Linzer cookies are conventional Austrian jam-filled sandwich cookies! This basic recipe is straightforward to whip up at dwelling.

In terms of Christmas cookies, right here’s one kind we are able to’t resist: Linzer cookies! This basic Austrian sandwich cookie stars buttery almond shortbread with enjoyable cutout window to indicate a layer of fruity preserves, making a deal with that’s nuanced and simply candy sufficient. This recipe spells childhood nostalgia for us, and right here we’re sharing a conventional recipe for this basic cookie!

Elements in linzer cookies

Linzer cookies are a shortbread jam-filled sandwich cookie primarily based on the Austrian dessert Linzer torte, a tart made with floor nuts and fruit preserves. Linzer cookies usher in these signature flavors by making a shortbread with each all-purpose flour and almond flour, which provides it a fancy, nutty taste. The standard form options cut-out home windows the place the jam exhibits by.

This recipe comes from my expensive Austrian buddy Milena’s mom: Milena presently lives in Vienna, however we grew up collectively in Minnesota consuming Linzer cookies on the holidays. This recipe has the nostalgia of childhood throughout it for us, and it’s good for the vacations, Valentine’s Day, or any time you want a candy deal with. Right here’s what you’ll want for traditional Linzer cookies:

• Flour
• Almond flour
• Cinnamon
• Tremendous sea salt
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla extract
• Raspberry jam or different fruit preserves
• Powdered sugar

Tip: use almond flour, not almond meal!

Keep away from utilizing almond meal for Linzer cookies: search for almond flour when you find yourself buying. It’s best to be capable to discover it at your native grocery, relying in your location.

• Almond flour is comprised of blanched almonds, or almonds with their skins eliminated. It’s floor very finely, leading to a fluffy texture in baked items.
• Almond meal comprises the skins, making it darker brown in colour as an alternative of off-white like almond flour. It has a coarser grind than almond flour and leads to denser, chewy texture in baked items.

Linzer cookie cutter and an alternate

Linzer cookies are a cutout cookie with a twist! As an alternative of reducing out only one cookie, you’ll want two: a cookie with a window and a stable cookie. There are particular cookie cutters only for this function, however it’s also possible to use a various primarily based on what you will have at dwelling.

• Possibility 1: Use a Linzer cookie cutter. We like this Linzer cookie cutter. It comes with numerous cutout window shapes: hearts, stars, flowers, and so on. It’s price shopping for when you plan to make Linzer cookies a number of instances!
• Possibility 2: Use a 2-inch round cutter and a smaller form for the window. In the event you occur to have each of those shapes readily available, it’s straightforward to make your individual model of cutout cookies!

Ideas for making the cookies

Linzer cookies are a enjoyable baking challenge that leads to visually-stunning, sugar dusted cookies with brilliant shapes of jam. There are a number of notes for the way to put collectively this recipe:

• Chill the dough 1 to three hours. That is essential with a cutout cookie dough: you’ll need it good and chilly to get uniform shapes.
• Gently roll the dough barely lower than 1/4-inch thick. This makes simply the suitable thickness for the completed cookie.
• Easy cutout window shapes (like circles and hearts) are simpler to chop out. The celebs have been a bit trickier to chop, and so they grew to become extra distorted when baked. However, they nonetheless turned out nice.

Linzer cookie storage data

When you’ve made your linzer cookies, you in all probability received’t be consuming all 30 directly. The way to retailer them? Listed here are some ideas and notes about storage:

• The cookies style crisp the primary day, then gentle after storage. They’re scrumptious each methods, however we just like the gentle model greatest!
• Retailer in a container with a number of layers of parchment paper or foil between every. The powdered sugar on the underside layer of cookies after a number of days, so it’s good to guard between every layer.
• Retailer at room temperature for two days or refrigerated as much as 2 weeks. With room temperature storage, the powdered sugar can begin to soften on the cookies which are stacked in layers beneath different cookies. We suggest storing them refrigerated for long run storage. 
• Or, freeze for as much as 3 months. The powdered sugar topping is a bit fragile, so take into account the cookies look greatest when they’re recent.

Extra cookie recipes

Love an excellent batch of cookies? Listed here are a number of extra enjoyable cookie recipes to get pleasure from: