Linzer cookies are handheld riffs on linzer torte, a jam-filled cake from Linz, Austria, that dates to the 1700s. Black currant preserves were traditional in 18th-century Austrian abbeys, but modern bakers customize their linzer cookie recipes in all sorts of ways. Swap blanched and toasted hazelnuts for some or all of the almonds in the flour mixture, add a ¼ tsp. almond extract with the eggs to amplify the nuttiness, or up to ½ tsp. vanilla extract for nostalgic flavor. We like the sweet-tart combination of apricot and raspberry jams in our sandwich cookies, but you can swap in blackberry, mango, strawberry, or whatever jam you love—but do be sure to use jam, not jelly, since the latter is thinner and can create soggy cookies. That said, no law requires you to use a jam-filling. Try spreading Nutella, lemon curd, buttercream, or melted chocolate into your cookie sandwiches.
Shape the cookie dough to suit the season or your mood. Make linzer hearts for Valentine’s Day, trees or stars for Christmas, or use round cookie cutters anytime. If time or energy is limited, simply roll the buttery dough into balls and make thumbprints right on your cookie sheet.
Cooks’ note: You’ll get the best flavor and texture by toasting the almonds and then blitzing them in a food processor. If you don’t have one, cream the butter using an electric mixer (either a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a handheld mixer with beaters). Mix in eggs, followed by the combined dry ingredients, swapping in an equal weight of almond flour for the blanched almonds.
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What you’ll need
Food Processor
$300 At Amazon
Rolling Pin
$20 $18 At Amazon
Fluted Cutter Set
$7 At Amazon
Offset Spatula
$14 $13 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes, plus chilling
Yield
Makes about 24 cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pulse 1½ cups (8 oz.) blanched almonds, toasted and cooled and 3 Tbsp. (38 g) granulated sugar in a food processor until chopped fine. Add 1 cup (113 g) powdered sugar, 2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (56 g) cornstarch, ½ tsp. cinnamon, ¾ tsp. finely grated lemon zest, and ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt pulse until combined well. Add 2¼ sticks (1 cup plus 2 Tbsp.; 254 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and pulse until combined. Add 1 large whole egg plus 1 large egg yolk and pulse until dough just holds together. Divide dough into fourths and form into disks (dough will be sticky). Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
Step 2
Place rack in middle of oven; preheat oven to 325°.
Step 3
Roll out 1 dough disk (keeping remaining disks chilled) between sheets of parchment paper into a ¼"-thick round (10–11" in diameter) and freeze between parchment on a tray until very firm, about 10 minutes. Roll out and freeze remaining 3 dough disks in same manner.
Step 4
Remove top sheet of parchment from 1 round. With a 3½" fluted cookie cutter, cut out cookies; chill scraps. (If dough becomes too soft to work with at any time, freeze on parchment paper until very firm.) With a 1" fluted cookie cutter cut and lift out centers from half of the cookies.
Step 5
Arrange whole cookies and cut-out cookies ½" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake in batches in middle of oven 12–15 minutes, or until edges are pale golden. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. (Cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.) With a spatula, carefully transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining 3 dough rounds and scraps in same manner.
Step 6
On a work surface arrange whole cookies, bottoms down. Drop 1 tsp. from 1⅓ cups jam (such as apricot, strawberry, or raspberry), heated, strained, and cooled, on each cookie, spreading almost to edges. Dust tops of cut-out cookies with powdered sugar and then place one-by-one on top of jam-slicked cookies. Spoon some remaining jam into centers.
Do Ahead: Cookies may be made 4 days ahead and chilled between layers of parchment or wax paper in an airtight container. Bring cookies to room temperature before serving.
Editor’s note: This linzer cookie recipe was first printed in the September 1996 issue of ‘Gourmet’ as ‘Strawberry and Apricot Linzertorte Hearts.’ Head this way for more of our best Valentine’s desserts →
Recipe notes
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