Easy Linzer Cookies

I’m back, baby! It’s been six months since I pressed post on a new recipe and gosh, I have missed this. I’ve been writing my manuscript for my debut cookbook (out next year 😉) but I’ve handed it in and now we can get back to blogging – my favourite. And I’m kicking things off with some AMAZING Christmas cookie recipes.

These beautiful Linzer Cookies are a showstopping sandwich cookie for the holiday season. It’s surprisingly how just a few staple pantry ingredients can create something so delicious. Just like a simple Scone or a basic Butter Cake, it really is the magic of baking.

A touch of almond meal gives these cookies a crumbly texture and a nutty flavour, which I love to emphasise using some sweet almond extract and a sprinkling of cinnamon. The biscuits are then dusted with icing sugar and sandwiched together with sticky raspberry jam. Bliss!

Why you will love this recipe

• Buttery and chewy: Using just a few ingredients, this Linzer Cookie recipe produces a beautiful shortbread cookie that’s soft, chewy and melts-in-your-mouth. A touch of cinnamon and almond gives these cookies a festive holiday flavour. 
• Quick to make: This recipe uses cold butter which means you can make and roll these cut-out cookies with minimal chill time.
• Keep well: These biscuits seem to develop a deeper flavour over time and taste even better on day two and three as the jam soaks into the cookie just a little.
• Perfect for Christmas: With their beautiful jam-filled window, these easy Linzer Cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday table or cookie exchanges.

I’ve wanted to develop my own recipe for raspberry Linzer Cookies for the longest time. I’ve always been taken by their stunning looks, and I’m a huge shortbread fan in any shape or size.

A few years ago I created my easy recipe for cut-out Sugar Cookies. After testing multiple iterations, I got completely overwhelmed trying to work out how long to chill them for to get them to hold their shape. Too much depended on the exact temperature of the butter – it was a nightmare. Then I remembered the cold butter trick from my Copycat Levain Bakery Cookies.

Using cold butter means you can make the cookie dough, roll it and cut it straight away. No chill time needed! So I knew it would work wonderfully well in these Linzer Cookies too. Of course, if your dough gets sticky at any point, you can always pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes and try again.

For my first attempt, I included almond meal but felt the biscuits were a little too thick and lacking in flavour. So I tried again, but I removed the baking powder for a more crumbly biscuit, while also adding in cornflour and using icing sugar (powdered sugar) to help produce a softer shortbread. I also bumped up the cinnamon and added some almond extract.

I loved the flavour but felt the cookie was a bit flat and dense. So I tried again, this time adding a little baking powder back in, and doubling the almond extract, cinnamon and salt. I also went back to caster sugar for a less crumbly texture and I absolutely loved it. This Linzer Cookie was the best of all. They were buttery, chewy, soft and a little crisp too.

I also tried pushing the jam through a fine mesh sieve to create a more jammy, sticky raspberry jam filling. It works but it’s a faff. Using regular jam or preserves straight from the jar works just fine in my opinion. You do you though!

I just love to make a cut-out cookie like these for Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make these homemade Linzer Cookies. Here’s a quick snapshot of the key ingredients you’ll need, along with any substitutions. You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below.

• Caster sugar: While some Linzer Cookie recipes call for icing sugar or powdered sugar, I found caster sugar produced a more robust cookie – less dry and crumbly. You can use granulated sugar if you don’t have access to caster sugar.
• Almond extract: This cookie went to the next level with a dash of almond extract. However, if you don’t have it, you can leave it out or add a little bit more vanilla extract.
• Almond meal: I tested this recipe using almond meal. It is not the same as almond flour – almond meal is made from ground almonds with their skin on, while almond flour uses blanched or skinless almonds. However, you can substitute almond flour if that’s what you have at home. You can also try this recipe using hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts).
• Raspberry jam: I’ve chosen to fill these using raspberry jam, however you can really choose any jam or preserve you like. Strawberry jam, apricot jam or even lemon curd work wonderfully well. 

Storage and make-ahead instructions

Storage: Linzer Cookies keep quite well for 3-4 days. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. These sandwich cookies soften over time but they become chewier with a more intense almond flavour.

Make-ahead: You can easily make the biscuit dough ahead of time. Simply wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Bring it back to room temperature before rolling and continuing from step 7 in the recipe card below. You can also roll out the dough and cut out the cookies. Place them on prepared baking trays and pop them in the fridge for up to 24 hours until you are ready to bake.

Freezer instructions: You can also freeze the cookie dough prior to rolling and cutting. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a sealed ziplock bag or airtight container in the freezer. To use it, simply defrost on room temperature until it’s soft enough to roll.

You can also freeze the baked cookies – but best to do it before you have filled them with jam. Then just defrost, dust with icing sugar and fill with jam when you are ready to serve.

What cookie cutter should I use?

To create these lovely Linzer Cookies, I use a 6.5cm (approximately 2.5 inch) fluted cookie cutter. You can use any round cookie cutter that’s about that size.

For the middle holes, I use a small 2cm or 0.75 inch cookie cutter in a variety of shapes like circles, hearts, stars and flowers.

More Christmas cookies to love

• Gingerbread NYC Cookies
• Santa’s Whiskers Cookies
• M&M Christmas Cookies
• Cut-Out Sugar Cookies