These easy Linzer cookies bring together everything I love in a dessert—sweet, buttery, and just a touch of fruitiness from the jam. With a light dusting of powdered sugar and that peek of jam through the center, they’re perfect for gatherings or whenever you want a treat that feels special without the fuss. The almond flour gives these cookies a little something extra, making them taste like they came straight from a bakery.
This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you’re in a rush, please use the “Jump to Recipe” above!
💭 Bakery-Perfect Linzer Cookies At Home
I love making these Linzer cookies for family gatherings or just a cozy weekend treat—they look impressive but are actually pretty simple to pull off. Plus, the dusting of powdered sugar on top makes them feel extra festive and fancy, even if I’m just enjoying them with a cup of coffee.
- Lots of flavor in one bite. You get sweet and tart jam, subtle cinnamon flavor, and crumbly cookies with a rich almond flavor.
- Fun baking project. From choosing the jam to cutting out unique shapes, making Linzer cookies is a great bonding activity for the whole family.
- Perfect for gifting. These cookies are not only delicious, they’re also delightful to look at! They’re great homemade Christmas gifts, or cut the centers into heart shapes for an extra-special Valentine’s Day surprise.
If you love more festive cookies, check out my Snickerdoodles, Christmas sugar cookies, and strawberry shortcake cookies.
📋 Ingredients and notes
To make these Linzer cookies, you’ll need all-purpose flour, almond flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, jam, salt, and powdered sugar.
Variations & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. Substitute with a gluten-free 1:1 blend if needed.
- Almond flour. Finely ground almonds will also work well.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter and leave it at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before using. This helps the butter and sugar cream together nicely.
- Egg yolk. Helps create a richer dough and binds it together.
- Ground cinnamon. You can also use a pumpkin pie spice blend.
- Jam. These cookies are traditionally filled with strawberry jam or raspberry jam, but you can use any jam that you like. Other delicious filling options are lemon curd, Nutella, or dulce de leche.
- Powdered sugar. To dust the cookies with and help make it look more festive! You can skip this or use coconut sugar.
📖 How to make Linzer cookies
Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2:
In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 3:
In another bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Step 4:
Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk to the butter mixture, and mix until combined.
Step 5:
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until a soft dough forms.
Step 6:
Wrap the Linzer cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 7:
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out 12 cookies using a round cookie cutter, and use a smaller cutter to make a hole in the center of half of the cookies (for the tops).
Step 8:
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 9:
Spread a small amount of jam on the solid cookies (the bottoms), then place the cookies with the cut-out centers (the tops) on top.
Step 10:
Dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving!
Shruthi’s Top Tip
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to roll and cut clean shapes.
- Roll the dough evenly to 1/8-inch thickness to ensure the cookies bake uniformly and hold their shape.
- Use two cookie cutters (one larger, one smaller) for clean, even circles and a neat cut-out in the top cookies.
- Place cookies of similar size on the same baking sheet for even baking, as smaller ones may brown faster.
- Let the cookies cool completely before assembling to prevent the jam from melting and making the cookies soggy.
- Dust the tops with powdered sugar before assembling to keep the jam’s vibrant color intact.
- Use a small offset spatula or spoon to spread a thin layer of jam—too much can make the cookies slide.
- If the dough gets too soft while rolling, pop it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up.
- For a crisper cookie, bake until edges are just golden; for softer cookies, pull them out slightly earlier.
👩🏽🍳 Troubleshooting FAQs
Absolutely! Raspberry and strawberry are traditional, but feel free to use your favorite jam for a unique twist.
If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle a bit of flour on your work surface and rolling pin. If it’s still sticky, refrigerate it for a few more minutes.
Dust the top cookies with powdered sugar before assembling them, so the jam stays vibrant and visible.
Use a smaller cutter or even the back of a piping tip for the center cut-out. Make sure to press firmly and evenly for a clean shape.
Yes, you can freeze unassembled cookies. Just bake, cool, and store in an airtight container. Add jam and assemble after thawing.
🍴 How to serve linzer cookies
These cookies are fancy enough for a party yet easy enough to make for an afternoon tea. During the holidays, I love making gift boxes full of homemade cookies and these are the star of the show, along with Danish butter cookies, lemon shortbread cookies, and Christmas sugar cookies.
🍴Storage and reheating suggestions
Store in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers to keep cookies from sticking.
To freeze, place cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze until firm. Transfer to a freezer bag, layering parchment between the cookies. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
🍴 More jammy cookie recipes
If you like this recipe, check out my other jammy cookies:
3 Ingredient Nutella Cookies
Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and rate! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour, or finely ground almonds
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- ¼ cup raspberry jam, or strawberry jam or your favorite jam
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg yolk to the butter mixture, and mix until combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring until a soft dough forms.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out 12 cookies using a round cookie cutter, and use a smaller cutter to make a hole in the center of half of the cookies (for the tops).
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Let the cookies cool completely.
- Spread a small amount of jam on the solid cookies (the bottoms), then place the cookies with the cut-out centers (the tops) on top. Dust the tops with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to roll and cut clean shapes.
- Roll the dough evenly to 1/8-inch thickness to ensure the cookies bake uniformly and hold their shape.
- Use two cookie cutters (one larger, one smaller) for clean, even circles and a neat cut-out in the top cookies.
- Place cookies of similar size on the same baking sheet for even baking, as smaller ones may brown faster.
- Let the cookies cool completely before assembling to prevent the jam from melting and making the cookies soggy.
- Dust the tops with powdered sugar before assembling to keep the jam’s vibrant color intact.
- Use a small offset spatula or spoon to spread a thin layer of jam—too much can make the cookies slide.
- If the dough gets too soft while rolling, pop it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up.
- For a crisper cookie, bake until edges are just golden; for softer cookies, pull them out slightly earlier.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
