Linzer Cookies

Ingredients

• 113 grams unsalted butter
• 60 grams powdered sugar sifted
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract/paste
• 15 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 156 grams all-purpose flour I use Gold Medal
• 50 grams almond flour
• various jams

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed until creamy (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and mix to combine. Stir in the egg yolk until combined. Add the salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix just until incorporated. On low speed, stir in flour and almond flour just to combine.
2. Divide the dough in half and shape into 1-inch (2.6cm) thick discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one dough disc at a time ¼ inch (0.6cm) thick. Using a 2-inch (5cm) cookie cutter of your choice, cut out cookies and place about 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. You should end up with about 64 cookies.
5. Bake one sheet at a time for 9-10 minutes until they look dry. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Fill cooled cookies with jam by spreading jam on the bottom of one cookie and placing another on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

11 January 2026: I made these cookies for the first time today, after making the dough yesterday and refrigerating overnight. I split the dough into two disks as directed, and each one was 206 grams. I made 18 cookies total (plus one cook’s treat made from the tiny amount of scraps left over at the end). I used a fluted two inch cutter for the outside and a 1 inch round cutter to make the inside holes. It is possible to fill each sheet with 15-20 cookies since they don’t spread. I was also concerned about the already-formed cookies getting too warm as I waited to roll out, chill, and form the rest, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. I found the best method is to roll out the dough on a pastry mat but between two layers of parchment. The dough needs to be sufficiently warm in order to roll out properly, but then it very quickly becomes difficult to remove the cut cookies without distorting them. So you might get a few cookies right at the beginning, but it works well to place the already rolled out dough into the freezer for 5 minutes or so, and then continue to cut the rest of the cookies. Continue to reroll scraps, freezing briefly if necessary, and cut out cookie bottoms and tops (in quantities to match). It also works, when getting toward the end, to roll out the remaining dough in a folded piece of plastic wrap because it doesn’t stick to this quite as much as it does to the parchment. I just don’t think it would work for the larger amount of dough. I baked the cookies on a sheet of parchment on half sheet pans on rack 2 for 9 minutes, 30 seconds, but watch carefully toward the end—if any cookies are a bit thinner than others, they will brown quickly and can be removed individually from the cookie sheet with a fish spatula. We filled the cookies with an assortment of fillings and jams: prune lekvar, apricot filling, seedless raspberry jam, and seedless strawberry jam.

18 January 2026: Like last week, I made the dough on Saturday and formed and baked the cookies on Sunday morning following the processes outlined above. Perfect!