Linzer Cookies
Slighty nutty with a rich, tender crumb, these jam filled Linzer Cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday baking line-up.
Equipment
- 2 mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Linzer cookie cutters, or a 3-4 inch round cookie cutter with a small cookie cutter to make a hole in the middle
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅔rd cup almond flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔rd cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest about 1 medium lemon
- 1 egg, room temperature if you forget to leave the egg out to get to room temperature I recommend simply submerging it in a cup of warm water for about 5 minutes
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- extra flour, for dusting
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- 12-20 tsp jam, about ½-3/4th tsp per cookie depending on preference If you are in the DFW or OKC areas I highly recommend Preserve International jams. So delicious and supports such a great cause.
Instructions
- Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add in almond flour and stir with a spoon until well combined. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer or mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, around 2-3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add in egg, lemon juice and vanilla and almond extract. Turn speed to medium-high and beat for around 2 minutes until well combined.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add in the remaining flour mixture and beat on low until combined.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal sections and form each section into a disk. Wrap each disk in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.
- After at least 1 hour, remove the first disk from the fridge. Generously flour your work space and rolling pin and roll the dough out to approximately ⅛th inch thickness. Use your round, larger cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. Then use your smaller cookie cutter to cut a hole or shape out of the middle of every other cookie.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place your cut out cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for around 10-15 minutes to firm up before baking to prevent spreading.
- Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for 9-11 minutes until very lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire wrack to cool.
- Repeat the process with the 2nd disk of dough until all dough is used up.
- Once the cookies are cool, gently sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies with the middles cut out.
- Then place ½-3/4th tsp jam in the middle of the whole cookies, using a spoon to spread.
- Place the powdered sugared cookies on top of the cookies with the jam, gently sandwiching them together. *Note* Because the cookies are thin you'll want to do this very gently, pressing along the center rather than the edges so they don't crack.
- Linzer cookies are best served the day they are made, but I find that if you store them in the fridge they are delicious for about 2-3 days after (albeit a bit softer, which to be honest I kind of like). Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!