Linzer Cookies are the kind of holiday treat that feel fancy, but honestly do not have to be fussy. If you have ever wanted those soft, buttery sandwich cookies with the cute little window and jam peeking through, you are in the right place. I used to think they were bakery only cookies until I tried making them at home on a cozy December afternoon.
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Easy Linzer Cookies Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
Deliciously soft and buttery sandwich cookies filled with jam, perfect for holiday gifting and cookie swaps.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam or your favorite jam
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and lighter in color.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla, mixing until smooth.
- Stir in the flour, almond flour, salt, and optional cinnamon until a soft dough forms.
- Chill the dough, wrapped in two discs, for at least 1 hour.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness and cut shapes.
- Bake on a lined baking sheet until edges are barely golden, about 10-12 minutes.
- Cool the cookies completely on a rack.
- Dust the tops with powdered sugar, then spread jam on the bottoms and sandwich them together.
Notes
For best results, chill the cut cookies before baking. Use a thick jam to prevent messy sandwiches.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Austrian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love These Linzer Cookies
These cookies hit that sweet spot between impressive and doable. They are soft in the center, lightly crisp on the edges, and the jam adds a bright fruity pop that keeps them from tasting too rich.
Here is why I keep coming back to this recipe:
Soft and buttery texture that stays tender for days.
Perfect for the holidays because they look like you really tried, even if you made them in your comfiest sweatpants.
Customizable with different jams, cookie shapes, and even a little spice if you want.
Great for gifting since they stack well and travel better than frosted cookies.
Also, there is something weirdly calming about cutting out the little centers. It feels like a tiny craft project you can eat.
Linzer Cookie Ingredients
I am keeping this list simple and realistic. No hard to find ingredients, and nothing that makes you run to three different stores.
- Unsalted butter softened. This is where that rich flavor comes from.
- Granulated sugar for sweetness and structure.
- Egg yolk for tenderness. Save the white for omelets.
- Vanilla extract for cozy flavor.
- All purpose flour the base of the dough.
- Almond flour for that classic Linzer vibe. If you have only ground almonds, that works too as long as it is fine.
- Salt just a pinch to balance everything.
- Cinnamon optional, but I love a little warmth.
- Raspberry jam or your favorite jam. Seedless is easiest for neat sandwiches.
- Powdered sugar for that snowy top.
Quick note on jam: go with something thick. If it is runny, it will squish out the sides and make the cookies slide around. I like raspberry because it looks festive and tastes bright, but strawberry, apricot, or cherry are all great.
How to Make Linzer Cookies
Do not let the sandwich cookie thing intimidate you. The process is basically mix, chill, cut, bake, and fill. The chilling part is the secret to keeping the shapes sharp, so do not skip it.
Step by step directions
1. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat softened butter with sugar until it looks fluffy and a bit lighter in color. This helps the cookies bake up tender.
2. Add yolk and vanilla. Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla until it looks smooth. If it looks a little separated, it is fine. The flour will bring it together.
3. Add dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon if using. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it feels sticky, chill it and it will firm up.
4. Chill the dough. Split the dough into two discs, wrap them, and chill for at least 1 hour. This makes rolling easier and helps the cookies hold their shape.
5. Roll and cut. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1 eighth to 1 quarter inch thick. Cut full cookies for the bottoms. Cut the same number for the tops, then cut a small window in the center of the top cookies.
6. Bake. Place cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake until the edges look just barely golden. Do not overbake. You want them soft, not crunchy.
7. Cool completely. Let them cool on the pan for a couple minutes, then move to a rack. If you fill them warm, the jam gets messy.
8. Fill and dust. Dust the top cookies with powdered sugar first. Then spread jam on the bottom cookies and sandwich with the sugared tops.
If you are making Easy Linzer Cookies Recipe (Soft, Buttery & Perfect for the Holidays) for a party, I recommend assembling them a few hours before serving so the jam has time to settle into the cookie a little. That is when they get that perfect bite.
Expert Tips for Bakery-Style Results
I have made enough batches of Linzer cookies to learn what actually matters and what is just extra noise. These tips will save you from the most common holiday cookie stress.
Chill the cut cookies too. If your kitchen is warm, pop the cut shapes on the baking sheet into the fridge for 10 minutes before baking. The windows stay cleaner.
Keep thickness even. Cookies that are thicker in some spots will bake unevenly. If you have one, a rolling pin with thickness rings is amazing, but you can also just go slow and check.
Do not overbake. Pull them when the edges are just starting to turn golden. They continue to set as they cool, and that is how you keep them soft.
Dust tops before filling. If you dust after you sandwich them, powdered sugar lands on the jam and looks a little messy. Still tasty, just not as pretty.
Use a small spoon or piping bag for jam. You will get cleaner edges and more even filling. I sometimes use a zip top bag with the corner snipped off, super low effort.
When friends ask me for an Easy Linzer Cookies Recipe (Soft, Buttery & Perfect for the Holidays), this is the part I really want them to read. These little tweaks make them look like you bought them from a cute bakery.
Make-Ahead, Storage and Freezing
This is one of my favorite holiday baking perks: you can spread the work out over a couple days.
Make ahead: You can make the dough up to 3 days ahead and keep it wrapped in the fridge. Let it sit at room temp for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling so it does not crack too much.
Store baked cookies: Unfilled cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temp for about 3 to 4 days. Once filled with jam, they are best within 2 to 3 days for the prettiest look, but they will still taste great a bit longer.
Freeze: Freeze unfilled cookies in a sealed container with layers of parchment between them for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp, then dust and fill. I do not love freezing fully assembled cookies because the powdered sugar can melt in weird spots, but it works in a pinch.
One more real life tip: if you are shipping cookies, send them unfilled with a little jar of jam if you can. Filled Linzer cookies are delicate travelers.
FAQ About Linzer Cookies
Can I make these without almond flour?
Yes. You can use all purpose flour only, but you will lose a little of that classic nutty flavor. If you have finely ground nuts like almonds or hazelnuts, you can swap a small portion of the flour for that.
Why did my cookies spread too much?
The dough was probably too warm or the butter was too soft. Chill the dough longer, and chill the cut cookies for 10 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm.
What is the best jam to use?
Use a thick jam or preserves. Raspberry, strawberry, apricot, and cherry all work. Seedless jam is the easiest for neat cookies, but use what you love.
How do I keep the powdered sugar from disappearing?
Powdered sugar can melt a bit as the cookies sit, especially once they are filled. Dust them right before serving for the prettiest look, or do a light dusting first and another quick one later.
Do Linzer cookies need to be refrigerated?
Not usually, as long as your jam is stable and your kitchen is cool. If your house runs warm or you are storing them longer than a couple days, refrigeration is fine. Just bring them to room temp before serving so they are soft again.
Conclusion
Linzer cookies look like a special occasion dessert, but once you make them one time, they feel totally manageable. Focus on chilling the dough, baking them lightly, and using a jam you actually like. If you want a reliable Easy Linzer Cookies Recipe (Soft, Buttery & Perfect for the Holidays), this one is the batch I come back to every year. I hope you try them soon, and if you do, make an extra cookie for yourself because the baker tax is real.