Linzer Cookies

Linzer Cookies are soft, buttery cookies that are traditionally filled with various fruit jams. They are an easy but impressive cookie to make at home!

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C is for cookie…that’s good enough for me! I might have been singing the Cookie Monster song as I danced around the kitchen eating these Linzer Cookies. What can I say? My inner child is still strong!

But this post isn’t about Cookie Monster. It’s about Linzer Cookies. These delicious little cookies are perfect for holiday entertaining or as an addition to a holiday cookie tray. And you can customize them a bit by mixing up the cut-out as well as the fillings. Let’s jump into it!

What are Linzer Cookies?

Before looking at how to make these sandwich cookies, let’s talk about what Linzer Cookies actually are. These treats are a cookie version of the classic Linzer torte – a traditional Austrian pastry that is filled with fruit preserves and decorated with a lattice top. A Linzer Cookie is simply a smaller, handheld version of the pie.

In keeping with the torte tradition, the dough is similar to the kind used to make shortbread cookies. The cookies are tender and buttery, and they have a slight nutty flavor thanks to the almond flour. (Linzer cookies are traditionally made with a combination of all-purpose and almond flours.) The cookies themselves aren’t overly sweet – but they are delicious!

The sweetness comes from the fillings that get sandwiched between the two cookies. In Austrian tradition, the filling was typically black currant preserves, although all types of jellies and preserves are now used in Linzer Cookies. Oh, and a generous amount of powdered sugar gets dusted on top of the cookies before serving. All together, these cookies are fantastic!

One of the most iconic features of a Linzer Cookie is the cut-out in the center. The hole in the middle of the top cookie creates a “stained glass window effect” that is a signature mark of these cookies. Linzers are a fairly simple but still quite impressive treat to make.

We typically make these cookies during the holiday season in our house – after all, the holiday season is just better with lots of cookies around! Linzer Cookies could also be fun treats for Valentine’s Day – especially if you use strawberry jam or raspberry jam in the center and cut mini hearts out of the top cookie.

Recipe Ingredients

• All purpose Flour. Make sure to measure the flour by fluffing the flour in the bag and then spooning it into a measuring cup. Level the top of the measuring cup with a table knife.
• Almond Flour. Adds a slight nutty flavor to the cookies. Measure the almond flour in the same way you measure the all purpose flour.
• Salt. Adds flavor and tenderizes the dough.
• Unsalted Butter. If using salted butter, omit the additional salt. Unsalted butter is recommended for baking as you can control the amount of salt you add. Make sure the butter is at room temperature or it will not cream well!
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness to the dough.
• Lemon Zest. Adds a brightness to the dough.
• Eggs. The egg adds structure and moisture to the dough. Make sure to use one whole large egg and one additional large egg yolk.
• Vanilla Extract. Adds flavor.
• Confectioner’s Sugar. Dusting the tops of the cookies adds sweetness.
• Jellies, preserves and/or curds. Used to fill the insides of the cookies. Use which flavor(s) you like!

Various Fillings

When it comes to fillings for these cookies, the traditional filling used in Austria was black currant preserves. However, a variety of fillings are now used:

• Jams. Use whichever flavor you prefer. Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, apricot and peach are all excellent options.
• Lemon Curd. Brings a unique, but delicious twist to these classic cookies.
• Nutella. While it might not be traditional, Nutella spread inside of a Linzer Cookie is absolutely delicious. I’ve eaten more than a few of these in my life.
• Cookie Butter. Biscoff cookie spread is a fun twist.
• Peanut Butter. Spread peanut butter inside of the Linzers – they’ll remind you of Nutter Butters!
• Dulce de Leche. Here’s a curveball…a delicious caramel curveball. Give it a try!

How to Cut Out Linzer Cookies

Cutting the shapes for these cookies is quite easy. A biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter is a great option for the cookie itself. When it comes to cutting out the inside shape, you can use a smaller round cookie cutter or a variety of other shapes. This Wilton set comes with 6 different classic shapes. If you want to go really crazy, this set comes with 11 different shapes including teddy bear, Christmas tree and snowman.

Can The Dough Be Made in Advance?

Yes! This dough actually needs to be refrigerated for an hour after it’s made. (Refrigerating it helps the dough stiffen up enough to roll.) You can actually make the dough up to 2 days in advance. Just keep it wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge until it’s time to make the cookies!

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover Linzer Cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. (If they are filled with lemon curd, the cookies should be refrigerated.) While unfilled Linzer Cookies can be frozen (baked or unbaked), they don’t freeze too well once they are filled.

If you’re looking for an easy yet impressive Christmas cookie recipe, then put Linzer Cookies on the baking list. The homemade version is way better than store-bought, and these cookies add a fun look to a holiday cookie platter. Happy Baking!

Did you make a batch of these Linzer Cookies at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!

Linzer Cookies

Linzer Cookies are soft, buttery cookies that are traditionally filled with various fruit jams. They are an easy but impressive cookie to make at home!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 7 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 cookies

Calories: 191kcal

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting
• strawberry raspberry, apricot jam or lemon curd, for filling

Instructions

• Using a large bowl, add all-purpose flour, almond flour and salt; stir until well combined. Set bowl aside.
• Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy (~3 minutes on medium speed).
• Add egg, additional egg yolk and vanilla extract; mix on low speed until well combined.
• Add flour mixture (from above); mix on low speed until well combined.
• Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a round disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set pans aside.
• Remove one piece of cookie dough from refrigerator and let soften for ~5 minutes, or until it’s able to be rolled.
• Working on a lightly floured surface, roll dough out until it’s ¼”thick. Using a 2½” round cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible. Re-roll any remaining scraps and repeat until all dough has been used. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet and then place pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Note: This dough contains a lot of butter. If at any point, the dough becomes too sticky to roll, place it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes.)
• Repeat process with the other piece of dough. This time, after cutting the cookies, use a small 1” round cookie cutter to make a peekaboo cutout in the center of each cookie. (Tip: If you don’t have a tiny round cutter, the end of a larger round piping tip works well.) Place cookies on other baking sheet and then place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Note: These cookies will not expand much in the oven, so they can be placed close together.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake both pans of cookies for 11-14 minutes, or until edges of cookies just begin to turn golden brown. Let cookies cool on pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• Place the cookies with the peekaboo holes in them on a piece of parchment paper. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift confectioner’s sugar on top of cookies.
• Turn the whole cookies over and spoon ~1 teaspoon of jam or lemon curd into center of each cookie. Top with sugar-dusted cookies.
• Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature (if jam filled) or in refrigerator (curd filled) for up to 5 days.

Looking for more fun holiday cookie recipes? Check out these other favorites, too: