Linzer Cookies
These buttery almond shortbread cookies are traditionally filled with raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar though they can be filled with your favorite jam of choice.
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I particularly like filling them with my homemade raspberry habanero jam from my book Share + Savor (page 15)! Linzer cookies are a Christmas classic and with a pretty cutout to show off the jam center they’re also a stunning treat. The cookies are rolled extremely thin (thinner than your typical sugar cookie) so that they aren’t too thick when stacked. Linzer cookies are based on a paired down version of Austrian linzer tortes.
Linzer Cookies
Table of contents
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Almond extract – Extract is made from a combination of water, alcohol and bitter almond oil. It adds a strong almond flavor to these cookies.
- Butter – The base of this recipe is a shortbread recipe, meaning it is made with creamed butter and sugar with flour added and no egg. I opt for unsalted butter when baking so the salt can be better controlled. This creates a deliciously crumbly, buttery cookie.
- Raspberry jam – Raspberry jam is a classic pairing with these linzer shortbread cookies.
How to Make Linzer Cookies
- Cream the butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the almond extract and mix once again.
- Mix dough. Slowly add the flour and salt to the mixer, beating on low speed until it has all been incorporated.
- Chill dough. Turn dough out of the bowl and divide it in half. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Roll out dough. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Working one half at a time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle the dough with flour roll it out ⅛-inch thick.
- Cut dough. Using a 2½-inch cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a baking sheet. Scrape together any remaining dough and re-roll out, chilling again for another 15 minutes if it gets too soft.
- Repeat with remaining dough. Repeat with the remaining half of the dough, rolling out and cutting out rounds. Use your smallest cookie cutter in a desired shape to cut out a peekaboo cutout in the center of each cookie.
- Bake cookies. Bake the cookies until the edges just begin to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly then move to a cooling rack.
- Assemble and serve. Place the cookies with the cutout holes on a cookie sheet and sift the confectioners sugar over the top. Spread the remaining cookies flat side up and spread ½ teaspoon of jam over the cookie. Top with the sugar-dusted cookies.
Tips and Tricks for This Recipe
How to Make the Best Linzer Cookies
- Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before creaming the butter.
- When creaming the butter make sure you let it mix long enough. The sugar should be almost dissolved and the mixture should be light and fluffy.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling it out.
Other Linzer Filling Recipe Ideas
- Raspberry habanero jam (Share + Savor, page 15)
- Lemon curd
- Mixed berry jam
- Chocolate Hazelnut (Nutella)
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this linzer cookie recipe, give these a try:
Linzer Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup raspberry jam or other jam of choice
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
Instructions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the almond extract and mix once again.
- Slowly add the flour and salt to the mixer, beating on low speed until it has all been incorporated.
- Turn dough out of the bowl and divide it in half. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Working one half at a time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly sprinkle the dough with flour roll it out ⅛-inch thick.
- Using a 2½-inch cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a baking sheet. Scrape together any remaining dough and re-roll out, chilling again for another 15 minutes if it gets too soft.
- Repeat with the remaining half of the dough, rolling out and cutting out rounds. Use your smallest cookie cutter in a desired shape to cut out a peekaboo cutout in the center of each cookie.
- Bake the cookies until the edges just begin to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly then move to a cooling rack.
- Place the cookies with the cutout holes on a cookie sheet and sift the confectioners sugar over the top. Spread the remaining cookies flat side up and spread ½ teaspoon of jam over the cookie. Top with the sugar-dusted cookies.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?
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Hi there! I found this recipe on Pinterest and though the cookies looked simple to make and beautiful in your images, the dough was missing something. It was so dry and nearly impossible to hold together. I managed to get a few cookies out of the recipe but threw 3/4 of it out, unfortunately.
Hi, I’m so sorry to hear you were disappointed in this recipe. I have gone back and retested the recipe twice and have adjusted the flour amount from 3.5 cups to 3 cups to keep the dough from being quite so crumbly. I have also adjusted the chilling time down to 30 minutes so it chills just enough without getting too hard to work and roll out. Thank you for your feedback, input like this helps to create the best recipes possible. I hope you will give them another shot.
Couldn’t even make these. Dough was so dry it wouldn’t even come together. Read the recipe over twice because I assumed I did something wrong. Not the case.
Simone, I’m so sorry to hear you were disappointed in this recipe. I have gone back and retested the recipe twice and have adjusted the flour amount from 3.5 cups to 3 cups to keep the dough from being quite so crumbly. I have also adjusted the chilling time down to 30 minutes so it chills just enough without getting too hard to work and roll out. Thank you for your feedback, input like this helps to create the best recipes possible. I hope you will give them another shot.
Hello! I can’t see the instructions because there are so many ads present and can’t close out of them.
I’m sorry to hear that Candice! Unfortunately ads are the way I make a living to be able to provide free recipes. If you go to the print button you can view/ print the recipe without any ads. Hope you enjoy
This recipe was great! I had my doubts because there wasn’t an egg, and I thought the dough initially was too dry and hard to work with after refrigeration. I ended up leaving it out to soften for a while longer than the recipe called for, and they turned out perfectly – best linzer cookie recipe I have tried! Thanks, Kylie!