Linzer Cookies
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Nutty, buttery and filled with jam, Linzer cookies are one of the prettiest cookies around.
Linzer cookies are buttery, jam-filled sandwich cookies based on the classic Viennese Linzer torte, a nutty jam-filled pastry with a lattice design on top. The cookies have a shortbread-like texture and nutty flavor that comes from finely ground almonds and almond extract in the dough. They are typically filled with raspberry or apricot jam and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. But what makes the cookies truly special is a cut-out on top that creates a glistening stained-glass-window effect.
To make the prettiest Linzer cookies, a fluted-edge cookie cutter is best, but any cookie cutter will work. For the cut-out shape, hearts are classic (and perfect for Valentine’s Day), but circles, flowers, stars, snowflakes, etc. all look beautiful. You can even use teeny-tiny cookie cutters to create several cut-outs in the cookies, as shown in the photo above. As with all sandwich cookies, be sure to roll the dough thin (no thicker than 1/8 inch), otherwise the jam-to-cookie ratio will be off and the stacked cookies will be too thick.
What You’ll Need To Make Linzer Cookies
Step-by-Step Instructions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar and slivered almonds.
Process until the almonds are finely ground and the mixture is powdery, about 1 minute.
Add the flour, salt, and butter.
Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about twenty 1-second pulses, then add the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract.
Process until dough forms a crumbly, clumpy mass, 20 to 25 seconds. 
Transfer the dough to a clean work surface.
Knead the dough into a smooth ball, then divide in half and form two disks, wrap each disk tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 days.
Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator and knead with your hands until just soft and malleable enough to roll. (The longer the dough is refrigerated, the more you will have to knead it; just be careful not to overwork it – it should still feel cool.)
Liberally dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2.5-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles. After creating the circles, use a 1-inch round (or any-shaped) cookie cutter to cut out the centers from half of the circles (these will be the top halves of the cookies).
Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 8 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If using the second disc of dough immediately, remove from the refrigerator and repeat the process.
Lightly sift confectioners’ sugar over the cookie tops, and spread about 1 teaspoon jam on each of the bottom halves, leaving about 1/4-inch border.
Sandwich both halves together. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
You May Also Like
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- Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies
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- Holiday Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
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Linzer Cookies
Nutty, buttery and filled with jam, Linzer cookies are one of the prettiest cookies around.
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups Confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- About 1 cup raspberry or apricot jam
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, process the sugar and almonds until the almonds are finely ground and the mixture is powdery, about 1 minute. Add the flour, salt, and butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about twenty 1-second pulses. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract and process until dough forms a crumbly, clumpy mass, 20 to 25 seconds. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead it into a smooth ball. Divide the dough in half and form two disks, wrap each disk tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 days.
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator and knead with your hands until just soft and malleable enough to roll. (The longer the dough is refrigerated, the more you will have to knead it; just be careful not to overwork it – it should still feel cool.) Liberally dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll out the dough to ⅛-inch thickness. Using a 2.5-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles. After creating the circles, use a 1-inch round, heart, or any-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the centers from half of the circles (these will be the top halves of the cookies).
- Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
- Gather up the scraps, knead into a flat disc, roll, and repeat (if too warm, pop back in the fridge for a bit).
- Bake until the edges are lightly browned, about 8 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If using the second disc of dough immediately, remove from the refrigerator and repeat the process.
- Lightly sift confectioners' sugar over the cookie tops. Spread about 1 teaspoon jam on each of the bottom halves, leaving about ¼-inch border, and sandwich both halves together. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dough can be wrapped in plastic wrap and a layer of foil and frozen for up to three months. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the freezer, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature until pliable, and then proceed with the recipe. The assembled cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (30 servings)
- Serving size: 1 sandwich cookie
- Calories: 154
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 44 mg
- Cholesterol: 27 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Can I make these gluten free using all Almond Flour?
Hi Lynn, I wouldn’t recommend using all almond flour, but you can replace the all-purpose with an all-purpose gluten-free flour like King Arthur’s or Cup4Cup.
I made these cookies and they are so delicious and pretty! Thank you for the recipe!
I roll my batter on the parchment I put on my large cookie pan. From there I do the cutouts and discard the dough around the cookie. The batter I discarded is to be used again.
It is easier this way because the dough becomes soft so quickly that my shaped cookies break before I can transfer them to the cookie sheet pan.
I am not sure how big your chickens’ eggs are, but after adding the 2 egg yolks, I could sense the dough I made was going to be too delicate/crumbly. My split decision to add a 3rd egg yolk was my proud baking moment (as I am not a regular baker, but I am a scientist- does that count?) – the dough was workable and they turned out delicious with that minor alteration. After studying other recipes, I also make the decision to use part granulated sugar and part confectioners sugar to equal the 1 and 1/3 cups required for the dough. This will now be my new Linzer cookie recipe (made them before from a recipe with hazelnuts, but the almonds are more to my taste) with a hand-written note to check if a 3rd yolk is needed and to split the sugar types. I also would recommend using raspberry amaretto jam and ended up skipping the almond extract because I didn’t have any. The experience was a nice holiday activity for me and my husband!
Just made them – they turned out great! Very pretty and very yummy!
Just checking as this recipe says confectioners sugar in the dough. Is that correct? It looks like it is based on the picture but I’ve never used confectioners (icing) sugar in the dough.
This is my fourth attempt at this cookie using various recipes and I’ve yet to have a dough that worked.
Yes, that’s correct, Lisa — it makes the cookies more tender. Hope this recipe works for you!
Love this recipe. The dough is easy to work with and it’s yummy too. I did not have almond extract so I used Amaretto instead.
These cookies are impressive and absolutely delicious. We enjoyed them the 2nd day the most, as the jam softened the cookie. We followed the recipe exactly as written.
Thanks, Jenn.
These cookies are impressive and delicious. Thanks, Jenn.
Hello Jen…I’m considering baking these cookies, but before I do, I’m wondering about the number of cookies this recipe yields. Does it make 30 complete cookies or 15 tops and 15 bottoms for a total of only 15 complete cookies? Thank you!
Hi Astrid, This makes 30 complete cookies. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Hello, I have had issues with the cookies holding their shape and browning too quickly. I have double checked oven temp, made sure cookies were cold going into the oven, and doubled check the recipe. Not sure what I am doing incorrectly.
However, they do taste very good. I have had a lot of nice comments about flavor.
Thanks!
I loved these cookies and the recipe was really easy to follow. I served them for a dinner party and a number of the guests asked for the recipe. I will be making them again for Christmas. Thanks Jenn!!!
This is the worst recipie I have ever done. Poorly written, 14 tbsp?? Not just the equivalent in cups? And the consistency is literally impossible to roll that flat, it just crumbles apart like a dry sand castle…. dough is going in the garbage because one it came out of the fridge it was unworkable.
can you sandwich the jam in first then bake?
Hi George I wouldn’t recommend it — the jam will ooze out as it heats up.
Gosh this is the first Jen recipe that did not turn out for me :(. I’m thinking it must be something I did wrong since there are so many good reviews. First batch came out on the burnt side & I did turn them halfway through. Next batch I took out sooner but then they seemed underdone. I let them cool & tasted them but they just did not have the traditional linzer tart flavor I was hoping for. I trashed them because I was frustrated, all Jen’s other recipes have been great though. Maybe I’m just not a baker!
These cookies are simply delicious and easy to make. Another Jenn special! I used heart shaped cutters from Amazon to make them special for a Valentine treat for my grandson. I also used almond flour instead of the ground almonds and the texture was light and seemed to just melt in your mouth.
Made these for Valentine’s Day. I was hesitant as I usually don’t have success making cookies with dough which needs to be rolled out and then cut out with cookie cutters. I found the dough a pleasure to work with and the finished product looked and tasted great.
These cookies are fabulous: the dough rolled beautifully, the cut outs held their shape when baked and the cookies taste divine and look gorgeous. Only substitution was to use cherry preserves that I thinned a bit in the blender. The perfect Valentines’ treat and another winner from Jenn!
These turned out beautiful. I was so proud of myself and wish I could share a picture! ❤️
Can almond flour be used in place of slivered almonds?
Yep 👍
How much almond flour?
1 cup 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I was wondering if I could use almond flour instead of slivered almonds.
Thank you.
Yes that should work. Enjoy!
I will make these! Can you substitute almond flour for the ground almond slivers? Thanks you. I’ve made many of your recipes…soooo good.
Sure, Trish. Please LMK how they turn out!
Have you tried freezing the baked cookies? If these cookies don’t freeze/defrost well, I’ll freeze half the dough instead. 30 cookies are a lot for two senior citizens to eat in 4 days LOL.
Anxious to bake these for husband for Valentine’s Day. These are his all-time favorite cookies!
Sue from PA
Hi Sue, The baked/assembled cookies freeze beautifully; even the powdered sugar holds up. I’ve added this to the freezer-friendly instructions.
Hi Jenn, Thanks for sharing all those great recipes. For this recipe can I sub the almonds with already grounded almonds? If so would it be equally 1cup? Thank you.😊
Hi Andrea, Yes and I think 1 cup would be correct.
Please give instructions for these beautiful cookies without a food processor. I don’t have one.
I’m older (87) but still enjoy some of your recipes. Still bake occasionally but I hand mix or use a mixer.
Hi Dot, Good for you for still being active in the kitchen at 87!! If you have a stand or hand mixer, you could use that but will need to use almond flour (1 cup) and softened butter. The cookies might not be quite as tender but I can’t say for sure without having tried it. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them this way!
Hi Jenn-
Would you mind adding a link to wherever you found the adorable cookie cutters?
Hi Megan, Mine are old but if you search for nested fluted cookie cutters on Amazon, there are a bunch of good options.