Linzer Cookies

Linzer cookies are sandwich-style shortbread cookies flavored with almond, filled with jam, and dusted with confectioner's sugar.  The dough is simple to work with and the cutout shapes and jam flavor can be customized to suit any occasion or taste. These are perfect for holidays but so good you may just make them all year round!

Linzer cookies, also known as Linzer tarts, or raspberry tartlettes, are a cookie I've been making for many years now.

I usually make them each year for Christmas along with chocolate-dipped almond biscotti, snowball cookies, and a whole host of others.  

The almond-flavored dough is super easy to work with and each time I make them I wonder why I don't do so more often!

I usually use raspberry jam to fill the sandwiches but you can use any flavor you'd like! 

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine 3 cups (360g) of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder, mix until incorporated, and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream 1 cup (226g) of room temperature butter and 1 cup (200g) of granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add 2 large room-temperature eggs, 1 teaspoon of almond extract, and beat on medium-high speed until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue beating until a dough is formed.

4. Remove the dough and split it in half, patting each half down to form two discs.  Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a floured work surface, roll out one disc at a time to ⅛" thick.  Using a round or other shaped cookie cutter, begin to cut out the cookies.  For each Linzer cookie, you'll need to cut 2 sides of the same shape.  Make a hole in one side.  The side with the whole will be sandwiched on top of the other side to create a whole Linzer cookie.

6. Place the cutouts on the baking sheets and bake for 7-9 minutes.  Once done, move to a cooling rack to allow to cool completely.  Repeat the process for the remaining dough, rerolling the scraps until there is no dough left.
7. Once the cookie sides have cooled, spread the jam on top of the uncut sides, and place the side with the cut-outs on top to create cookie sandwiches. 

8. Dust the sandwich Linzer cookies with confectioner's sugar and serve, or store in an airtight container until you're ready to serve.  Enjoy!

Top tips for Linzer cookies

• Room temperature ingredients. Since Linzer cookies require creaming the butter and sugar, it's best to make sure the butter is at room temperature.  Having your eggs at room temperature as well will help the ingredients combine to form a uniform texture throughout the dough.
• Cutout shapes. Some shapes will bake more quickly than others.  For example, I found that the snowflake-shaped cookies tend to brown a little faster than the circle or heart-shaped cookies. 
• Almond extract. If you are allergic to nuts or prefer to not use almond extract, you can definitely substitute it with vanilla extract.  
• The jam.  Classic Linzer cookies are usually filled with raspberry jam, however, I've used many others and usually use 3 different types of jam so there's a variety of different flavors for people to choose from.  Some of my favorites are apricot, blueberry, and apple jam.
• Texture.  When you first remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool, they will likely be on the crispier side.  Once the cookies are sandwiched together with the jam and dusted with the powdered sugar they will soften up.  

More of our favorite cookies

Here are a few more of our favorite cookie recipes.  We hope you love them as much as we do!

• Pignoli cookies - 4 ingredient, soft and chewy cookie that's loaded with pignoli nuts.
• Reginelle cookies - crunchy biscuit-like cookies loaded with sesame seeds and flavored with a hint of lemon zest.
• Lemon ricotta cookies - airy lemon-flavored cookies topped with a creamy glaze and nonpareils.

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