These linzer cookies use a simple shortbread cookie recipe, and are filled with delicious raspberry jam. They definitely make a statement with the peekaboo cutout, and they will be a hit when you serve them for dessert!
I love these raspberry linzer cookies for Christmas. I think it's because I love any dessert with jam in it. I'll give you a little information about linzer cookies below.
What Are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer Cookies are an Austrian cookie where the cookie dough is flavoured with almonds. Two cookies are sandwiched together with a layer of jam in the middle. The top cookie usually has some sort of cutout, so you can see the jam through the cutout. I used a Christmas tree cutout for mine, but you can use any shape you want! A heart for Valentine's day, a star, etc.
This version of linzer cookies aren't the traditional Austrian version, since they aren't flavoured with almond. Instead, they use a traditional shortbread recipe for the cookie.
Do I Have to Use Raspberry Jam in these Linzer Cookies?
No, you can use any flavour jam you want! I used raspberry jam since I'm made these around Christmas and wanted them to look festive. Specifically, I used an Italian jam that I love. You could totally go against the grain and use an orange jam, blackberry jam, or even fig jam too!
Can I Freeze Linzer Cookies?
Yes! You can freeze the whole cookie, but just make sure to add parchment between the layers if you're stacking the cookies on top of each other. You may have to dust them again with icing sugar once thawed.
Another option is to freeze the cookies without filling them. Once you're ready to serve them, you can thaw the cookies, fill them with jam, and dust with icing sugar.
Top Tips for Making Raspberry Linzer Cookies:
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature, or else it won't mix well.
- Ensure the flour is sifted before mixing, or else the dough won't come together.
- You can use any cookie cutter shape you would like for the center cutout. I used a Christmas tree, but a candy cane or a star would be cute too.
- Try to work quickly when rolling out the dough, and cutting it with the cookie cutters, because it tends to melt since the butter content is so high. Add more flour if needed.
- You can use any flavoured jam you'd like for these cookies. I used raspberry jam, but you can easily use strawberry, orange, fig, cherry, apricot...anything really!
Other Cookie Recipes You Might Like:
- Lucy's Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
- Almond Swirl Cookies with Amarena Cherries
- Pizzelle 3 Ways
If you’ve tried making these Raspberry Linzer Cookies, or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.
Recipe
Raspberry Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup icing sugar, sifted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- ½ cup italian raspberry jam
- Extra flour to roll out the dough
- Extra icing sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together butter, icing sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. This may take a bit – at least 3 minutes. Continuing with the stand mixer, add flour to the mixture until just combined. At this point, a ball of dough will begin to form.
- Remove dough from stand mixer, and knead with your hands until a full ball forms, about 1 minute. Wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the dough to harden so it’s easier to roll out.
- Roll out dough with a rolling pin, adding extra flour to your rolling surface and rolling pin if dough begins to stick. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness.
- Using 3 inch circle cookie cutter, cut out circle shapes, rerolling and cutting scraps.
- Using 1 ½ inch Christmas cookie cutter, cut out shape in center of half of the circle cookies.
- Arrange whole and cutout cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake on top and bottom racks, rotating and switching pans halfway through, until edges are light golden, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool.
- Spread jam over bottom of each whole cookie. Dust icing sugar over cutout cookies. Place on cookie with jam filling, sugar side up.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature, or else it won't mix well.
- Ensure the flour is sifted before mixing, or else the dough won't come together.
- You can use any cookie cutter shape you would like for the center cutout. I used a Christmas tree, but a candy cane or a star would be cute too.
- Try to work quickly when rolling out the dough, and cutting it with the cookie cutters, because it tends to melt since the butter content is so high. Add more flour if needed.
- You can use any flavoured jam you'd like for these cookies. I used raspberry jam, but you can easily use strawberry, orange, fig, cherry, apricot...anything really!
Alex says
Hey, this recipe looks so delicious and I'd like to try it for this years chrismas cookie box.
How many cookies do you get out of this recipe?
Regards,
Alex
Pina says
Hi thanks so much for your question! It will make about 9-10 cookies 🙂
Jacqueline says
Where did you get the cookie cutters?
Pina says
Hi Jacqueline! I got the circle cookie cutters from the dollar store, and the Christmas tree cutter I borrowed from a friend. But I think Amazon is a good source for any type of cookie cutter. I recently bought some star cookie cutters on there that I am very happy with!
Kamila Straker says
Pina, great looking cookies. Where did you get the Christmas tree cutter and how big is it? I can't find anything small enough to fit my round cookies. THanks.
Pina says
Hi Kamila! The base of the tree cookie cutter, the widest part is 1 3/4 inches wide. I know, it's har to find something that small! I borrowed the cookie cutter from a friend and she got it in a Christmas cookie cutter set at Winners (which is like the Canadian version of Home Goods or Marshalls). I did check Amazon and found these: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Cookie-Cutters-Set-Gingerbread/dp/B076J8ZVJ5/ref=sxin_3_ac_d_rm?ac_md=1-1-c21hbGwgY2hyaXN0bWFzIGNvb2tpZSBjdXR0ZXJz-ac_d_rm&crid=VST67R30P5UH&keywords=mini+christmas+cookie+cutters&pd_rd_i=B076J8ZVJ5&pd_rd_r=92066aa1-151a-4ca5-8b7a-44ea197beaf6&pd_rd_w=sX5i0&pd_rd_wg=OVN0U&pf_rd_p=6d29ef56-fc35-411a-8a8e-7114f01518f7&pf_rd_r=6G0GW05PNZWE8S8S7D0B&psc=1&qid=1577052075&sprefix=mici+christmas+cookie%2Caps%2C219
The Christmas tree is 1.9 inches wide so might be a good option?
Rob says
So crumbly
Followed recipe to a T and then had to add water cause it wouldn't stick together what so ever.
Pina says
Hi Rob, I am so sorry these didn't turn out! I totally understand the frustration when you're excited to make a recipe and then it doesn't turn out. Let me try making these again over the weekend, and see if I can provide any further tips other than the ones listed in the blog post.
When you added water, did the dough come together better?
Patricia says
The recipe picture looked amazing. My dough did not roll well and I was constantly chilling it in the fridge after cutting out a few cookies. I made 7 cookies with the recipe. Personally, too much work for the results.
deans garcha says
These cookies were easy to make and so delicious!!
Pina says
Thank you Deans! That means so much! They're a delicious cookie and I'm glad you liked them.
Linda says
Made these cookies today and they were so easy and really delicious! Thanks for sharing
Pina says
Thanks Linda! So happy you enjoyed them!
Emily says
Please is the any video for this recipe?
Pina says
Hi Emily! Sorry I don't have a recipe video for these cookies at the moment. I will definitely try to add one in the future though!
Thanks for the suggestion.
Kyra says
What is the yield of this recipe? I’d love to include it in my cookie gift boxes this year!
Pina says
Hi Kyra! Thanks for your question! This recipe will make 9-10 cookies. Let me know how they turn out!
Zulema says
Im so excited to try this recipe for the holidays! Is there any adjustments that need to be made to the recipe if Im using hazelnut flour? TIA
Pina says
Hi Zulema! I've never tried these with hazelnut flour, so I can't say what the adjustments would be. I would maybe start with half the amount of hazelnut flour in the recipe and keep adding until you get a ball of dough that holds together. Sorry I can't be more help.
Heather says
Can you make the dough the night before?
Pina says
Yes that should be fine! Just keep it in the fridge and when ready to use, remove from the fridge, and let soften a bit before rolling out.
Beulah says
Thanks for the recipe. I made those beautiful cookies today, followed the recipe exactly they turned out so good..only thing I found was the baking time was to long for my cookies..maybe they were thinner or my oven is hotter…I just adjusted the time as neeed!
Mae West says
Turned out great for us! I was surprised they took that long to bake but I turned my oven down a tiny bit and tried to make sure the dough was super even and then had to keep an eye on them and they're amazing! Great recipe! Thank you.
Christina says
Hi Pina, i love these cookies but they turned out a little dry. I’m wondering if I should’ve made them thicker or they were over baked or if these are drier cookies. Let me know! Thanks!
Pina says
Hi Christina! They're not usually dry so I would make them a little thicker, and maybe bake them for less time! Let me know if that works!
Cara says
These are so great! Can I freeze these after putting the jam? Or should i freeze the cookies and add the jam filling when I’m ready to enjoy them? Thank you!
Pina says
Hi Cara! It would be best to add the jam after freezing the cookies, but you can also freeze them after putting the jam inside.
Hope that helps, and happy baking!
-Pina
Madison Brownlee says
I just made this recipe (I doubled it) and they are perfect!! I bake a lot and like to think I have enough experience to successfully work my way through a new recipe… that being said, it is a perfect recipe. I used blueberry jam and when I tell you these are the die for, they are to die for! My only recommendation is to extend the baking time as it took me quite some time to get the dough soft enough after the fridge to roll out.
Merry Christmas!!!
Becca Schultz says
Just made these tonight! I think I made my cookies too thick and then cooked too long so I’ll be attempting them again soon! Made a few smaller cookies with the dough scraps and covered them in raspberry jam New favourite recipe! They’ll be a hit for Christmas!
Ally says
Made these for a Christmas Cookie Party and they turned out great! Thanks for the new recipe!
Joanna says
I was wondering if you used unsalted or salted butter.
Marianna Belmares says
I made these, curious about the caloric content, I broke it down. YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL US LADY
Ingredient Breakdown for 9 Cookies:
Butter (1 cup):
1 cup = 227 grams
1 gram of butter = 7 calories
227 grams x 7 = 1,589 calories
Icing Sugar (¾ cup, sifted):
1 cup of icing sugar = 120 grams
¾ cup = 90 grams
1 gram of icing sugar = 4 calories
90 grams x 4 = 360 calories
All-Purpose Flour (2 cups, sifted):
1 cup of all-purpose flour = 120 grams
2 cups = 240 grams
1 gram of flour = 3.6 calories
240 grams x 3.6 = 864 calories
Italian Raspberry Jam (½ cup):
1 cup of raspberry jam = ~320 calories
½ cup = 160 calories
Vanilla Extract (½ teaspoon):
Negligible calories (~6 calories).
Extra Icing Sugar for Dusting:
Estimated at ~30 grams or 120 calories.
Total Calories for the Entire Recipe:
Butter: 1,589 calories
Icing Sugar: 360 calories
Flour: 864 calories
Jam: 160 calories
Vanilla + Dusting: 126 calories
Total Calories: 3,099 calories
Calories per Cookie (9 cookies):
3,099 calories ÷ 9 cookies = 344 calories per cookie