Best Austrian Linzer Cookies

Name: Linzer Cookies
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Austrian
Ingredients: 1 cup of butter; 1 cup of powdered sugar; 2 large egg yolk; 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice; 2 1/2 cups of flour; 1 cup of almond flour; 1/2 cup of raspberry jam; 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon of salt

These classic Austrian shortbread Linzer cookies are buttery jam-filled delights! They’re heavenly soft, flavorful, and absolutely melt in the mouth!

Austrian Cuisine

June 30, 2021

Difficulty Medium

Servings 8 people

Preparation 45 mins

Cooking 30 mins

Total 75 mins

Recipe Contents

Ingredients Directions Nutrition Equipments Tips

Ingredients

1 cup of butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of almond flour
1/2 cup of raspberry jam
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment to mix the butter on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until creamy.
Add sugar and stir in egg yolks until combined. Then add salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix just until incorporated. On low speed, stir in the all-purpose and almond flour.
Divide the dough into two and form each half into 1 inch thick discs. Wrap discs tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface till it's about ¼ inch thick, and cut out about 64 cookies with any 2-inch cookie cutter of your choice. Place these cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a 1-2 inch space in-between.
Bake each sheet for 9-10 minutes until the cookies look dry on the surface, and then transfer them to a cooling rack after letting them cool for about 5 minutes on the sheets.
Fill the cooled cookies with jam by spreading jam on the bottom of one cookie and placing another on top. Sprinkle your shortbread Linzer cookies with powdered sugar and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 Linzer Cookies

Serves 8

Amount Per Serving

Calories135

% Daily Value*

Protein 1.88 g3.8%

Total Fat 7.65 g9.8%

Cholesterol 25.36 mg8.5%

Sodium 39.45 mg1.7%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Tips

If using a whole vanilla bean, cut off the straight end before placing your knife’s tip below the curled end and cutting lengthwise through the middle. Then open the bean and use the scraped-out vanilla seeds. You can also use vanilla extract instead.
Too much almond flour can dry the cookies out, so use kitchen scales to get the exact amount. If you don't have kitchen scales, use the spoon and level method to measure the dry ingredients accurately.
The wrapped dough discs can be stored for up to 2 days in the refrigerator and frozen for up to 3 months in zip-lock bags with most of the air removed. To use, thaw in the fridge overnight.
Take extra care to have the dough rolled super thin, as dough thicker than ¼ inch will yield dry and hefty Linzer cookies.
Use pre-made Linzer cookie cutter sets or employ a large round cookie or biscuit cutter with some mini cookie cutters for the same effect.
Re-roll the cutout dough centers to make more Linzer tart cookies or bake them as-is into mini-cookies.
If the powdered sugar just sits on top of your jam instead of dissolving, dab it away with a slightly wet finger.
To make these Linzer cookies gluten free, swap regular all-purpose flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour.
When making Linzer tart cookies with almond flour, you can either use store-bought almond flour or make your own by toasting some almonds till light brown and fragrant and grinding them in a food processor.
Make this Linzer cookie recipe without almond flour by substituting the almond flour with walnut, pecan, or hazelnut flour.
You can also fill your Linzer tart cookies with lemon curd, Nutella, and fruit-flavored preserves instead of jam.

Rate This Recipe

Despite being often considered holiday treats, Linzer cookies are just so much more. The cookies are so soft and buttery, anyone would be hard-pressed to resist them.

And their mouth-watering nutty flavour and melt-in-the-mouth texture just add to the charm. These shortbread Linzer cookies also freeze well and can stay fresh for as long as a week on the counter, making them the perfect indulgent treat to make a big batch of on the weekend to enjoy throughout the week.

Not to mention, they take only a little over an hour to make, and their customizability makes assembling holiday Linzer cookies a fun and delicious way to keep raucous children occupied.

Equipment for this recipe

Mixing Bowls

Stand Mixer

Baking Set

Measuring Cup

What is a Linzer Cookie?

A Linzer tart cookie is a cookie sandwich consisting of two shortbread cookies made using almond flour and some jam or fruit preserved in-between. As for the Linzer cookies origins, it evolved from the Linzertorte, a famous Austrian dessert that was likely invented in the city of Linz sometime in the 1600s.

How To Make Linzer Cookies?

To make shortbread Linzer cookies, make a shortbread dough and refrigerate it after wrapping tightly. Once cooled, roll the chilled dough out into thin sheets and cut into cookies. Then bake the cut-out cookies in the oven and assemble into delectable Linzer cookie sandwiches.

Can I Use A Different Type Of Jam?

Definitely. Although shortbread Linzer cookies with raspberry filling are the most popular choice, Linzer tart cookies can also be made with apricot jam, strawberry jam, blackberry jam, cherry jam, grape jam, or any other jam of your choice.

Are Linzer Cookies Vegan? (Vegan Variation)

While traditional Linzer cookies are not vegan, you can make vegan Linzer cookies by substituting the butter in this recipe with vegan butter and using ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, or organic peanut butter as a vegan egg yolk replacement.

How To Store Linzer Cookies?

Linzer biscuits can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months by wrapping each cookie in plastic wrap and placing it in a zip-lock bag with most of the air removed. To consume, just unwrap and thaw at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

Recipe byPetite Gourmets