Name: Christmas Linzer Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 200 g unsalted butter (softened); 150 g icing sugar ((powdered sugar)); 2 egg yolks; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 300 g plain flour ((all-purpose flour)); 100 g almond meal ((ground almonds)); 3 g fine salt; Raspberry Jam (or any jam of your choice); icing sugar ((powdered sugar) for dusting)

Christmas Linzer Cookies

Here in Switzerland, we eat Linzer Cookies throughout the year. However, we go into full cookie production mode around Christmas, and I would say that these Linzer Cookies are the jewel in the Christmas cookie tin.

Linzer Cookies are always popular with both kids and adults, and you can change things up by using different shapes, as well as different flavours of jam.

In the lead up to Christmas, the Swiss supermarkets sell ready-made cookie dough for a variety of European Christmas cookies (it’s hard to find ready-made cookie dough at any other time of the year), and whilst it is easy to simply buy ready-made dough for Linzer Cookies (they actually taste pretty good), you will definitely notice the difference in taste and texture when making them from scratch.

christmas linzer cookies filled with jam

What are Linzer Cookies?

Linzer Cookies originate from Austria and are buttery sandwich cookies with a jam filling.

The more traditional Linzer Cookies are lightly spiced with cinnamon and cloves, but many variations exist. The most popular version is probably a buttery, shortbread-like cookie sandwiched with jam, as this appeals to the most palates (and especially children).

christmas linzer cookies on marble plate

Linzer Cookies Recipe

My recipe for Linzer Cookies is a “kid-friendly” version, namely that it omits the spice which is more often found in a traditional Linzer Cookie which is said to originate from Austria. In fact, many European Christmas cookies are spiced cookies – they are often heady with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves or a combination of these three spices and more. All of these spices work really well with a sweet jam filling.

However, if you are making these cookies with mostly children in mind, it is not uncommon to omit the spice.

As my family love cinnamon in all cakes and bakes, I typically add about 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the dough. But if we are giving the cookies as gifts, I often omit the spice. You can do as you please!

christmas linzer cookies dusted with icing sugar

In the lead up to Christmas here in Switzerland, the supermarkets start selling Linzer Cookie cutter sets which are inexpensive and fun to collect. The sets typically contain a round cookie cutter and an assortment of shapes for you to cut out from the centre of the cookies.

If Linzer Cookie cutter sets are not readily available where you live, you can easily improvise with:

a smooth round or crinkle cut cookie cutter, plus
a small novelty-shaped cutter for the centre of the cookies.

In Switzerland, Germany and Austria, it is also possible to buy mini shaped cutters to use for the centre of Linzer Cookies.

If you want to be a bit more creative, try my recipe for Christmas Tree Linzer Cookies! For this recipe, you will need a Christmas tree cookie cutter and a small round cutter.

^{Recipe for Christmas Tree Linzer Cookies with step-by-step photos}

How to Make Christmas Linzer Cookies

Step 1

Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. I like to use my electric stand mixer with the flat paddle attachment.

Then lightly beat through the egg yolks and vanilla.

Step 2

Measure the flour, almond meal (ground almonds) and salt into a large bowl.

Gradually beat in the flour mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Once all of the flour has been added, the mixture should form into a soft dough.

Step 3

Gently knead the dough into a soft ball, and then divide the dough into two pieces.

Step 4

Place one piece of dough between two sheets of baking paper. Roll out the dough until it is 2-3 mm thick. Repeat with the other piece of dough.

Place both sheets of dough on a large baking tray, and place them into the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. At this stage, you can keep the dough in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Step 5

Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the dough. You will need an even number of cookies – half of the cookies will be plain to form the “cookie bottoms”, and the other half will have a decorative shape cut out to form the top of the cookies.

Place the cut out cookies onto a large baking tray lined with baking paper.

Place the tray in the fridge for at least 1 hour for the dough to chill. It is best to bake the cookies when the dough is very firm and cold, so as to ensure that the cookies will keep their shape upon baking. Otherwise, if you bake the cookies when the dough is soft and warm, you may end up with some cookies which are larger than others, which will be obvious when you later sandwich them together.

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F (without fan). Place a metal tray on the middle shelf of the oven.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just start to colour. You want these cookies to be quite pale in colour. The baking time will depend on the size of your cookies, as well as your oven. If you prefer to have more crisp or crunchy cookies, you can bake them for a touch longer until they are lightly golden.

Leave the cookies to rest on the hot baking tray for about 5 minutes, before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 7

Place the cookies with cut-out shapes on a large sheet of baking paper. Dust them with icing sugar (powdered sugar), as little or as much as you like.

Step 8

Place a scant teaspoon of jam in the centre of the cookie bottoms. You need enough jam to spread to the edges of the cookies when sandwiched together.

Sandwich the cookies together gently.

Tips For Making Linzer Cookies

Chill the dough. The dough needs to be chilled so that it is easy to handle. If you have a warm kitchen, work with a fan or the air-conditioning turned on.
Re-roll. Any dough scraps can be re-rolled and re-chilled.
Make time. Making sandwich cookies takes time, so set aside a good 2-3 hours to make them (especially if your kids are “helping”). You can get a head start by making and rolling the dough the night before.
Use your favourite jam. My favourite jam for Linzer Cookies is apricot jam or quince jelly, but raspberry jam or strawberry jam looks very festive. The jam doesn’t need to be homemade, but it’s worth using a good-quality jam.
Crisp vs soft cookies. I like to eat Linzer Cookies on the day they are made when the cookies are a little crisp. But they also taste great after a few days when the cookies have softened and the jam has dried out and become chewy. Yum!

Recipes Using Egg Whites

This Linzer Cookie recipe uses egg yolks to bind the dough together. The egg whites can be frozen and later defrosted to use in other recipes, which is helpful to know because, if you end up making 3 batches of Linzer Cookies to give away as gifts at Christmas, you will end up with a lot of leftover egg whites.

I like to freeze egg whites in pairs for quick defrosting, and my favourite recipes for using egg whites include:

Classic Pavlova – uses 3 to 4 egg whites
Chocolate Pavlova – uses 3 to 4 egg whites
Lemon Drizzle Friands – uses 6 egg whites
Raspberry Friands – uses 6 egg whites
Blueberry Financiers – uses 6 egg whites
Angel Food Cake – uses 12 egg whites

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