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close up of linzer cookies on a floral plate

Linzer Cookie Recipe

Linzer cookies are a traditional Christmas cookie made from a crispy, buttery tart dough, dusted with powdered sugar and filled with a sweet cranberry jam.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
cooling: 2 hrs
Total Time: 2 hrs 25 mins
Serves: 30 cookies
Calories: 133kcal
Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

Linzer Cookies

  • 6 ounces (170 g) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4 ounces (113 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large (1.76 oz) egg room temperature
  • 1 ounce (28 g) cake crumbs or cake flour
  • 8 ounces (227 g) cake flour or substitute with All purpose flour, remove 3 Tablespoons of flour and replace with 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch.
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ounces (85 g) almond flour or hazelnut flour, a combination of both, or pistachio flour

Cranberry Filling

  • 12 ounces (340 g) cranberries
  • 7 ounces (198 g) sugar
  • 8 ounces (227 g) water
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest
  • 3 Tablespoons orange juice

Equipment

  • Linzer cookie cutter (or two cutters, one about 2" and one 1/2")

Instructions

Cranberry Jam Instructions

  • Combine water, sugar, zest, juice, and cranberries together in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and let the mixture reduce for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is thickened. 
  • Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool before using.
  • Once your filling is cool, use an immersion blender or blender to make your cranberry filling smoother and easier to pipe (optional). Pro-Tip: For a thicker filling, combine 2 tsp cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon cool water to make a slurry. Add the cornstarch to the filling at the end of cooking, and then cook it for an extra minute to thicken. 

Linzer Cookie Dough Instructions

  • Combine your cake crumbs, cake flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and almond flour together with a whisk. (If you don’t have cake crumbs you can replace them with more almond flour) Set aside. Pro-Tip: You can use any kind of nut flour for this recipe including hazelnut, pistachio, or cashew! 
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the room temperature butter and the sugar until it’s light and fluffy. 
  • Add the room temperature egg and vanilla to your butter/sugar mixture and mix it until it’s incorporated. 
  • While mixing on low, add in your flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together. Don’t over-mix it. 
  • Divide the dough into two flattened disks.
  • Refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

Cookie Assembly Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 325ºF and line a cookie sheet with some parchment paper.
  • Let your dough warm up until you can roll it out without it cracking. Mine took about an hour.
  • Dust the rolling pin and the surface with some flour to prevent sticking. Roll out your dough to 1/8″ thick. 
  • Use the Linzer cookie cutter without the window attachment and cut out 24 backs.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
  • Use the Linzer cookie cutter WITH the window attachment and cut out 24 fronts.
  • Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges just begin to turn golden brown. Pro-Tip: If you have any leftover dough you can press it together and roll out more fronts and backs and bake them off.
  • Transfer your baked cookies to a cooling rack to allow them to cool.
  • Dust the fronts with some powdered sugar.
  • Fill a piping bag with your cranberry filling. Pipe some filling around the outside of one of the back cookies, about 1/4″ thick. 
  • Place the front cookie on top and gently press down. 
  • Fill the center of the cookie with some more cranberry filling.

Notes

Important Things To Note Before You Start
  1. Bring your butter and eggs to room temperature or even a little warm to ensure your batter does not break or curdle. 
  2. Use a scale to weigh your ingredients (including liquids) unless otherwise instructed (Tablespoons, teaspoons, pinch etc). Metric measurements are available in the recipe card. Scaled ingredients are much more accurate than using cups and help ensure the success of your recipe. 
  3. Practice Mise en Place (everything in it's place). Measure out your ingredients ahead of time and have them ready before you start mixing to reduce the chances of accidentally leaving something out.
  4. If the recipe calls for specific ingredients like cake flour, replacing it with all purpose flour and cornstarch is not recommended unless specified in the recipe that it’s ok. Substituting ingredients may cause this recipe to fail. 
  5. If you're in the UK, search for Shipton mills cake and pastry flour. If you're in another part of the country, search for low protein cake flour.
  6. You can use any kind of nut flour including pistachio, cashew, or hazelnut in place of almond flour.
  7. You can substitute cake crumbs for more almond flour. The cake crumbs just add moisture to the cookie.
  8. You can blend your cranberry filling so that it's smoother if you desire.
  9. Your cranberry filling will develop a skin after 24 hours, and will then your cookies will be suitable to package up. These cookies are excellent for holiday cookie exchanges and homemade gifts!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 133kcal (7%) | Carbohydrates: 18g (6%) | Protein: 2g (4%) | Fat: 6g (9%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (15%) | Cholesterol: 18mg (6%) | Sodium: 43mg (2%) | Potassium: 38mg (1%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 11g (12%) | Vitamin A: 161IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 3mg (4%) | Calcium: 17mg (2%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)