round cut-out cookies, cut out a small circle (or shape) in the centers. Use a small cookie cutter, or even the circular back of a piping tip.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are set and the edges are lightly browned. Baking time will vary depending on if you’re baking the whole circle cookies or the pan with the cutout centers.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- To fill and assemble the cookies: Once the cookies have cooled, dust the center cutout cookies with powdered sugar. Set aside.
- Spread 1 teaspoon of jam onto the bottom of the solid cookies (without the center cutouts). Then, top each jam cookie with one of the confectioner-dusted cookies.
Notes
Adapted from my Cut Out Sugar Cookie Recipe
Made these this weekend, they were a hit! So delicious. I used raspberry jam and apricot jam. If I were to freeze the cookies, should I wait to do the powdered sugar until they are ready to be served?
So glad you loved the cookies, Jess! I would wait and add the powdered sugar once they’ve thawed and you plan to serve them.
Have you used ground almonds that some recipes call for? I wonder what the difference is. I made the Wilton recipe with them last week
If you’re referring to almond meal, it’s typically coarser and the skins of the almonds aren’t removed before grinding it. I’d recommend sticking with blanched almond flour for these cookies.