We have now a traditional magnificence on as we speak’s menu: linzer cookies. The dough could be made with both pistachios or almonds, and your favourite taste of jam for the filling. These gorgeous sandwich cookies style greatest on day 2, in order that they’re an exquisite make-ahead vacation cookie possibility!
This recipe was first revealed in 2017, and now contains each pistachio and conventional almond variations, plus recent photographs and useful new success ideas.
What Are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer cookies originated in Austria, as a twist on linzer torte, a sort of pastry crammed with fruit preserves and nuts. These festive, stained glass window-esque cookies are simply a number of the prettiest cookies round, particularly on vacation cookie trays.
Linzer cookies are historically created from a nutty almond-based cookie dough, like my cherry almond linzer cookies. For this traditional linzer cookie recipe, you need to use both almonds or pistachios. Or be at liberty to make use of hazelnuts, like we use for these caramel hazelnut linzer cookies.
The dough is rolled out, reduce into shapes, and baked… similar to sugar cookies. Then the cookies are completed with a light-weight dusting of confectioners’ sugar, and sandwiched along with candy jam.
I particularly love the combos of almond cookies + apricot jam in addition to the marginally salty pistachio cookies + candy raspberry jam. Play round with the flavors and discover your favourite!
What to Count on
- Texture: They’re nutty and deliciously textured. Linzers are crunchy proper out of the oven, however after sandwiching jam within the middle, they start to melt. The magic occurs on day 2 when the jam melts down into the cookies, making the entire sandwich cookie mushy and tender. With out query, they style BEST when made forward of time.
- Taste: Belief me once I let you know that they style even higher than they give the impression of being. Nutty pistachios or almonds pair completely with candy brown sugar, jam, and cinnamon, leading to a remarkably flavorful cookie. Furthermore, they’re completely customizable—merely use your favourite jam and cookie cutters.
- Ease: That is an intermediate baking recipe as a result of there’s exact shaping concerned. I like to recommend attempting linzer cookies when you’re on the lookout for a enjoyable baking venture or an elevated addition to your lineup of Christmas cookies!
- Time: Along with the preparation of the dough and the baking, you’ll have to chill the dough for not less than 3 hours. If you wish to save time, take into account whipping up a batch of dough prematurely and storing it within the freezer (see recipe Notes). If you’re able to bake, merely thaw in a single day within the fridge.
Overview: Find out how to Make Linzer Cookies
The complete printable recipe is beneath, however let’s stroll by way of it so that you perceive every step earlier than you get began.
Pulse the pistachios or almonds along with brown sugar right into a effective crumb. Use a meals processor for this step.
Whisk the dry substances, then beat the moist substances. Combine within the dry substances and floor nuts—the dough will look crumbly however comes collectively rapidly. Divide the dough in half, flatten into discs, wrap, and chill for not less than 3 hours.
Roll every dough half to 1/4 inch, reduce out rounds, and reduce middle holes in half of them. I name the cookies with holes within the middle “donut cookies.”
Bake the stable rounds and “donut” rounds individually. As soon as the cookies have cooled, mud the donut tops with confectioners’ sugar, then unfold jam on the bottoms and sandwich collectively.
Favourite Cookie Cutters to Use
Linzer cookies could be reduce into any form, however I like them with scalloped edges. You’ll want 2 cookie cutters: one cookie cutter that’s 2 inches in diameter and one other that’s 1 inch. Some choices embody this fluted-edge cookie cutter set, which incorporates many sizes, or this vacation linzer cookie cutter set. You may make a easy spherical middle gap, or get a bit of fancy with a bit of coronary heart, star, or diamond form.
All of the cookies will probably be reduce with the 2-inch cookie cutter, however solely HALF will probably be reduce once more right into a “donut” cookie.
Fillings for Linzer Cookies
I particularly love these with each apricot preserves and raspberry jam, however truthfully, any taste works. I like the almond-cherry pairing in these iced cherry almond linzer cookies. Or use hazelnuts within the dough like we do in these caramel hazelnut linzer cookies, and fill with caramel, or strive Nutella. Blackberry preserves, orange marmalade, and even lemon curd… strive a couple of choices and uncover your favourite linzer cookie filling—it might shock you!
And listed here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my greatest success guides & ideas.
Description
These traditional Linzer cookies begin with a nutty almond- or pistachio-based dough, then bake into tender, calmly spiced rounds sandwiched with candy jam. Lovely on vacation trays and even higher on day 2, this make-ahead recipe contains detailed rolling, chopping, and freezing directions.
- Place the nuts and brown sugar in a meals processor. Pulse into a really effective crumb. Put aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Put aside.
- In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar collectively on medium-high pace till utterly easy and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat on excessive pace till mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape down the edges and backside of the bowl and beat once more as wanted to mix.
- Add the flour combination and the bottom nut combination to the moist substances and blend on low pace till mixed. Will probably be crumbly at first, however will come collectively after a pair minutes of blending.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, gently flatten into discs, and wrap every in plastic wrap. Chill the discs within the fridge for not less than 3 hours and as much as 4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line giant baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (At all times really helpful for cookies.) Put aside. If the dough chilled for longer than 3 hours, permit to take a seat at room temperature for not less than 20 minutes earlier than rolling as a result of the dough will probably be fairly onerous.
- Generously flour a piece floor, in addition to your palms and rolling pin. The dough could develop into sticky as you’re employed, so have further flour close by to make use of as wanted. Alternatively, the dough could crack when rolling out. If that occurs, wait a couple of minutes for it to melt up, then strive once more. The extra you’re employed with it, the softer and extra manageable it would develop into. Roll out the primary disc of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Utilizing a 2-inch spherical or fluted cookie cutter, reduce the dough into circles. Re-roll the dough scraps and proceed chopping till all is used. Repeat with the second disc of dough. It is best to have about 64 circles.
- Utilizing a 1-inch spherical or fluted cookie cutter, reduce a gap into the middle of 32 of the circles. Let’s name these 32 cookies the “donut cookies” due to that middle gap.
- Prepare the entire circles and the donut cookies 2 inches aside and on separate baking sheets (as a result of the donut cookies take 1 much less minute to bake).
- Bake the entire circles for about 11 minutes, or till calmly browned across the edges, and bake the donut cookies for about 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets midway by way of the bake time. Permit cookies to chill on the baking sheets for five minutes. Utilizing a sieve or sifter, mud the “donut cookies” with confectioners’ sugar, then switch the entire cookies to a cooling rack to chill utterly earlier than assembling.
- Unfold 1/2 teaspoon of jam on the underside of every complete cookie. Rigorously prime every with a donut cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.
- Retailer tightly lined at room temperature for as much as 3 days or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward Directions: You possibly can chill the cookie dough within the fridge for as much as 4 days (see step 5), however you too can freeze it for as much as 3 months. For those who go for the latter, permit the dough to thaw in a single day within the fridge, then deliver to room temperature earlier than rolling out in step 7. Cookies freeze effectively for as much as 3 months; thaw in a single day within the fridge and produce to room temperature earlier than serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | 2.5-inch Cookie Cutter (Spherical or Fluted) | 1-inch Cookie Cutter (Spherical or Fluted) | High-quality Mesh Sieve | Cooling Rack
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Nuts: Use salted or unsalted almonds or pistachios, both work. I desire salted for a refined sweet-and-salty stability. Roasted or uncooked are effective as effectively, although roasted nuts add probably the most taste.
- Jam/Filling Choices: I particularly love these with each apricot preserves and raspberry jam, however truthfully, any taste works. I like the almond-cherry pairing in these iced cherry almond linzer cookies. You might additionally strive fig jam, orange marmalade, or blackberry jam.
- Make sure to take a look at my prime 5 cookie baking ideas AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking instruments.
