These Linzer cookies are soft, buttery, slightly nutty, and the perfect base for any filling! Enjoy them with cherry jam, matcha ganache, or chocolate ganache! And although I used linzer cookie cutters to create different designs, you can always use regular circle cutters and a piping tip to punch out the centers.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- First of all, they’re delicious. They’re tender, buttery, and super easy to make!
- It’s versatile. There are so many filling options you can use, like citrus curds or ganaches.
- The cookies hold their shape incredibly well! The dough barely spreads when baked in the oven, which is perfect for cutting out fun shapes.
Looking for more easy cookie recipes? Try out my cut-out sugar cookies!
Ingredients
To make delicious linzer cookies from scratch, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- You’ll need softened unsalted butter, which you’ll cream with powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Feel free to use vanilla or almond extract in these cookies!
- Linzer cookies normally include almond flour, which adds a slightly nutty taste and tender texture!
- Cornstarch helps the cookies hold their shape while baking. It also contributes to the cookies’ soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- You can use any in linzer cookie filling, like chocolate ganache, strawberry ganache, matcha ganache, cherry jam, or lemon curd!
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
💡 Baking Tips
- Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.
- To minimize sticking, lightly flour your cookie cutter before using! I also like to slide an offset spatula underneath the cut-out cookie when transferring to my lined baking tray.
- Keep cut out shapes in the freezer. The colder the cookie dough, the more they will hold their shape in the oven!
How to Make Linzer Cookies
Step 1: Cream softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in egg yolk and extract until combined.
Step 2: Add dry ingredients, mixing until there are no more dry spots. Roll cookie dough out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper until it is about ¼-inch thick. Transfer the entire stack to a baking tray and freeze for about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Remove parchment paper stack from freezer. Remove top layer then lightly stick it back on. This helps loosen the dough when you remove cut-out shapes. Flip entire stack over to completely remove the other layer of parchment paper. Cut out shapes. Re-roll extra dough and repeat. Bake cookies, 3 inches apart, at 350°F/177°C for 11-13 minutes, or until edges are set.
Step 4: Let cookies sit on baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to fully cool. Feel free to dust with powdered sugar. Pipe or spread on fillings of choice, like chocolate ganache, strawberry ganache, matcha ganache, cherry jam, or lemon curd!
For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
Storage
- Room temperature: Store either unfilled or filled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If using more perishable fillings, like lemon curd or a cream-cheese based filling, keep it in the fridge.
- Freezing instructions:
- If you’d like to freeze the raw dough, you can actually freeze the entire parchment stack on a baking tray for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, pull the parchment stack from the freezer, cut out shapes, and bake as usual. You may need to add 2-3 minutes to the baking time. This is a method I used to do as a pastry cook when I made batches of cut-out cookie dough at a time.
- If you’d like to freeze raw cut-out cookies, arrange them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze or 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once frozen, place them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Bake from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time. Freeze cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw in container at room temperature.
- If freezing already baked and filled cookies, keep an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw in container at room temperature.
😋 More Cookie Recipes
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Thank you so much! -Bianca ❤️
📖 Recipe & Video
Linzer Cookies
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Equipment
- medium mixing bowl for dry ingredients
- large mixing bowl for cookie dough
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (36 g) almond flour
- ½ tablespoon (4 g) cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) ground cinnamon optional
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 (18 g) egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon (13 g) vanilla extract or paste; OR ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Decoration and Filling:
- powdered sugar for dusting, optional
- ¼ cup filling chocolate ganache, matcha ganache, strawberry ganache, cherry jam, lemon curd, etc.
Instructions
For the linzer dough:
- In a medium bowl, stir together all of the dry ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ tablespoon cornstarch, ⅓ cup almond flour, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional).
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the softened ½ cup unsalted butter and ½ cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in 1 tablespoon vanilla and 1 egg yolk until smooth.
- Dump in all of the dry ingredients. Fold using silicone spatula until no dry spots remains.
Roll out dough:
- Now, you will make a "parchment stack". The bottom layer will be a large piece of parchment paper, the cookie dough in the middle, then parchment paper on top. This will make rolling out the dough much easier + mess free.Lay large piece of parchment paper down on work surface. Plop on all of the cookie dough, then lay another piece of parchment on top of it. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a large rectangle, until dough is about ¼-inch thick.
- Transfer parchment stack to a baking tray and freeze for about 15 minutes. This will make cutting out shapes easier.
Cut out & bake cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- This step will help loosen the cookie dough from the parchment paper layers. So when you cut out dough pieces, the dough doesn't stick to the paper and is easier to transfer to your lined baking tray.Peel off top parchment paper, then lightly stick it back on. Flip the entire parchment-cookie dough-parchment stack over so you can completely peel off the bottom parchment paper.
- Using linzer cookie cutters, cut out your desired shapes. For each sandwich cookie, cut out one cookie with the center punched out (this will be the top) and leave one cookie whole (this will be the bottom). If you don’t have Linzer cutters, use any cookie cutter and a piping tip to punch out the centers.Transfer cookies to baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart. The cookies will not spread much while baking.Tip: Lightly flour your cookie cutter to minimize any sticking. When transferring cut-out cookies to your lined baking sheet, you can slide an offset spatula underneath the cookie to easily pick it up. If the dough is getting too soft, pop it back in the fridge or even the freezer for a few minutes.
- Knead together any dough scraps, roll out, and cut out more cookies.Tip: The colder the cut-out cookies, the more they'll hold their shape when baking! Feel free to freeze your cut-out shapes for 10 minutes before popping them in the oven.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until edges are set and very lightly golden. Let cool on pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to fully cool.
Decorate and sandwich cookies:
- Optionally dust powdered sugar on top of the cookies with the cutout centers.
- On the cookies without holes, spread or pipe filling. Sandwich with the other cookie half, and enjoy!
Notes
- Room temperature: Store either unfilled or filled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If using more perishable fillings, like lemon curd or a cream-cheese based filling, keep it in the fridge.
- Freezing instructions:
- If you’d like to freeze the raw dough, you can actually freeze the entire parchment stack on a baking tray for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to bake, pull the parchment stack from the freezer, cut out shapes, and bake as usual. You may need to add 2-3 minutes to the baking time. This is a method I used to do as a pastry cook when I made batches of cut-out cookie dough at a time.
- If you’d like to freeze raw cut-out cookies, arrange them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze or 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once frozen, place them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Bake from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time. Freeze cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw in container at room temperature.
- If freezing already baked and filled cookies, keep an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw in container at room temperature.
