Delicious, buttery, jam-filled Linzer cookies are not just for the holidays! These shortbread cookies have a subtle hint of almond flavor and are filled with your favorite flavored jam.
Why this recipe works
Linzer cookies are mostly popular around the holidays, but they really are great year-round!
What’s fun about these cookies is that you can cut any shape out of the center, making them fun to make for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or whenever you’re looking for a slightly crunchy yet buttery melt-in-your-mouth cookie to indulge in.
Have lots of jam to use up? Make a batch of our classic Thumbprint Cookies!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
FLOUR– We’re using all-purpose flour and almond flour in this recipe. The almond flour gives the subtle hint of almond in the shortbread cookie and is part of what makes the Linzer cookie similar to the classic Linzer Torte. If you’d prefer, you can ground up walnuts or even hazelnuts for a different flavor profile.
FILLING– In this recipe we decided to go with orange marmalade and seedless fruit jum for the filling. You can use lemon, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, apricot, strawberry, or whatever your favorite flavor of jam is to make these Linzer cookies!
EGG– You may have seen that some people omit egg in their Linzer cookie recipe, however, today we’re using a single egg to help the dough bind together and prevent it from being crumbly.
BUTTER– Unsalted butter is commonly used in baked goods, if you swap unsalted butter for salted butter, there’s no need to add a pinch of salt when making the dough.
FLAVOR– The flavor of these cookies comes from a variety of things. The vanilla extract is used to enhance the flavors here even more. You can certainly use almond extract if you’d like more of a nutty flavor. We also pull some flavor from the cinnamon and of course from the sweet or tart jam filling. Lastly, feel free to add lemon or orange zest to the dough if that’s what you like!
How to Make Linzer Cookies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C)
- In a large bowl mix butter and sugar together until creamy and light.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to properly mix.
- In another bowl whisk almond flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and cinnamon together. Add this in parts to the butter mixture and beat to incorporate it well together.
- Make a disc out of the dough and wrap it in cling film wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Roll the dough on a highly floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut out preferred shapes using a cookie cutter. Place them on prepared baking sheets. Now use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the center of half of the cookies.
EXPERT TIP– You can use these classic Linzer cookie cutters or these regular multi-sized cookie cutters.
- Refrigerate the cut cookies for at least 10 minutes and bake them for 12-14 mins or till you see slight browning at the edges.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool down completely.
- Spread a teaspoon of jam on the bottom half of the full cookie and sandwich together with the cut-out top. Fill the center with jam using a spoon or piping bag. If you want you can also dust your cookies with some powdered sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store Linzer cookies by sealing them in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. The moisture in the jam will soften the cookies when stored. So, if you want them to be crisp, they’re best eaten right away.
Yes, you can freeze Linzer cookies. We recommend preparing the dough and placing it in a freezer-safe container or sealed zip lock bag. The dough can be kept in the freezer for up to 8 weeks. When you’re ready to bake them, remove from freezer and allow to thaw, cut your shapes and fill with jam, then bake according to directions.
You can use up the dough scraps by rolling them out together and making a few extra cookies, or you could make adorable little cookie bites by baking the shaped scraps.
Delicious buttery shortbread cookies cut into shapes and filled with marmalade or jam. These Linzer cookies are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges!
More Cookie Recipes
- Spritz Cookies
- Grandma’s Sugar Cookies
- Orange Crinkle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Italian Anisette Cookies
- Cornflake Christmas Wreaths
- Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
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Linzer Cookies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 cup butter unsalted, at room temp
- 1 egg
- â…” cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- â…” cup almond flour
- 2 cup all purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- ½ cup fruit jam
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- You can store Linzer cookies by sealing them in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- The moisture in the jam will soften the cookies when stored. So, if you want them to be crisp, assemble them just before serving.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a large bowl mix butter and sugar together till it turns creamy and light.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, and mix to combine. Keep scraping the side of the bowl in order to mix properly.
- In another bowl whisk almond flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and cinnamon together. Add this in parts to the butter mixture and beat to incorporate it well together.
- Make a disc out of the dough and wrap it in cling film wrap and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Roll the dough on a highly floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut out preferred shapes using a cookie cutter. Place them on prepared baking sheets. Now use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the center of half of the cookies.
- Refrigerate the cut cookies for at least 10 minutes and bake them for 12-14 mins or till you see slight browning at the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- Spread a tsp of jam on the bottom half of the full cookie and sandwich together with the cut-out top. Fill the center with jam using a spoon or piping bag. If you want you can also dust your cookies with some powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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