Linzer Cookie Origins
A Linzer cookie is synonymous with the holidays in my mind. Originally from Linz, Austria, anything Austrian or German has an instant connection with Christmas to me. The original recipe is from King Arthur flour’s website. I made a few adjustments to the jam that makes all the difference. Hopefully this blog will still be going in December 2022 and you can make these for your next holiday gathering. Even if its not the holidays, these cookies are delicious year-round. So hit that jump to recipe button up top so you can get to making these delicious cookies.
Cookie Disclaimer
Cookies not guaranteed to save the holidays. If you’re putting all your hope on cookies saving your holidays, they’re probably beyond saving already. If you can shove one in your racist uncle’s mouth before he says something offensive, he might forget what he was about to say. There’s only one way to find out.
As far as this recipe being “authentic” I looked into this and it seems pretty authentic. The dough uses almond flour and the jam is strained. Needing to make your own jam is not necessary. You can use preserves or jelly, or whatever you want for the filling. So make it “authentically” your own. Having been to Linz, there are several variations on Linzer cookies there. Everyone makes them a bit differently and one variation isn’t more authentic than any other. So long as they taste good, who cares.
Linzer Cookie Recipe
Linzer Cookies that will save the holidays*
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Rolling pin (wine bottle works in a pinch)
- 2-1/2" Round Cookie Cutter
- Wire sieve/strainer
- Sauce Pan
- Cookie Sheet
- parchment paper or Silpat
- Cooling tray
Ingredients
Raspberry Jam
- 24 oz Fresh Raspberries frozen works too, it'll just take a bit longer to make the jam
- 400 g White Sugar 2 cups if you don't have a scale
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
Cookie Dough
- 170 grams Butter (softened) 1 and 1/2 stick if you haven't got a scale
- 100 grams White Sugar or 1/2 cup
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 160 grams All-Purpose Flour or 1-1/3 cup
- 72 grams Almond Flour or 3/4 cup
- 1 pinch Sea Salt 1/4 tsp if you need an actual measurement
- Powdered Sugar for dusting
Instructions
Raspberry Jam
- Take a plate and put it in the freezer, this is important for later. Next, rinse the raspberries and place them in the sauce pan on low to medium heat. Keep stirring with a spoon as the raspberries start to break down.24 oz Fresh Raspberries
- Once all of the raspberries have broken down and you have a nice liquid mixture in your sauce pan, add the sugar and lemon juice to the raspberries. Stir to incorporate and turn the heat down to low. This recipe uses less sugar than a traditional jam recipe calls for, I wanted the tartness of the raspberries to come through and balance the sweetness of the cookies. Feel free to add more sugar or lemon juice to suit your individual taste.400 g White Sugar, 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Simmer the jam for 10-20 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached. A good way to test this is to take that plate you put in the freezer before you started all of this, put a bit of the jam on there and tilt the plate, if the jam runs, it needs more time to cook down.
- Once the jam has reached the desired consistency, pass the jam through a strainer to remove the raspberry seeds. A fine mesh strainer won't work here, it needs to be a coarse strainer so that the jam can pass through but not the seeds. If this step seems like a pain in the ass, you're right, it is. Straining the seeds is time consuming, obnoxious, and unnecessary in most cases. But if you're really looking for these cookies to save the holidays, this step is key.
- Transfer strained jam to an airtight container and set aside until ready to use. If making ahead of time, store in fridge for up to a week.
Cookie Dough
- Beat the butter with the sugar and cinnamon until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.170 grams Butter (softened), 100 grams White Sugar, 1 tsp Cinnamon
- While the butter is mixing, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt and set aside until ready to use.160 grams All-Purpose Flour, 72 grams Almond Flour, 1 pinch Sea Salt
- Once the butter has mixed, add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated.1 Large Egg Yolk, 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, you don't want to overmix, otherwise the cookies will be very dense and tough.
- Divide the dough in half and press each half down into a disc shape and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to cool for at least an hour.
- After an hour, take the dough out of the fridge and allow to warm up for 5-10 minutes so that the dough is workable but not so soft that its sticking to everything.
- On a floured surface, roll out half of the dough to a sheet roughy 1/8" thick. Then using the cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. You can combine dough scraps and re roll the dough until you get 15 cookies. Place the tray in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Before placing the second tray in the fridge to cool, using a small cookie cutter or frosting piping tip, cut out the middle of each cookie round so that there is a little hole for the jam to peek through. Place tray in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes and start preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the cookies at 350 deg F for 12-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are starting to get golden brown. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes in the tray before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack to cool entirely.
- For the half of the cookies with the cutouts in the middle, place on the cooling tray and dust with powdered sugar until completely covered.
- Take a dollop of the jam, roughly 3/4 tsp and spread on one of the cookies without a cutout. Top with the cutout piece, powdered sugar side up. Repeat with the rest of the pieces until all cookies are fully assembled.
- Cookies should be stored at room temperature and eaten within several days.