These linzer cookies feature two hazelnut shortbread cookies sandwiched together with raspberry jam.
Origin Story
Before the linzer cookie there was the linzer torte. Linzer torte is an Austrian dessert named after the city of Linz.
The linzertorte is a cake made with ground nuts (usually hazelnuts or walnuts) with red jam filling topping with a lattice crust. Traditionally the jam is made with currants, but raspberry is a popular option.
(I have a recipe for an almond linzer torte with homemade raspberry jam!)
Though linzer cookies can be enjoyed all year round, these little cookies are most popular during Christmas time.
Perhaps it’s the powdered sugar topping that resemble snow that makes them so beloved this time of year.
Ingredients
There are two components to these sandwich cookies: hazelnut shortbread dough and raspberry jam filling.
The cookie dough is a simple mixture of butter, sugar, egg yolk, and flour. Ground hazelnuts, orange zest, and vanilla extract add flavor and texture.
For the best results, I highly recommend toasting raw hazelnuts and grinding the your own “hazelnut flour.” Otherwise, if you’re in a pinch, you may certainly use store-bought hazelnut meal or ground hazelnut.
Fill the baked cookies with your favorite raspberry jam or raspberry preserves. Bonus points if you choose to make the jam from scratch! Asides from raspberry, this tastes delicious with apricot jam, orange marmalade, or strawberry jam.
Sandwich Assembly
Making cookies sandwiches can be tedious work. Luckily, the dough for these linzer cookies is very forgiving and easy to work with.
The dough can be rolled out several times, allowing you to use up every last bit to make as many cookie sandwiches as possible!
I used fluted round cutters for the cookies photographed in this post. Feel free to use smooth round cutters or any shape of your choice (squares, triangles, hearts, etc).
Make sure you bake off an even amount of cookies, half with cutouts. Dust the cutouts with sifted powdered sugar. Turn the remaining cookies upside and spread with layer of jam. Top with powdered sugar dusted cookie and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
Asides from switching up the jam, these are several ways to customize these linzer cookie sandwiches to your liking!
- Swap out 3 tablespoons of the flour for cocoa powder to make a chocolate linzer cookie.
- Use ground almonds or ground walnuts in place of hazelnuts.
- Get creative with shapes! Use heart cookie cutters, stars, flowers, or squares instead of rounds.
Serving Suggest
These cookies are best served the day they are assembled. Overtime, the linzer cookies will lose their crunch as the jam will inevitably soften and moisten the cookie.
To enjoy crisp cookies at your own pace, simply assemble the cookies whenever the sweet cravings strike. Keep the cooled shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Add jam and sandwich together as desired.
For longer storage, keep the assembled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Related Recipes
Classic Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw whole hazelnuts, (142 g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g), softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (100 g)
- ½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, (130 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons (130 g) raspberry jam , (130 g) or raspberry preserves
- sifted confectioners’ sugar, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake hazelnuts for 10-12 minutes until skin begins to separate from hazelnut. Rub the warm hazelnuts in a clean dish towel to remove as much of the skins as possible. Let hazelnuts cool to room temperature.
- Place cooled hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse until nuts are roughly ground. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and orange zest until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. Add yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and ground hazelnuts. Add dry mixture to creamed butter. Mix until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour. Scrape bowl bowl as needed.
- Divide dough into two equal portions. Wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least on hour (up to overnight).
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of ¼-inch. Stamp out rounds using a 2 ½-inch fluted round cutter. Gather dough scrapes and press together to roll out additional cookies.
- Place rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Use a small 1/2-inch round cutter to punch out center hole in half of the cookie rounds. Let cookie rounds chill in the fridge for 30 minutes while oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes, rotating pans midway through baking. Bake until edges of cookies are set. Let cookies cool in pan for 5-8 minutes before unmolding and transferring to wire rack to cool to room temperature.
- To assemble: Dust sifted confectioners’ sugar over cookies with center hole cutouts. Turn remaining cookies flat side up and spread about 1 teaspoon of jam into the center. Top with sugar dusted cookie.
Notes
- These cookies are best enjoyed the day they are assembled. Overtime, the linzer cookies will lose their crunch as the jam will inevitably soften and moisten the cookie.
- To enjoy crisp cookies at your own pace, simply assemble the cookies whenever the sweet cravings strike. Keep the cooled shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for several days. Add jam and sandwich together as desired.
- For longer storage, keep the assembled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I used this recipe to make cookies for my students today! Truly a sweet treat that everyone loves. Thank you!
Linzer Cookies are one of my favorites during this time of year, and the fact that you used hazelnut paired with raspberry preserves is making me drool! Seriously–such a good flavor combination that’s PERFECT for the holidays.
Thank you so much for participating in this year’s exchange and joining us in sharing some cookies and spreading the love!
Thank you for hosting! It’s always fun to participate! :)