Linzer Cookies

By
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.
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Updated on 04/25/22
Austrian Linzer Cookie

The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
194 Calories
8g Fat
29g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 194
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 36mg 12%
Sodium 12mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 1mg 6%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 30mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Austrian Linzer cookies, also known as Helle Linzer Plaetzchen in German—which literally translates to "bright Linzer cookies"—are two buttery shortbread cookies sandwiched together with a jam that peeks out through the cutout in the top half. Linzer cookies are named after the Linzer Torte, a pastry that has a dough lattice over a jam filling, that originated in the Austrian city of Linz.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon almond or pure vanilla extract

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 large egg

  • 1/2 cup raspberry or red currant jam

  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Austrian Linzer Cookie ingredients

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  2. In a medium bowl, cream 4 ounces room-temperature butter with 3/4 cup of confectioners' sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract. Add the egg.

    butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  3. Stir 1 cup of all-purpose flour into the creamed ingredients and knead just until mixture forms a ball.

    doug in a bowl

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  4. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to several days).

    dough wrapped in plastic wrap

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  5. Heat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper.

    parchment paper lined baking sheet

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  6. Dust work surface with confectioners' sugar and roll out cookie dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Using a Linzer cookie cutter, cut an even number of bottoms (without the cutout) and an even number of tops (with a hole in the middle). Transfer with a spatula to the prepared cookie sheet(s). ​​

    dough rolled out and cut with cookie cutters

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool on cookie pans for 5 minutes. Then remove to wire racks to cool completely.​

    cookies on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

  8. Sift confectioners' sugar over the cooled cookie tops (the ones with a hole) and set aside. Spread the bottom half of the cooled cookies with 1 teaspoon jam of choice. Immediately place a dusted cookie top on the jam-coated bottom cookie and press lightly to adhere.

    Austrian Linzer Cookie on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

Tips

  • Linzer cookie cutters can be found in many cooking shops, especially around Christmas time. If you can't find them in the store, try an online retailer such as Amazon.
  • If the dough sticks to the work surface too much, roll it out between two pieces of waxed paper or parchment paper or silicone mats. If the dough is too crumbly, warm it a bit. If you need to, you can knead a little bit of water into the dough to make it easier to work with.
  • If the tops are baking more quickly than the bottoms of the cookies, because there's less actual dough, bake them separately.
  • Store the cookies in an airtight container. The cookies will soften a bit when stored.
  • Freeze the cookies before filling them for up to one month. When ready to serve, bring them to room temperature, then fill the cookies with jam and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Recipe Variations

  • Chocolate Linzer cookies: Add 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough at the same time you add the flour. Add an extra egg for a total of two.
  • Hazelnut-cinnamon Linzer cookies: Replace half the all-purpose flour with hazelnut flour. Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the batter.

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