The famous Linzer cookie is set apart with lemon zest, lemon juice, and cinnamon dough. They are so flavorful and pair perfectly with apricot and raspberry jam!
History of the cookie-
- Linzer cookies are believed to be the oldest known cookie recipe! They date back to the 17th century in the city of Linz, Austria. Linz being where the name came from. The first known recipe for Linzer Cookies was published in the Viennese cookbook, “Das Süße Kochbuch,” in 1653.
- The recipe quickly spread throughout Austria and Germany, becoming a holiday favorite.
- The popularity of Linzer Cookies immigrated to the United States along with Austrian and German immigrants in the 19th century.
Traditionally they are filled with apricot jam, but I also love raspberry. You can obviously use whatever you like but give the apricot a try. They are just so good.
Most people recognize them as Christmas cookies now in Europe and the US. With a bit of joy in every bite, linzers are a family favorite in my home. They are a bit of work but the completely worth the effort. The dough is simple to make, chilled for an hour or a few days if you want, then rolled out, cut, and baked. The tops are covered in powdered sugar before filling and topping. YUM!
Let’s get started!
The BEST Linzer Cookies
Linzer cookie is set apart with lemon zest, lemon juice, and cinnamon dough. They are so flavorful and pair perfectly with apricot and raspberry jam!
Servings: 32 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup Almond flour
- 2 1/2 cups All purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Apricot jam
- 1/4 cup Raspberry jam or any other you love
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or kitchen aid, mix together the butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Mix until well combined.
- Pour in the egg yolks. Mix well.
- Now add the vanilla, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon extract. Stir until just incorporated.
- Next step is to add in both flours. Mix until incorporated but don't over mix.
- Dump out onto the counter top and form into two balls. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour, up to a couple days.
- To bake cookies.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F
- On a floured surface, roll out one of the chilled dough balls. We want the thickness at about 1/4 of a inch. You can aslo roll between to pieces of parchment paper for easy clean up
- Using a 1 1/2 -2 inch cookie cutter cut out as many cookies as you can. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.Any leftover dough, roll back up and chill until ready to make more cut outs.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, let rest for 5, then transfer to cooling rack or parchment paper.
- Now using the second ball of dough, cut out and add a middle cut out so the jam will show through. For instance I used a circle cookie cutter and a smaller cutter to make a hole/shape in the top layer.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, let rest for 5, then transfer to cooling rack or parchment paper.
- Continue baking until all the dough is used and you have even top and bottoms.
- Line up all the tops and sift powdered sugar on top. Set aside.
- Using the bottom cookie, spread a small and even amount of jam(or pipe on with a piping bag), then top with sugared cookie. Continue until all the cookies are filled.
- Store for 1 week in a airtight container or freeze for 3 months.
- ENJOY!
