These are almond shortbread cookies with a raspberry jam center. They're sweet, crunchy, and absolutely delicious! They can be made in advance and assembled when ready to serve. Linzer cookies are traditional for Christmas and wonderful for Valentine's day or just because you crave spice and sweetness.
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Being huge fans of this Linzer torte (or tart), we thought it was time for the cookie version, which is a simpler dough and a showstopper as part of the holiday table.
They are nutty and pretty, with a perfect balance of crunchiness and sweetness.
The original Viennese linzertorte (named after the city of Linz in Austria) is a cake, but I find that both the tart and cookie versions are more festive. At our house, they're a must as part of the cookie recipes we make for Christmas.
They make beautiful almond cookies on their own and also tea-time alfajores if you sandwich them with dulce de leche.
Ingredients
- Almond flour: you can use finely ground almonds if you can't access almond flour. Measure the same amount of whole almonds and grind them.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking powder: make sure it hasn't expired.
- Unsalted butter.
- White, granulated sugar.
- Egg: fresh, large.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Almond extract: it's optional, but I like that it adds another layer of flavor. I use pure almond extract.
- Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon.
- Raspberry jam: the better the jam, the better the flavor of the cookies.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
Variations & substitutions
This is a versatile cookie dough that can accommodate different fillings.
- Nuts: almonds are traditional, but you can use other ground nuts in the dough.
- Spices: add a ground spice in addition to or instead of cinnamon, like cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Citrus: you can add lemon zest to the dough for a great contrast with the sweet center.
- Fillings: besides a red berry jam, you can use apricot jam, plum, black currant preserves, or something different like lemon curd, Nutella, or chocolate ganache (white or dark).
- Boozy: add a tablespoon of liqueur to the jam. The raspberry jam goes well with nut liqueurs (amaretto, Frangelico), brandy, or cognac.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperatures, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Make the dough ahead: the dough can be kept refrigerated for several days or frozen for a month, well wrapped. Thaw in the fridge the day before rolling.
- Storing: the cookies last for a week or two in an airtight container or cookie tin. After they are filled, they for a couple of days at room temperature and a few more in the fridge in an airtight container. If you store them in several layers, add a piece of parchment paper between them so the jam doesn't stick.
- Glaze: you can add a simple powdered sugar glaze as we do with the strawberry jam cookies.
There are two components: the dough and the filling.
Almond cookie dough
Mix the soft butter with the sugar and egg. Add the flavorings and mix well. I use a silicone spatula, but you can use a mixer for this part.
Add the almond flour first, and then the flour mixture. Use a spatula to integrate it until smooth and soft.
Make a disc (or two) of dough and place it on a piece of plastic wrap or a freezer sheet (what I use).
Cover well so it doesn't dry out, and chill for at least 1 hour before rolling.
Vintage Kitchen tip: the almond cookie dough can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for a month. Always very well wrapped to avoid dryness.
Cutting and baking
- Rolling the dough: it must be cold. Work in batches with small pieces and keep the rest wrapped and refrigerated.
- Cookie cutter: I use different ones. Round ones are my favorites, with smooth or ribbed edges. Depending on the season, you can make heart or star-shaped cookies. You only need to have two different-sized cutters.
- How big should the center be? I like the jam to be a star, so I make a pretty large hole. Other recipes call for a smaller center. It's up to you.
- Recommendation: if you're gifting these jam cookies, cut out a smaller center as they will be easier to stack on a tray or wrap if needed.
- Baking time: use two different cookie trays, one for the large cookies and the other for the small ones and the rings. The latter will take less time to bake. If you're baking all of them together, make sure you check the smaller ones and take them out before the larger cookies.
Use a lightly floured surface for rolling the almond dough, just enough for them not to stick.
You'll have three different sizes: rings, small rounds, and large ones. See below for ways of using the extra cookies.
Vintage Kitchen tip: be careful when handling the rings as they have thin edges and break easily. Use a wide spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet. Work with small batches of dough if necessary so it stays cold.
Dust cookie rings with powdered sugar.
Place a fat tablespoon of raspberry jam in the center of the large cookies and spread it, leaving space at the edges.
Place the rings on top of the jam and press to make a sandwich. The jam should act as glue to keep the filled cookie together.
Vintage Kitchen tip: filled cookies tend to soften with each passing day due to the moisture in the filling. So these jam cookies (or French raspberry lunettes) are crunchy at first and softer afterward.
Making Linzer tart cookies means you'll have small almond cookies left. They're the rounds that you take out to make the rings.
Make alfajores! Or sandwich cookies.
Fill them with dulce de leche, Nutella (hazelnut spread), almond butter, chocolate ganache (white or dark), or almond-flavored cream cheese filling.
Almost anything goes as almonds pair with so many flavors.
Related recipes you might like:
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Linzer Tart Cookies
Shortbread-like almond cookies with a raspberry jam center. They're sweet, crunchy, and absolutely delicious! They can be made in advance and assembled when ready to serve. Linzer cookies are traditional for Christmas and wonderful for Valentine's day or just because you crave spice and sweetness.
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 20 sandwich cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 2 ½ cups (330g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (225g) butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (130g) sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
- 1 cup (100g) almond flour
- Powdered sugar, for sprinkling before assembling
For the filling:
- 1 cup (300g) raspberry jam
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the butter with the sugar until you have a smooth mixture. I use a silicon spatula, but you can use an electric mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (great if you're making a large amount of dough).
- Add the egg and zest and continue to integrate until it begins to come together.
- Add the almond flour and mix well.
- Sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon) and add them to the butter dough in two parts, mixing until it starts to come together.
- Transfer to a clean counter or working surface, and finish gathering it into a smooth dough with no traces of flour or dry ingredients. Handle the dough as little as possible. No need to knead it.
- Divide it into 2 parts, make flat disks, wrap well, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Butter or use baking spray to grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out on a lightly floured counter until it is no more than ¼ of an inch (about ½ cm) thick. Keep the rest of the dough refrigerated.
- You will need two similar cookie cutters; one must be two sizes smaller than the other.
- Cut rounds (or other shapes) with the large cutter.
- Cut another circle in the center of half of the cookies with the smallest cutter.
- They will have large cookies, rounds, and small cookies.
- Gather the scraps, roll, and cut out cookies until all of the dough is used.
- Bake separately because the smaller ones and the round ones take less time. About 10-15 minutes, depending on the size.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
- Put a tablespoon of jam in the center of the large cookies and spread it lightly, leaving an uncovered edge.
- Sprinkle the cookie rings with powdered sugar and put over the jam, making sandwich cookies.
- With the little cookies make dulce de leche alfajorcitos or eat them plain.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperatures, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Rolling the dough: it must be cold. Work in batches with small pieces and keep the rest wrapped and refrigerated.
- Cookie cutter: I use different ones. Round ones are my favorites, with smooth or ribbed edges. Depending on the season, you can make heart or star-shaped cookies. You only need to have two different-sized cutters.
- How big should the center be? I like the jam to be a star, so I make a pretty large hole. Other recipes call for a smaller center. It's up to you.
- Recommendation: if you're gifting these jam cookies, cut out a smaller center as they will be easier to stack on a tray or wrap if needed.
- Baking time: use two different cookie trays, one for the large cookies and the other for the small ones and the rings. The latter will take less time to bake. If you're baking all of them together, make sure you check the smaller ones and take them out before the larger cookies.
- Make the dough ahead: the dough can be kept refrigerated for several days or frozen for a month, well wrapped. Thaw in the fridge the day before rolling.
- Storing: the cookies last for a week or two in an airtight container or cookie tin. After they are filled, they for a couple of days at room temperature and a few more in the fridge in an airtight container. If you store them in several layers, add a piece of parchment paper between them so the jam doesn't stick.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Refrigeration time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Keywords: linzer cookies
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