These raspberry linzer cookies are so stunning and yet so easy to make. It is a great recipe to make with your kids. I love to huddle in the kitchen with mine and whip these up together.
Every year around the holidays we bake cookies to fill our holiday cookie box and these rasberry linzer cookies are such a great addition to it.
What are linzer cookies?
Linzer Cookies are an Austrian cookie really similar to short bread cookies, but then flavored with almonds. Two cookies are usually sandwiched together with a layer of jam in the middle, but a chocolate or caramel spread is used sometimes as well. The top cookie usually has a cut-out, so you can see the filling. I used a Christmas tree cutout for most of mine, but you can use any shape you want! A star, a Christmas bell or something unrelated to the holiday, for example a heart.
My version of linzer cookies are not the traditional Austrian ones, because I used a simple shortbread dough and no almonds. But I have substituted half a cup of spelt flour for almond flour before and it works really well, giving the cookie a little bit of a different bite. So go ahead and do that if you want almond (flavor) in your cookies.
How I make these raspberry linzer cookies?
Make the raspberry jam
I start with making raspberry jam, if I don’t have any left in the refrigerator. But using store bought raspberry jam is an option too. If you want to make it yourself, my berry chia jam is so easy to make!
Having said that, you can also use Nutella or caramel in stead of raspberry jam in these linzer cookies.
Make the cookie dough
In my stand mixer with paddle attachment, I beat together butter (that is at room temperature, for better mixing), icing sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. This usually takes a bit, more or less 3 minutes.
I sift the flour (important step!) and add it to the mixture until it is just combined. At this point, a soft cookie dough ball will begin to form.
I remove the dough for the linzer cookies from the stand mixer, wrap it in cling foil and then refrigerate it for 30 minutes so the dough ball firms up. Because the butter content is so high in these linzer cookies, the dough will be influenced much quicker, especially in a hot climate. Refrigerating the dough will make it easier to roll out.
Rolling out the dough
Now I roll out the dough with a rolling pin. I add extra flour to my countertop and rolling pin to prevent it from sticking. I aim to roll it out to ¼ inch thickness. If you prefer, you can also roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Just make sure the rolled out dough does not warm up too much, otherwise it will stick to the parchment paper.
I live in a hot climate, so usually I need to refrigerate my rolled out dough again. A firm slab of dough is easier to handle when you want to cut out cookies. If you think you need to do that too, put it on a lined baking tray and leave it in the freezer for 10 minutes (or 30 minutes in the refrigerator).
Cutting out the cookies
Using a 3-inch circle cookie cutter, I cut out circle shapes. I make sure I have an even amount of cookies, because you need two to form a sandwich cookie. If there is leftover dough, I reroll the dough and cut out more cookies.
Using a small (1½ inch) cookie cutter, I cut out a shape – in this case a Christmas tree – in the center of half of all the cookies.
Baking the cookies
I transfer all the cookies to two baking trays lined with parchment paper. All the whole cookies on one baking tray and the ones with a cut-out center on the other one.
I slide the baking trays in the oven and bake them on top and bottom racks or next to each other on the center rack. I make sure to rotate and switch the trays halfway through, until the edges are light golden, about 12-15 minutes. When they are done, I remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool. First on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then I transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool off.
Forming sandwich cookies by filling them
I spread raspberry jam over the bottom of each whole cookie. Then I dust all the cut-out cookies with icing sugar and place each one on a cookie with jam filling. Now the raspberry linzer cookies are ready!
I love these raspberry linzer cookies! And so do my boys. I hope you do too. They are:
easy to make – melt in you mouth crumbly – great for the holidays – fun to make with kids – easily adjustable – and SO SO delicious!
Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? How about these cute almond cinnamon owl cookies, chai spiced sugar cookies, stuffed gingerbread house cookies, healthier snickerdoodle cookies, or these surfing gingerbread men cookies?
Raspberry linzer cookies
Equipment
- 2 Baking trays
- parchment paper
- (Christmas) cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 250 gr butter (or sub vegan butter)(approx. 1 cup or 2 sticks of butter)
- 100 gr icing sugar (or sub xylitol)(approx. ¾ cup)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract (you can also use almond extract if you prefer a almond flavor. I would recommend using ¼ tsp)
- 250 gr spelt flour (or sub all purpose flour)(approx. 2 cups)
- ½ cup raspberry jam (homemade* or store bought)
extra ingredients
- extra flour for rolling out the dough
- extra icing sugar for dusting the cookies
Instructions
- Make raspberry jam from scratch following this recipe berry chia jam. If you use store bought jam you can skip this step.
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat together butter (that is at room temperature, for better mixing), icing sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. This usually takes a bit; more or less 3 minutes. Sift the flour and add it to the mixture until it is just combined. At this point, a soft cookie dough ball will begin to form.Remove the dough from the stand mixer, wrap it in cling foil and then refrigerate it for 30 minutes, so the dough ball firms up.
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Add extra flour to your countertop and rolling pin to prevent it from sticking. Roll it out to ¼ inch thickness. If you prefer, you can also roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Just make sure the rolled out dough does not warm up too much, otherwise it will stick to the parchment paper.
- If you live in a hot climate, you will probably need to refrigerate the rolled out dough again. A firm slab of dough is easier to handle when you want to cut out cookies. If you think you need to do that, put it on a lined baking tray and leave it in the freezer for 10 minutes (or 30 minutes in the refrigerator).
- Use a 3-inch circle cookie cutter to cut out circle shapes. Cut out an even amount of cookies. If there is leftover dough, reroll the dough and cut out more cookies.Use a small (1½ inch) cookie cutter to cut out a shape in the center of half of all the cookies.
- Transfer all the cookies to the two lined baking trays. All the whole cookies on one baking tray and the ones with a cut-out center on the other one.Slide the baking trays in the oven and bake them on top and bottom racks or next to each other on the center rack. Make sure to rotate and switch the trays halfway through. Bake them until the edges are light golden, about 12-15 minutes. When they are done, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool. First on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then I transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool off.
- Spread raspberry jam over the bottom of each whole cookie. Then dust all the cut-out cookies with icing sugar and place each one on a cookie with jam filling.
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