Perfect Linzer Cookies
If you only bake one show-stopping cookie this holiday season, please let it be these classic Linzer cookies. Buttery almond shortbread with warm cinnamon, a whisper of bright lemon, and that iconic stained-glass window of ruby-red raspberry jam. They’re elegant, delicious, and 100% addictive. These cookies always get the “these are the BEST cookies on the tray!” reaction.
Best Tips for Perfect Linzer Cookies
- Lemon bakery emulsion is my go-to for bright, clean lemon flavor without the little zest flecks that get stuck in the cutouts. Find it online or at Hobby Lobby. If you can’t find it, use 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract instead.
- Seedless raspberry jam gives the prettiest look and smoothest texture.
- Want them extra crisp? Bake the cut-out tops 1–2 minutes longer and assemble right before serving.
- Make-ahead: The dough discs can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Baked, unfilled cookies freeze beautifully too!
A Tiny Bit of History (Because These Cookies Are Famous for a Reason!)
Linzer cookies are the adorable baby version of the famous Linzer Torte. The original torte dates back to at least 1653 in Linz, Austria. Some food historians believe manuscripts exist from even earlier. It’s a rich, spiced almond crust filled with black currant or raspberry jam and topped with a lattice crust . It is basically a giant, sliceable Linzer cookie.
In the early 1900s, Austrian and German bakers started cutting the torte dough into small sandwich cookies with peekaboo cutouts. The cookies quickly became a Christmas tradition across Austria, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, and northern Italy. Today you’ll find them on almost every holiday cookie platter in central Europe has to offer — and for very good reason!
Delicious Filling Variations
- Seedless black currant jam (the most traditional!)
- Apricot preserves
- Strawberry or blackberry jam
- Lingonberry jam for a Scandinavian twist
- A thin layer of Nutella or chocolate ganache (decadent and kid-approved!)
These gorgeous little Linzer cookies truly are the crown jewel of any holiday cookie tray. They photograph like a dream and taste like a hug from an Austrian grandmother.
Bake a batch this weekend. I promise your house will smell amazing and your cookie platter will never be the same!
Happy baking!
Perfect Linzer Cookies
Print Recipe
EQUIPMENT (affiliate links)
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 c. (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (RECOMMEND WEIGHING)
- 1 c. (120 g) blanched almond flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 c. (226 g) salted butter softened to room temperature
- ⅔ c. (130 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp lemon emulsion or 1 tsp lemon extract
Filling & Finishing
- ¾ c. (240 g) seedless raspberry jam
- confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.2 c. (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (RECOMMEND WEIGHING)1 c. (120 g) blanched almond flour½ tsp ground cinnamon¼ tsp salt
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and lemon emulsion and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.1 c. (226 g) salted butter⅔ c. (130 g) granulated sugar1 large egg1 tsp vanilla extract¾ tsp lemon emulsion
- On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be thick.
- Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Working with one disc at a time, roll the dough out to ⅛-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into rounds using a 2½–3 inch fluted or plain round cookie cutter. Using a smaller 1-inch cutter (heart, star, or circle), cut a window out of half of the rounds. Re-roll scraps once.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Spread about 1 teaspoon of seedless raspberry jam on the bottom (solid) cookies. Generously dust the window cookies with confectioners’ sugar, then gently sandwich them together. The cookies will soften within a few hours — this is normal and part of their charm!¾ c. (240 g) seedless raspberry jamconfectioners’ sugar
Notes
- Lemon bakery emulsion gives bright lemon flavor without visible zest flecks in the cutouts (highly recommended!). Substitute 1 tsp pure lemon extract if needed.
- Use seedless jam for the prettiest look and smoothest texture.
- For crisp cookies, assemble only what you plan to eat the same day.
- Dough discs can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Baked, unfilled cookies also freeze beautifully for up to 3 months.
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