Name: Easter Linzer Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 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 ground almonds ((almond meal)); ½ teaspoon fine salt; Apricot Jam; icing sugar ((powdered sugar) for dusting)

Easter Linzer Cookies

Easter in Switzerland is usually celebrated with Zopfhasen, or Easter Bunny Rolls. But as Linzer Cookies are popular here throughout the year, I thought it was fitting to recreate an Easter version. These Easter Linzer Cookies are inspired by an Instagram post from Nigella Lawson and, honestly, they make for the cutest gifts!

I always make Hot Cross Buns in the lead up to Easter, and an Easter brunch almost always includes an Easter Egg Nest Cake or a Lemon Curd Pavlova, both of which are, incidentally, also recipes from Nigella Lawson. But I think there is always room for some cookies, and these Easter Linzer Cookies are a fun activity to make with the kids.

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).

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, for this Easter version, I prefer to leave out the spice for a lighter and brighter cookie.

As you might notice from the photos, I have used Apricot Jam and Lemon Curd in the filling these Easter Linzer Cookies to form the “yolk”, but any orange or yellow coloured jam would work, such as Orange Marmalade, lemon marmalade or quince jam (my favourite!).

How to Make 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.

For these Easter Linzer Cookies, I used an egg-shaped cookie cutter, plus the end of a piping nozzle for the yolk. For a more traditional-style Easter Linzer Cookie, you can also find Easter-themed cookie cutters which are egg-shaped.

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. For these Easter Linzer Cookies, I recommend using an orange or yellow coloured jam for the “yolk”, such as an Orange Marmalade, Apricot Jam, quince jam, or Lemon Curd. 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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