Description
Linzer cookies are traditional Austrian jam-filled sandwich cookies! This classic recipe is simple to whip up at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (240 g) flour, sifted
- 1 cup (120 g) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, almond flour, cinnamon and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix on low speed until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and continue mixing on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Divide the dough into two disks. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Take one disc of dough out of the fridge and place it on a floured surface. Using a light touch, roll the dough out until it is slightly less than 1/4-inch thick. Use plenty of flour on the counter and the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Moving quickly so the dough remains chilled, use a linzer cookie cutter (or a 2-inch round cutter and smaller heart-shaped cutter) to cut an equal number of cookies with and without a hole in the center. Place excess dough back in the refrigerator and re-roll it after it’s chilled again (after baking the first sheet). Place the cookies on a baking sheet and refrigerate the sheet for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the baking sheet directly to the oven and bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool the cookies for 1 minute on the cookie sheet. Then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat with remaining disc of dough and re-rolled scraps of dough.
- Cool the cookies completely, at least 15 minutes. Then sift powdered sugar the cookies with the cutout centers. On the bottom cookies, spread a layer of jam about 1/8” thick (about 2 teaspoons per cookie), not quite to the edges of a cookie. Then very gently press on the top cookie to sandwich the jam.
- Repeat for all cookies to make 30 to 32 sandwiches. Store room temperature with several sheets of parchment paper between the cookies for up to 2 days*, or refrigerated for 2 weeks. You can also freeze for up to 3 months. The cookies taste crispy the first day, and become softer after storage (both delicious, but we prefer the softer version!).
Notes
*With room temperature storage, the powdered sugar can start to melt on the cookies that are stacked in layers beneath other cookies. We recommend storing them refrigerated for longer term storage.
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Austrian
- Diet: Vegetarian
