Linzer Cookies

If you've never tried a Linzer cookie before, you are seriously missing out. Not only are they completely beautiful in appearance, but they are ridiculously delicious as well.

While they certainly look impressive, they are actually very simple to make. They require some dough chilling, rolling, and cutting out, so plan a few extra minutes of prep time.

🥘 Ingredients

• Butter - Let your butter warm to room temperature so that it is easy to cream together with the sugars.
• Confectioners Sugar - You'll need powdered sugar for the cookie dough as well as for dusting on top of the baked cookies.
• Egg Yolks - You'll only need the yolks for this recipe.
• Lemon Juice - Lemon juice gives these cookies a light lemon flavor. Feel free to add some lemon zest, too, if you really want to boost the flavor.
• Vanilla - I always recommend using pure vanilla extract.
• Salt - A small amount of salt for cutting the sweetness.
• Cinnamon - Some cinnamon for extra flavor.
• Flour - You should always measure your flour by fluffing it up with a fork, spooning it into your measuring cup, and then leveling off the top with a knife.
• Almond Flour - You can use any brand of almond flour for these cookies.
• Jam - I used seedless raspberry jam for my linzer cookies. You can also use strawberry, apricot, or your favorite flavor of jam.

👩🏻‍🍳 How To Make Linzer Cookies

Once you make your dough, let it chill in the fridge, roll it, cut out your cookies, and then bake them up. All you need is a stand mixer, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, and measuring utensils.

This recipe yields about 32 completed Linzer cookies (sandwiched together).

Make The Cookie Dough & Chill

Step 1: Beat. Using your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat 1 cup (227 grams) of butter on medium speed for 2 minutes or until creamy (photo 1).

Step 2: Add. Add 1 cup (120 grams) of confectioners' sugar and mix until well combined (photo 2). Then, mix in 2 large egg yolks. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon (photo 3) and mix until incorporated.

Step 3: Mix in flour. Add 2½ cups (312.5 grams) of all-purpose flour and 1 cup (237 grams) of almond flour (photo 4). Reduce the speed of your mixer to low and slowly mix until just combined (photo 5).

Step 4: Chill. Divide your dough into 2 equal portions and form each into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap them both tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour (photo 6).

Cut & Bake

Step 5: Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 6: Roll. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each disc one at a time until they are about ¼-inch thick (photo 7). Use a 2-inch cookie cutter in the shape of your choice (photo 8) to cut out your cookies and place them onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1-2 inches between them (photo 9).

Step 7: Bake. Bake in the oven, one pan at a time, for 9-10 minutes or until they have a dry appearance (photo 10).

Step 8: Cool. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before placing them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Assemble

Step 9: Assemble. Once your cookies are completely cool, spread a small amount of your ½ cup (170 grams) of raspberry jam on top of one cookie (photo 11). Dust your top cookies with more powdered sugar and then place them on top (photo 12).

Step 10: Serve. Repeat until you have used all of your cookies. Serve immediately or store them for later.

💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Notes

• Don't skip chilling the dough. Your dough should be chilled for a minimum of 1 hour, or up to 2 days at most. 
• Chill sticky dough. If your dough is too sticky to handle or roll out, you need to put it back in the fridge. After it has chilled longer, it should be much easier to work with. Make sure your work surface and hands are lightly floured as well.
• Use your favorite cookie cutters. For a decorative appearance, use a smaller cookie cutter to cut shapes out of half of your cookies. This way, you can see the jam filling when assembled.
• Keep the dough chilled. Roll one portion of dough out at a time, keeping the second one in the refrigerator until ready to bake. If your dough becomes too soft, pop it back into the fridge so it can chill some more.
• Get creative with the filling. Jam is a classic choice for filling, but you could also use lemon curd, chocolate ganache, Nutella, peanut butter (or your fave nut butter or even seed butter).

🥡 Storing

Keep your linzer cookies stored in a sealed, airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

Freezing

You can freeze the wrapped uncut dough discs in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw them in the fridge overnight.

You can also freeze your cookies before or after they have been filled with jam and assembled. Wrap each cookie separately in plastic wrap, then store them all in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for 1 hour before serving.

See my guide for freezing cookie dough to make holiday baking a snap.

📖 Recipe Card