Description
Classic Linzer Cookies featuring a buttery tender almond-flavored dough with a sweet raspberry jam filling and delicate powdered sugar dusting. These beautifully scalloped sandwich cookies are perfect for holiday gatherings and special occasions, offering a delightful balance of soft cookie texture and fruity sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup almond flour (see note for nut-free option)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling and Decoration
- ⅓ cup raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Butter Mixture: Combine softened butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until light and fluffy, which should take about 30 to 60 seconds. Then stir in the vanilla extract thoroughly.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, almond flour, cornstarch, and salt to ensure uniform distribution.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the butter mixture, stirring until the dough is completely combined. Avoid over-mixing to keep the dough tender.
- Chill the Dough: Divide the dough into two discs and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to make rolling easier and enhance the texture.
- Preheat the Oven: While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Working with one disc at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about ⅛ inch thickness. Cut into 2 ½ inch circles using scalloped edge cookie cutters. Place the cookies on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
- Create Cutouts: On half of the cookies, use a small heart or star shaped cookie cutter (or the larger circular end of a piping tip) to cut decorative windows in the center. Place these cutout cookies on a separate baking tray to ensure even baking.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake both trays in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the edges just start turning a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool completely on wire racks.
- Assemble the Cookies: Once cooled, dust the tops of the cookies with cutouts generously with powdered sugar. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of raspberry jam onto the bottom of the plain cookies and sandwich each with one of the powdered sugar-dusted top cookies.
Notes
- Linzer cookies are known for their delicate beauty and are a classic addition to holiday cookie trays.
- Although traditional recipes contain nuts, the almond flour can be substituted to make these cookies nut-free.
- This recipe includes an optional cinnamon addition which adds subtle warmth but can be omitted.
- A step-by-step video is available for visual guidance.
- Use separate baking trays for cutout cookies and plain cookies for even baking.
- Re-roll cutout scraps to minimize waste and make additional cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 159 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
