We’ve got a traditional magnificence on right now’s menu: linzer cookies. The dough might be made with both pistachios or almonds, and your favourite taste of jam for the filling. These beautiful sandwich cookies style finest on day 2, in order that they’re a beautiful make-ahead vacation cookie choice!
This recipe was first printed in 2017, and now consists of each pistachio and conventional almond variations, plus recent images and useful new success suggestions.
What Are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer cookies originated in Austria, as a twist on linzer torte, a sort of pastry crammed with fruit preserves and nuts. These festive, stained glass window-esque cookies are simply among the prettiest cookies round, particularly on vacation cookie trays.
Linzer cookies are historically constructed from a nutty almond-based cookie dough, like my cherry almond linzer cookies. For this traditional linzer cookie recipe, you should use both almonds or pistachios. Or be happy to make use of hazelnuts, like we use for these caramel hazelnut linzer cookies.
The dough is rolled out, lower into shapes, and baked… similar to sugar cookies. Then the cookies are completed with a lightweight dusting of confectioners’ sugar, and sandwiched along with candy jam.
I particularly love the combos of almond cookies + apricot jam in addition to the marginally salty pistachio cookies + candy raspberry jam. Play round with the flavors and discover your favourite!
What to Count on
- Texture: They’re nutty and deliciously textured. Linzers are crunchy proper out of the oven, however after sandwiching jam within the middle, they start to melt. The magic occurs on day 2 when the jam melts down into the cookies, making the entire sandwich cookie smooth and tender. With out query, they style BEST when made forward of time.
- Taste: Belief me after I let you know that they style even higher than they appear. Nutty pistachios or almonds pair completely with candy brown sugar, jam, and cinnamon, leading to a remarkably flavorful cookie. Furthermore, they’re completely customizable—merely use your favourite jam and cookie cutters.
- Ease: That is an intermediate baking recipe as a result of there’s exact shaping concerned. I like to recommend attempting linzer cookies in the event you’re on the lookout for a enjoyable baking challenge or an elevated addition to your lineup of Christmas cookies!
- Time: Along with the preparation of the dough and the baking, you’ll must chill the dough for at the least 3 hours. If you wish to save time, contemplate whipping up a batch of dough upfront and storing it within the freezer (see recipe Notes). Whenever you’re able to bake, merely thaw in a single day within the fridge.
Overview: Tips on how to Make Linzer Cookies
The complete printable recipe is beneath, however let’s stroll by way of it so that you perceive every step earlier than you get began.
Pulse the pistachios or almonds along with brown sugar right into a positive crumb. Use a meals processor for this step.
Whisk the dry components, then beat the moist components. Combine within the dry components and floor nuts—the dough will look crumbly however comes collectively shortly. Divide the dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap, and chill for at the least 3 hours.
Roll every dough half to 1/4 inch, lower out rounds, and lower middle holes in half of them. I name the cookies with holes within the middle “donut cookies.”
Bake the stable rounds and “donut” rounds individually. As soon as the cookies have cooled, mud the donut tops with confectioners’ sugar, then unfold jam on the bottoms and sandwich collectively.
Favourite Cookie Cutters to Use
Linzer cookies might be lower into any form, however I really like them with scalloped edges. You’ll want 2 cookie cutters: one cookie cutter that’s 2 inches in diameter and one other that’s 1 inch. Some choices embrace this fluted-edge cookie cutter set, which incorporates many sizes, or this vacation linzer cookie cutter set. You may make a easy spherical middle gap, or get slightly fancy with slightly coronary heart, star, or diamond form.
All of the cookies shall be lower with the 2-inch cookie cutter, however solely HALF shall be lower once more right into a “donut” cookie.
Fillings for Linzer Cookies
I particularly love these with each apricot preserves and raspberry jam, however truthfully, any taste works. I really like the almond-cherry pairing in these iced cherry almond linzer cookies. Or use hazelnuts within the dough like we do in these caramel hazelnut linzer cookies, and fill with caramel, or attempt Nutella. Blackberry preserves, orange marmalade, and even lemon curd… attempt a couple of choices and uncover your favourite linzer cookie filling—it might shock you!
And listed here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my finest success guides & suggestions.
Description
These traditional Linzer cookies begin with a nutty almond- or pistachio-based dough, then bake into tender, calmly spiced rounds sandwiched with candy jam. Stunning on vacation trays and even higher on day 2, this make-ahead recipe consists of detailed rolling, reducing, and freezing directions.
- Place the nuts and brown sugar in a meals processor. Pulse into a really positive crumb. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar collectively on medium-high velocity till fully easy and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat on excessive velocity till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the flour combination and the bottom nut combination to the moist components and blend on low velocity till mixed. It is going to be crumbly at first, however will come collectively after a pair minutes of blending.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, gently flatten into discs, and wrap every in plastic wrap. Chill the discs within the fridge for at the least 3 hours and as much as 4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line massive baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (At all times advisable for cookies.) Put aside. If the dough chilled for longer than 3 hours, permit to take a seat at room temperature for at the least 20 minutes earlier than rolling as a result of the dough shall be fairly arduous.
- Generously flour a piece floor, in addition to your palms and rolling pin. The dough could turn out to be sticky as you’re employed, so have further flour close by to make use of as wanted. Alternatively, the dough could crack when rolling out. If that occurs, wait a couple of minutes for it to melt up, then attempt once more. The extra you’re employed with it, the softer and extra manageable it would turn out to be. Roll out the primary disc of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Utilizing a 2-inch spherical or fluted cookie cutter, lower the dough into circles. Re-roll the dough scraps and proceed reducing till all is used. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You must have about 64 circles.
- Utilizing a 1-inch spherical or fluted cookie cutter, lower a gap into the middle of 32 of the circles. Let’s name these 32 cookies the “donut cookies” due to that middle gap.
- Prepare the entire circles and the donut cookies 2 inches aside and on separate baking sheets (as a result of the donut cookies take 1 much less minute to bake).
- Bake the entire circles for about 11 minutes, or till calmly browned across the edges, and bake the donut cookies for about 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets midway by way of the bake time. Enable cookies to chill on the baking sheets for five minutes. Utilizing a sieve or sifter, mud the “donut cookies” with confectioners’ sugar, then switch the entire cookies to a cooling rack to chill fully earlier than assembling.
- Unfold 1/2 teaspoon of jam on the underside of every entire cookie. Fastidiously prime every with a donut cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.
- Retailer tightly coated at room temperature for as much as 3 days or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward Directions: You possibly can chill the cookie dough within the fridge for as much as 4 days (see step 5), however you too can freeze it for as much as 3 months. In the event you go for the latter, permit the dough to thaw in a single day within the fridge, then deliver to room temperature earlier than rolling out in step 7. Cookies freeze nicely for as much as 3 months; thaw in a single day within the fridge and produce to room temperature earlier than serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | 2.5-inch Cookie Cutter (Spherical or Fluted) | 1-inch Cookie Cutter (Spherical or Fluted) | Effective Mesh Sieve | Cooling Rack
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Nuts: Use salted or unsalted almonds or pistachios, both work. I desire salted for a refined sweet-and-salty stability. Roasted or uncooked are positive as nicely, although roasted nuts add essentially the most taste.
- Jam/Filling Choices: I particularly love these with each apricot preserves and raspberry jam, however truthfully, any taste works. I really like the almond-cherry pairing in these iced cherry almond linzer cookies. You could possibly additionally attempt fig jam, orange marmalade, or blackberry jam.
- You should definitely try my prime 5 cookie baking suggestions AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
