Description
Delight in the classic taste of Raspberry Linzer Cookies, featuring a tender almond-infused dough sandwiched with sweet raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. Perfect for a festive treat or afternoon snack, these cookies blend delicate textures and rich flavors for an irresistible bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Linzer Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar 133g
- 1 egg yolk 25g
- 2 tsp almond extract – optional 8g
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g
- 2/3 cup superfine almond meal or almond flour 67g
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch 8g
- 1/4 tsp fine salt 2g
Filling & Decorations
- 2 cups raspberry jam 640g
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar 30g
Instructions
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk, almond extract, and vanilla extract; mix on medium speed until combined.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond meal, cornstarch, and fine salt in a separate bowl.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, mixing on low speed just until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough will be thick.
- Chill the Dough: Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 45 minutes. If chilling overnight, let sit 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling.
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) about 30 minutes before baking. Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Roll Out Dough: Remove one dough portion from fridge, unwrap, and place on floured plastic wrap. Dust rolling pin and dough with flour, roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. If cracks appear, they will come back together during rolling. Put cut-out dough in fridge if too soft.
- Cut Cookies: Cut 1 1/2-inch scalloped rounds for all cookies. Use a 3/4-inch heart or circle cutter to remove centers from half the cookies. Save scraps for later rolling.
- Arrange Cookies: Place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets to allow for spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 10 minutes, watching closely to avoid browning edges.
- Cool Cookies: Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. While baking, knead scraps, rewrap, and chill.
- Repeat for Remaining Dough: Repeat rolling, cutting, baking, and cooling with second half of dough and dough scraps.
- Decorate and Assemble: Dust cookie tops with powdered sugar generously. Spread 2 tsp raspberry jam on bottom plain cookies, then sandwich with cut-out tops, gently pressing to distribute jam in cutout.
- Store: Store filled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 48 sandwich cookies, depending on the size of your cookie cutters.
- Halve or double the recipe as needed. For a smaller batch, consider freezing half the dough for future use.
- Larger cookies (3 inches or bigger) require about 1 minute longer baking.
- Filled cookies keep up to 4 days at room temperature or can be frozen for up to 1 month with parchment between layers.
- Cookie dough freezes well for 1 month; thaw in fridge overnight before rolling.
- Unbaked, cut cookies also freeze well for 1 month; fill and dust after thawing.
- Cream butter and sugar thoroughly for tender texture and incorporate air into dough.
- Do not overwork the dough to avoid tough cookies.
- Ensure dough thickness is consistent at 1/8 inch to bake evenly.
- Chill dough well to prevent spreading and ease handling.
- If dough softens too much during rolling, refrigerate briefly to firm up.
- Avoid overbaking; cookies continue cooking slightly after removal from oven.
- Feel free to substitute raspberry jam with strawberry jam, lemon curd, or orange marmalade for varied flavors.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 170 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
