Description
Linzer Cookies are classic delicate sandwich cookies filled with sweet raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. These buttery almond-flavored treats feature a cutout design on the top cookie, revealing the vibrant jam inside. Perfect for holiday cookie trays, they are easy to make with a soft dough chilled and rolled before baking to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup almond flour (see note to make these nut free)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling and Garnish
- ⅓ cup raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Make the dough: Combine softened butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until it becomes light and fluffy, which should take about 30-60 seconds. Stir in the vanilla extract thoroughly.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, almond flour, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture into the butter mixture, stirring until just combined without over-mixing to ensure a cohesive dough.
- Chill the dough: Shape the dough into two discs, wrap each tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up, which helps in rolling and cutting.
- Preheat oven: Set the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) while the dough chills.
- Roll and cut cookies: Working with one disc at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. Use a 2 ½ inch round scalloped cookie cutter to cut out circles. For half the cookies, use a smaller cutter (such as a heart or star shape) to cut a design in the center creating a ‘window’. Transfer cookies to parchment-lined baking sheets spaced about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies: Place cookies with cutouts on a separate baking tray from the solid cookies to ensure even baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes or until the edges just start to turn light golden brown. Cool completely on wire racks.
- Assemble cookies: Dust the top cookies with the cutout windows lightly with powdered sugar. Spoon about a heaping teaspoon of raspberry jam onto the flat backside of the solid cookies. Sandwich with the powdered sugar-topped cookies, pressing gently to spread the jam to the edges without squeezing it out.
Notes
- Linzer cookies are traditionally made with nuts but you can make these nut-free by substituting almond flour with additional all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend.
- Chilling the dough before rolling is essential for easier handling and to maintain the cookie shape while baking.
- Using different shaped cutters for the windows can add a festive touch to your cookies.
- Store assembled cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh for up to a week.
- This recipe includes a step-by-step video to guide you through the process.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 159 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
