Delicious almond-flavored shortbread cookies filled with homemade raspberry jam! These Raspberry Linzer Cookies are light and delicious and would look stunning on any holiday table.
Move over, gingerbread — there's a new Christmas cookie favorite in town.
Well, when I say new, I really just mean new to the blog. Because Linzer cookies have been around for hundreds of years! Originally from Austria, they are light, almond-flavored shortbread cookies traditionally sandwiched together with a layer of jam or filling.
And while there are tons of Linzer cookie recipes out there, I've been perfecting my own spin on this classic for a while now and can't wait to share my version with you. From the dough to the raspberry jam, everything in this recipe is completely homemade, and it's just so fun to bring these beautiful cookies to life from scratch.
So turn those ovens on and let's get baking!
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What You'll Need
Here's a quick overview of some of the ingredients and tools needed to make these cookies. The full recipe can be found at the bottom of the post!
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - You'll want to use unsalted butter (rather than salted) in this recipe so you can control the amount of salt in the cookies.
- Orange zest - A sprinkle of orange zest gives this cookie dough a delicious, unique flavor.
- All-purpose flour - Be sure to use the spoon & level method when measuring out the flour.
- Almond flour - Linzer cookies are traditionally made with almond flour, and these are no exception. I personally love to use this almond flour from Bob's Red Mill.
- Raspberries - When making the homemade raspberry jam, you can use either fresh or frozen raspberries.
Equipment
- Mixer - Personally, I like to use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment when making this recipe. However, an electric hand mixer will also do the job.
- Rolling pin - Any rolling pin will work here, but I prefer to use a French rolling pin because it helps you roll out the dough evenly.
- Cookie cutters - You can use any cookie cutters you'd like here! You'll need one medium-sized cutter and one smaller cutter to cut out the middle of half the cookies.
- Baking sheet - This recipe calls for two baking sheets.
- Sifter - Once these cookies are baked, you'll want to lightly dust them with powdered sugar using a sifter.
- Piping bag - I like to put the raspberry jam in a piping bag and then use that to fill the cookies! I always have a stash of these disposable piping bags in my pantry for when I need them.
How to Make These Cookies
We'll start by making the cookie dough, and once it's chilling in the fridge, we'll make the homemade raspberry jam. Then comes the fun part: baking and filling the cookies!
1. Cream the butter and sugar. Start by creaming together the butter, sugar, and orange zest until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. (Image 1)
2. Add in the rest of the liquid ingredients. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined, scraping well after each addition. (Image 2)
3. Finish making the dough. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, then add them to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. (Image 3)
4. Chill the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This lets the dough firm up, which makes it easier to roll out later. You can even refrigerate the dough overnight if you want to make the cookies in stages. (Image 4)
5. While the dough chills, start making the raspberry jam. Combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a medium pot and start cooking over high heat. (Image 5)
6. Cook the jam until thickened. Once the mixture starts to bubble up along the sides of the pot, reduce the heat to medium and cook until thickened. (Image 6 and Image 7)
7. Let the jam cool, then transfer to a piping bag. Transfer the jam to a heatproof container and let cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, transfer to a piping bag and set aside. (Image 8)
8. Roll out the dough and bake. Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness (Image 9), then cut the dough out using your desired cookie cutters. Then, use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the middle of half of the cookie circles. (Image 10) Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet, then bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F, or until the edges are a light golden brown.
9. Dust the cookies with powdered sugar. Once the cookies have cooled, dust half of them (the ones without the middle) with powdered sugar. (Image 11)
10. Finish the cookies. Pipe a teaspoon of raspberry jam in the middle of each un-cut cookie, then top with the cookies dusted with powdered sugar. Be sure not to overfill the cookies with jam or it will ooze out when you sandwich the cookies together. Enjoy! (Image 12)
Tips to Make Perfect Cookies
These cookies might seem a bit intimidating to make, but they're actually not too difficult! Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making them:
- Make sure to use softened butter (not melted). When mixing together the butter and sugar, make sure your butter is just a little bit soft. If the butter has melted, the dough will be too soft, and you will have to refrigerate it for a longer period of time. If it's coming straight from the fridge, I like to warm my butter up in the microwave for 15-second increments until it is ready.
- Make sure to refrigerate the cookie dough before rolling it out. This lets the dough firm up, which makes it easier to roll out later. You can even refrigerate the dough overnight if you want to make the cookies in stages.
- Flour your surface well so that the dough doesn’t stick. I will usually re-roll the dough once or twice, and I recommend flouring the surface well in between each roll.
- Don't overfill the cookies with jam. If you pipe too much jam onto the cookies, it will spill out the sides once you sandwich the cookies together. Start with a teaspoon of jam and add more if needed!
Common Questions About These Cookies
These are some questions I frequently hear about this recipe. If you have a question that isn't answered below, feel free to leave it in the comments.
Linzer cookies are traditionally from Austria! They are a sandwich cookie version of the Linzertorte, a pastry made with ground nuts that's typically filled with some kind of preserves.
Absolutely! I personally love to make these cookies in a few stages so that I'm not too overwhelmed all in one day. You can make the dough, then tightly wrap it and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the dough for up to 2 months — just let it thaw to room temperature before rolling it out.
How to Store & Freeze
To store: You can store the cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
To freeze: Baked, unfilled cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. Wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in a frozen-safe zip-top bag before freezing. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 2 months. Just be sure to let it thaw to room temperature before rolling it out and baking.
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PrintRaspberry Linzer Cookies
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 14 sandwich cookies 1x
Description
Delicious almond-flavored shortbread cookies filled with homemade raspberry jam! These Raspberry Linzer Cookies are light and delicious and would look stunning on any holiday table.
Ingredients
Linzer Cookies:
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (134) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 whole egg (50g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (72g) almond flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Raspberry Jam:
- 2 cups (240g) raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- Pinch of salt
Assembly:
- Powdered sugar, sifted (for sprinkling)
Instructions
Linzer Cookies:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together the softened butter, sugar, and orange zest until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the whole egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined, scraping well after each addition.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, ground cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, scraping as needed.
- Tightly wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling it out.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- After the dough has chilled, lightly flour your countertop. Roll the cookie dough out to about a ¼-inch thickness, then cut out cookies approximately 2 ½ inches wide. There should be 26-28 cookies. Then, use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out the middle of half of the cookie circles.
- Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, then bake them in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before filling.
Raspberry Jam:
- In a medium pot, combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Heat the mixture over high heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula. Once the mixture starts to bubble up along the sides of the pot, reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook the mixture for 10-12 minutes, or until you start to feel it thicken. To test if the jam is ready, I usually like to run my spatula along the bottom of the pot in a straight line. If it takes more than a second for the line to fill back up, the jam is usually ready.
- Once ready, remove the pot from the heat and transfer the jam to a heatproof container. I usually like to keep the raspberry seeds in the jam, but you can strain the jam through a sieve to get rid of the seeds if desired.
- Let the jam cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to a piping bag.
Assembly:
- Once the cookies have cooled, dust half of them (the ones without the middle) with powdered sugar.
- Pipe a teaspoon of raspberry jam in the middle of each normal cookie, then top with the cookies dusted with powdered sugar. Be sure not to overfill the cookies with jam or it will ooze out when you sandwich the cookies together. Enjoy!
- Stored in an airtight container, these cookies will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Yield: The number of cookies that this recipe yields depends on the size of the cookie cutter you use.
- Make Ahead Instructions: If you'd like to prepare the dough ahead of time, you can refrigerate it for 2-3 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. You can also freeze the baked cookies and let them thaw to room temperature before serving.
- Inspiration: This recipe is an adaptation of my Rose Cardamom Shortbread Cookies! I used that shortbread recipe as the base for these cookies and added in a few flavors traditionally found in Linzer cookies.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Austrian
These were delicious! Thanks for a new treat!
So glad to hear you enjoyed them, Reese 😊