Linzer Cookies: Soft Buttery cut-out cookies that are sandwiched with a sweet jam and dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
What are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer cookies are a buttery dough made with ground almonds and flavored with freshly grated lemon zest. It’s rolled out and cut into various shapes with the top of the cookie center cutout so that the jam peeks through. They are always the prettiest cookies in my Christmas cookie boxes.
Why you’ll love Linzer Cookies:
They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The cookies taste better on the second day because the jam has soaked into the buttery Linzer cookies.
Easy straightforward recipe that just gets mixed into one bowl, wrapped, and then chilled.
Customize these Linzer cookies with your favorite jam, and cookie cutters. You can add more flavor to the dough by adding different powders, extracts, and zest.
Cookie Ingredients:
- Almond Flour: Use almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is grounded with the skin on it which gives it specks of brown.
- All-Purpose Flour: No substitutes
- Butter: Use unsalted butter
- Egg Yolk: Provides moisture and helps bind the cookie. Egg yolks add additional fat to the cookies.
- Sugar: Add sweetness to the dough
- Lemon Zest/ Vanilla Extract: Provides the dough with flavor.
- Baking Powder: I prefer to use double-acting baking powder. Double-acting baking powder reacts twice once when mixed with an acid and then twice when it’s heated.
Linzer Cookie Variations:
Cookie Fillings:
- Any jam filling- raspberry jam, apricot jam, strawberry jam(My personal favorite is Bonne Maman)
- Lemon curd and Nutella are great options too.
Linzer Cookie dough flavorings:
- Replace the whole almonds with ground hazelnuts, and pistachios, just make sure to use blanched nuts and pulse in the food processor before adding to the batter.
- Any citrus zest- orange zest. Lemons
- Powders/ Extracts: Cinnamon, matcha, almond extract
Cookie cutters:
- Linzer cookies can be cut into different shapes. I love using the scalloped round cookie cutter when it’s not the holiday season. But during the holidays I like to use a Christmas tree and stars. And the prettiest heart shape for Valentine’s day.
How to make Linzer Cookies:
In a medium bowl add in the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk until combined.
In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl add in the room temperature butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the egg yolk and mix until just combined. With the mixer on low add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until the dough is formed.
Divide the dough and flatten it into discs. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and allow it to chill for 2 hours until firm.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line two separate baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one dough disc at a time, place your dough on a lightly floured surface. With your rolling pin roll your dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut your dough with your cookie cutter of choice place it on a prepared baking sheet and let it chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
Roll out your second disc of dough and repeat the same steps as before but this time use a smaller cookie cutter, to cut out the center of half of the cookies. with the remaining dough can reroll your scraps of dough to get more cookies, but I like to save and keep the middle cut-out pieces to snack on. Place your cookie cutouts on the cookie sheets and chill for 15 minutes.
Bake your first tray for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should have golden brown edges, allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Continue to bake the second tray of cookies until done. When the 2nd tray of cookies is done baking allow them to cool on the tray.
Linzer Cookie Assembly:
With the second tray dust the tops of the cut-out cookies generously with powdered sugar
Spread a little less than a teaspoon of jam on the bottom cookies and then place the dusted powdered sugar ones on top. Gently press the cookies together to form sandwich cookies.
The cookies can be enjoyed immediately but will taste better the next day and for days to come.
To store the cookies place them in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Linzer Cookies FAQS/Tips:
Do I have to chill the cookies before baking?
It’s not a necessary step but will help the dough not spread so much, which will help with sharper edges.
How can I make this ahead of time?
The dough can be made up to 3 months in advance and frozen even if you decided to cut them out already. Just separate the layers of cookies with sheets of parchment paper and wrap and freeze them on a baking sheet until needed. They can be baked from frozen just add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
Why is my cookie dough so dry?
To get the best results I always recommend measuring with a scale for precision. When using measuring cups, you may end up with too much flour if you inaccurately measure your ingredients. To ensure accurate flour measurement I like to fluff up my flour with a large spoon and then scoop my measuring cup into the flour and with a chopstick or butter knife just level it off. If the flour is too compact you can add too much flour to your ingredients making the dough dry and hard.
If you loved this recipe, take a look at my other Christmas cookie recipes:
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
- Buttery Thumbprint Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies
Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Almond flour
- 1¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- 4 oz Unsalted Butter Room temperature
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest half a lemon
- 1/8 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Linzer Add-ins:
- 1/2 tbsp Poppy Seed
- 1 tsp Matcha Powder
Instructions
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl add in the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add in the egg yolk and mix until just combined and then add in the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until the dough is formed. Divide the dough and flatten it into discs. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and allow it to chill for 2 hours until firm.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Line two separate baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with one dough disc at a time, place your dough on a lightly floured surface. With your rolling pin roll your dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut your dough with your cookie cutter of choice place it on a prepared baking sheet and let it chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
- Roll out your second disc of dough and repeat the same steps as before but this time use a smaller cookie cutter, to cut out the center of the cookies. With the remaining dough can reroll your scraps of dough to get more cookies. Place your cookie cutouts on the cookie sheets and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Bake your first tray for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies should have golden brown edges, allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Continue to bake the second tray of cookies until done. When the 2nd tray of cookies is done baking allow them to cool on the tray.
Linzer Cookie Assembly
- With the second tray dust the tops of the cut-out cookies generously with powdered sugar.
- Spread a little less than a teaspoon of jam on the bottom cookies and then place the dusted powdered sugar ones on top. Gently press the cookies together to form sandwich cookies.
- The cookies can be enjoyed immediately but will taste better the next day and for days to come.
- To store the cookies place them in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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