These gorgeous Linzer Cookies are a classic holiday recipe that deserves a spot at the dessert table! Not only are these cookies simple to make, but you can customize them with different shapes and fillings!
Linzer Cookie Recipe
Your holiday cookie tins are calling and demanding these Linzer Cookies be included this year! These are one of my favorite cookies and remind me of my trips to the European Christmas Markets where scrumptious treats like these were all around!
These Raspberry Linzer Cookies are jam-packed (get it?) with raspberry filling sandwiched beautifully between buttery almond shortbread-like cookies and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Here’s why you should make this recipe:
- Easy to make with pantry staple ingredients.
- Uses whole almonds and a food processor instead of buying a big bag of almond flour you may never use again 😜
- Option for homemade or store bought filling.
- A 2-hour chill ensures proper melding for best flavor and zero-spreading!
- A classic holiday cookie that deserves a spot at the dessert table!
What Are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer cookies originated in Austria but made their way into German bakeries in Philadelphia, making them an east coast holiday tradition! There are tons of ways to make the recipe unique, but the identifying factors of this popular cookie are:
- A spiced nut-based dough.
- Two layers of cookies.
- The top cookie has a small cutout.
- Raspberry jam is sandwiched between the cookies.
Also known as Linzer Tortes, these cookies can be made square in shape as well.
Linzer Tart Cookies Ingredients
These cookies may look fancy, but they’re actually quite easy to make, and they start with a list of simple ingredients! To make this Linzer Cookie Recipe, you’ll need the following:
- raw whole almonds
- all-purpose flour
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- softened salted butter
- granulated sugar
- an egg
- vanilla extract
After the cookies have been cut out and baked, you’ll need your favorite jar of sweet and delicious raspberry jam! Spread the jam on the bottom cookie, top with the second, and then sprinkle on the powdered sugar!
That’s it! Fancy-looking cookies that taste like they’re from a bakery but are made right at home with easy ingredients and just 20 minutes of prep time!
Raspberry Linzer Cookies Recipe Variations
This dough is somewhat customizable, as well as the filling. Feel free to try and of the ideas below to add more flavor or mix things up a bit.
- Nuts: If almonds aren’t your favorite, you could also use walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts in their place.
- Spices: Furthermore, additional spices, such as a pinch of nutmeg or cloves, can also be added to the dough.
- Zest: A couple of teaspoons of lemon zest or orange zest can also be added to the dough if desired.
- Filling: The raspberry filling is pretty traditional in the American version of this recipe, but you could use other flavored preserves or even Nutella or lemon curd!
- If you want to make the filling from scratch, I highly recommend using my Raspberry Filling Recipe. You can leave the seeds in or strain them to remove them.
- If using almond flour, use 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons instead of 1/2 cup of whole almonds. You can skip the food processing step if going this route.
How To Make Raspberry Linzer Cookies
- Spread the raw nuts onto a baking sheet and toast them on the middle rack in your oven until lightly browned. Allow them to completely cool before pulsing them in a food processor until finely ground.
2. Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt to the food processor and pulse again.
3. Beat the butter until creamy in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Then add in the sugar to beat again until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
5. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Beat until just mixed, being careful not to over-mix.
6. Form the dough into two separate discs and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place them in the refrigerator to allow them to chill.
7. Preheat the oven. Remove one disc of dough from the fridge and allow it to sit on a well-floured surface for a few minutes before rolling out.
8. Roll the dough out and use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
9. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut a shape out from the middle of half of the cookies. (Like a little window!)
10. Bake the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until the edges of the cookies turn to a light golden brown.
11. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
12. Spread the jam onto the cookies that do not have a window. Sprinkle powdered sugar onto the cookies with the window.
Make sure to dust the top cookies with powdered sugar before placing them on the jam cookies otherwise the jam center will not show as well.
13. Pair together your raspberry and powdered halves to make your cookie sandwiches.
Linzer Cookie Storage
Store these Linzer Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy them within 2 to 3 days!
Raspberry Linzer Tart Cookies Recipe FAQs
Make sure to allow the dough to sit out of the fridge for 1 to 2 minutes. Then, if it cracks you can just patch the crack with scraps of dough.
If the jam you’re using is really runny you can place 3/4 cup of raspberry jam into a small saucepan. Simmer the jam until it has thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Then remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool completely before using it on the cookies.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator again. Afterward, if you still find that it’s too sticky to work with you can add more flour to the work surface and rolling pin.
I also find that sprinkling the top of the dough with flour as well is really helpful.
You don’t have to but it does add an extra depth of flavor that I think you’d really enjoy.
This depends on the style of cookie cutters you use. Many people use a large cookie cutter to cut the cookie out, then a small cut to cut out the center.
They do make some Linzer Cookie Cutters that have the two cutters attached together for a more streamlined process.
Just remember that you want half of the cookies to be whole and the other half to have the window.
Imperial Cookies (aka Empire Biscuits) are similar to Linzer Cookies in that they have a raspberry jam filling, but the two cookies are whole and then topped with an icing and a piece of maraschino cherry.
Other Cookies Like This Linzer Cookies Recipe:
These Linzer Cookies are just the thing I need when I’m looking to break up the batches of Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies that come out of my kitchen! Here are more delicious cookie recipes to try out!
- Chocolate Mint Cookies With Andes Mints – Refrigerated cookie dough wraps around Andes Mints to create a chocolaty minty melted center!
- Soft Sugar Cookies – Cakey, moist cookies that taste like a cross between vanilla cupcakes and sugar cookies, only 20 minutes of prep time needed!
- Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies – Cookies made with just 5 ingredients that have a hint of Earl Grey and are covered in a lemon glaze!
- Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies – Thick molasses, spices, and sugar combine for a classic, old fashioned treat that’s dairy-free!
- Chocolate Hershey Kiss Cookies – Chewy homemade chocolate cookies get rolled in nonpareil sprinkles and topped with a Hershey Kiss!
For more desserts that have a wonderful raspberry flavor check out my Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes that have a hidden raspberry filling or this No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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Linzer Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Food processor
- Cookie cutters
- Wire cooling rack
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw whole almonds
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup raspberry filling or jam
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spread the raw nuts (blanched or unblanched) on a baking sheet. Toast them on the middle rack for 10 minutes.
- Allow the nuts to cool completely, them pulse them in a food processor until finely ground.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, and salt and pulse to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy. Then cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract and scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- Add the nut and flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat at low speed just until mixed. Do not overmix.
- Form the dough into two discs and wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove one disc at a time from the refrigerator and unwrap on a well-floured surface. Allow it to sit for a few minutes before rolling it out with a floured rolling pin. Roll it out to about ¼-inch thick. You will need to be generous with the flour.
- Use a 2½-inch round cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies from this dough as you are able to. Use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out a shape from the middle of half of the cookies, like a little window. Combine the scraps into a disc then roll the dough out again to make more cookies.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. They should be just starting to turn golden on the edges.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cooled, spread a heaping ½ teaspoon of jam onto the bottom side cookies.
- Dust the top cookies (the ones with the cutouts) with powdered sugar. Make sure to dust the top cookies with powdered sugar before placing them on the jam cookies otherwise the jam center will not show as well. Place the cookie with the cutout on top of the jam cookie.
Notes
- How To Store: Store these Linzer Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy them within 2 to 3 days!
- The Dough Cracks When I Roll It Out, What Should I Do? Make sure to allow the dough to sit out of the fridge for 1 to 2 minutes. Then, if it cracks you can just patch the crack with scraps of dough.
- How Can I Thicken Up My Jam? If the jam you’re using is really runny you can place 3/4 cup of raspberry jam into a small saucepan. Simmer the jam until it has thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup. Then remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool completely before using it on the cookies.
- What Should I Do If The Dough Is Sticky While I’m Rolling It Out? Chill the dough in the refrigerator again. Afterward, if you still find that it’s too sticky to work with you can add more flour to the work surface and rolling pin. I also find that sprinkling the top of the dough with flour as well is really helpful.
- Do I Have To Toast The Almonds? You don’t have to but it does add an extra depth of flavor that I think you’d really enjoy.
- Recipe Variations:
- This dough is somewhat customizable. If almonds aren’t your favorite, you could also use walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts in their place.
- Additional spices, such as a pinch of nutmeg or cloves, can also be added to the dough.
- A couple of teaspoons of lemon zest or orange zest can be added to the dough if desired.
- The raspberry filling is pretty traditional in the American version of this recipe, but you could use other flavored preserves or even Nutella or lemon curd!
- If using almond flour, use 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons instead of 1/2 cup of whole almonds.
Nutrition
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