Linzer Cookies
Buttery almond shortbread sandwich cookies filled with tart raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. An elegant Austrian classic that's easier to make than it looks.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 24
- Calories
- 168
- Protein
- 3g
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup ground almonds (almond flour)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup seedless raspberry jam
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- 1
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat to 350°F.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk together 1.5 cups all-purpose flour, 0.75 cup ground almonds, 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 0.25 teaspoon fine sea salt. Set aside.
- 3
In a large bowl, beat 0.5 cup room-temperature unsalted butter and 0.75 cup granulated sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and noticeably lightened in color. Scrape down the bowl halfway through.
- 4
Add 1 large egg yolk and 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute until fully combined and smooth.
- 5
Reduce the mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour-almond mixture in two additions, mixing until just combined — do not overmix. The dough should come together and look slightly crumbly but hold together when pressed. Stop the mixer and finish combining with a wooden spoon or your hands if needed.
- 6
Gather the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes while you prepare to roll and cut.
- 7
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 3-5 minutes until slightly softened but still cool. Unwrap and place on a sheet of parchment paper.
- 8
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to a thickness of about 1/8 inch — use a rolling pin with confident, even strokes. The dough should be thin and uniform so the cookies bake evenly.
- 9
Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible from the dough. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- 10
From the remaining dough scraps, cut out an equal number of rounds using a smaller cutter (about 0.75-inch diameter) or a piping tip pressed into the dough — these will be the tops with the jam peek-through. You'll have about 24 whole cookies and 24 holed tops. Re-roll scraps as needed.
- 11
Bake both the bottom cookies and the holed tops on both racks for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are pale golden and the centers feel just set when you lightly touch them. Rotate the pans halfway through baking for even browning. Do not overbake — the cookies should remain tender and pale.
- 12
Remove both baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes — they will firm up slightly but still be warm. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 10 minutes.
- 13
Once the cookies are completely cooled, match them into pairs of similar-sized bottoms. Spread about 0.5 teaspoon of the 0.75 cup seedless raspberry jam onto the flat side of each bottom cookie.
- 14
Press a holed-top cookie gently onto each jam-covered bottom, being careful not to crack the dough. The jam will show through the cutout, creating the signature Linzer sandwich.
- 15
Dust the assembled cookies generously with 0.25 cup powdered sugar using a fine-mesh strainer, covering both the top and sides. A second, lighter dusting gives them the classic refined appearance.
- 16
Let the assembled cookies sit for 5-10 minutes so the jam sets slightly and the powdered sugar adheres. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container between parchment layers for up to 3 days.
Tools you’ll need
- two baking sheets
- parchment paper
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
- large mixing bowl
- electric mixer
- rubber spatula
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin
- 2-inch round cookie cutter
- 0.75-inch round cookie cutter or piping tip
- wire cooling rack
- small spoon
- fine-mesh strainer
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