12 Days of Christmas Cookies
Raspberries and almonds are a classic combination for a reason – they just work. The sweet raspberries accentuate the toasted almonds and subtle brown sugar flavor of these traditional Austrian Christmas cookies.
I liked these cookies the first day but I absolutely LOVED them on day two. The flavors melded together, the cookies softened and the preserves partially sank into the almond cookies creating a unified flavor instead of an awkward sandwich.
Whole, toasted almonds and brown sugar are a wonderful backdrop for the sweet raspberry preserves.The cookies are not overly sweet themselves, so the preserves and powdered sugar make them more sweet than savory and a delightful addition to any cookie tray!
Linzer Cookies are one of those cookies that I’ve never been thrilled about. I can usually be caught eating the gingerbread, the cherry pecan cookies or chocolate crackles first. But these cookies are soooo much better than store-bought. They are soft and are naturally flavored with real toasted almonds instead of extract (not that I have any against almond extract…) and you control the quality of the preserves that go in between. Crucial.
I also made them larger than the recipe called for, like twice the size, and baked them for less time. I will not apologize. They are awesome.
If you want crispy cookies, bake them longer. See, problem solved.
Another lesson learned: The dough is not workable if it hardens up completely. I refrigerated mine for almost 4 hours and it was too hard. I kneaded it into submission and began rolling again. You can do the same or you can check it after 2 hours. It should be firm but not hard.
Since these cookies are stable (if packaged correctly) and the flavor and texture improves over time, these are excellent shipping cookies. Package them in a box or tin with parchment between the layers of cookies, and wrap the whole thing in parchment. Either add some sort of bubble wrap or just make sure that the box/tin is small enough that the cookies and parchment packet fit snuggly but aren’t crammed.
Add Traditional Raspberry Linzer Cookies to your Christmas Cookie list right now! These cookies are my jam! #sorryimnotsorry Sometimes the nerd…I cannot repress her.
{Shrugs shoulders}
These Traditional Raspberry Linzer Cookies were the 3rd Day of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! Don’t miss Day 1 and Day 2!!
Whole, toasted almonds and brown sugar are a wonderful backdrop for the sweet raspberry preserves. The cookies are not overly sweet themselves, so the preserves and powdered sugar make them more sweet than savory and a delightful addition to any cookie tray!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup almonds
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting
- 1 12-ounce jar seedless raspberry preserves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven until lightly browned and fragrant, about 6-10 minutes. They will continue to cook outside of the oven so make sure to take them out as soon as you can smell them! Let cool.
- While your almonds cool, whisk together flour, baking power, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Process the almonds and a ¼ cup of the brown sugar in a food processor until they are finely ground. Be sure to pulse so as not to make almond butter.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and remaining ¼ cup brown sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low and gradually add the ground almonds, then add the flour mixture in several additions. Mix until just combined being careful not to over mix.
- Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, wrap securely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm but not hard! If you want to prepare the dough the night before, just allow the disks to warm up on the counter until they are still firm but not soft.
- Preheat oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out using 3 inch cookie cutter and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Using a 1 inch cookie cutter cut out the centers of half of the rounds, re-rolling the scraps. Bake the bottoms and the tops (the ones with the holes) on separate cookie sheets!
- Bake, one sheet at a time, rotating the cookie sheet half way through, until the edges begin to brown, 8-10 minutes. [I baked the tops 6-8 minutes] Cool slightly on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the tops have partially cool, dust them generously with powdered sugar.
- Spread about ¾ teaspoon of preserves on each cookie without holes. You can use a little more if you like, but I didn’t want the raspberry flavor to overpower the almond flavor. Place a powdered top on each bottom and press gently to stick them together!
Notes:
I thought the flavor improved on the second day! Keep in a sealed storage container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Store between layers of parchment paper. After 4 days they begin to dry out.
Recipe adapted from Real Simple | November 2010
Did you make this recipe? I want to hear all about it! 🥳 Tag me on Instagram @cheflindseyfarr and use the hashtag #americanheritagecooking
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87 Comments
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
December 11, 2014 at 8:39 amThese cookies are gorgeous, Lindsey! I love the raspberry and almond flavors. I’ve never made a linzer cookie before, so I’m definitely adding these to my list. Pinned!
AmericanCooking22
December 11, 2014 at 9:35 amThanks, Gayle! You definitely should! Thanks for the pin!
Josephine
December 11, 2014 at 10:23 amBeautiful!! If I have time, I will try them – I have always wanted to. I did make a batch of Springerlie yesterday. Pretty but they taste awful.
AmericanCooking22
December 11, 2014 at 10:28 amI hope you do! I had to google Springerlie! They do look very pretty! I’m not a huge fan of anise. 🙂
annie@ciaochowbambina
December 11, 2014 at 11:02 amLinzer cookies just say holiday to me! These are so pretty and I love the flavors…
Karen @ On the Banks of Salt Creek
December 11, 2014 at 12:13 pmI love these cookies but have never made them as they seem intimidating. Maybe I’ll get up the courage to try.
Shashi @ runninsrilankan
December 11, 2014 at 1:41 pmI haven’t ever made linzer cookies – but I do adore them – specially with those toasted almonds in them!
AmericanCooking22
December 13, 2014 at 11:33 pmYou must!!!! Next time I make some, they have your name on them!
marcie
December 11, 2014 at 2:14 pmThese are beautiful, and I would make bigger cookies too! That raspberry jam and almonds….swoon! Pinned. 🙂
AmericanCooking22
December 13, 2014 at 11:32 pmThe bigger the better, Marcie! Cookies are no exceptions. 🙂 Thanks for the pin!
Elaine
November 19, 2018 at 12:59 amYou mentioned that you made your Linzer Tarts larger. I’d like to do the same. Is the recipe written for the larger size, or do I have to scale it myself? Eager to try these; I grew up with powdered sugar and raspberry preserves on the tip of my nose!
Lindsey
December 5, 2018 at 10:47 amHi Elaine, You can just make them bigger and you will get fewer from the existing recipe or you can double it. If you want a scaled recipe (in grams), I have it scaled because I make these at work (I’m a pastry chef in NYC) or for private orders over the holidays. Email me and I will send you the larger, scaled recipe! Happy holidays and happy baking!
Elaine
December 9, 2018 at 10:18 amThank you; but I don’t know how to email you separately.
Lindsey
December 9, 2018 at 10:21 amNo worries, I see your email and I can email you. Doing it now! Happy holidays!
Janine-Marie
December 7, 2019 at 11:27 amHello Lindsay,
I’d like to make these Linzer Cookies in a larger scale as well. Would you mind sending me the larger, scaled recipe?
Happy Holidays!!
Janine-Marie
j9steiff@gmail.com
Lindsey
February 10, 2020 at 6:18 pmHi Janine-Marie, I sent you an email with the recipe! Happy baking!
Alessandra // the foodie teen
December 11, 2014 at 3:26 pmLooks absolutely stunning! I love those flavours. Gorgeous photography too!
AmericanCooking22
December 13, 2014 at 11:32 pmThanks, Alessandra!
Amy (Savory Moments)
December 11, 2014 at 6:58 pmThese cookies look stunning! Wow! They are a classic cookie and so tasty!
AmericanCooking22
December 13, 2014 at 11:31 pmThanks, Amy!!!
Jessica @ Sweet Menu
December 11, 2014 at 9:47 pmOh I have always wanted to make these! Because two cookies in one are the best! They look GORGEOUS!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
December 12, 2014 at 6:14 amOh my goodness, your Linzer cookies are gorgeous, Lindsey! These are one of my favorite holiday cookies to make but yours look a bazillion times prettier – seriously swooning!
David @ Spiced
December 12, 2014 at 9:08 amYou are such a nerd…I love it! Now that you’ve posted them, I can officially say that these were my favorite cookie in the entire box. (Well, they might be tied with another yet-to-be-named creations…) My wife and I might have had a fight over who got the last one of these. #IWon #ButReallySheWon Pinning this right now…and then making another batch all for myself.
AmericanCooking22
December 13, 2014 at 11:29 pmHaha! Thank you for appreciating my nerdiness, David! I am dying to know what they second favorites were! If it makes you feel any better, my husband and I fought over the last of your cookies. He may or may not have (jokingly) called me a name! #buthemightnothavebeenjoking 😉
David @ Spiced
December 14, 2014 at 10:16 amI’d call my wife names, too, if it meant more of your linzers and my other favorite cookie! I’m guessing you also won the battle since he had to resort to name calling. Haha!
AmericanCooking22
December 14, 2014 at 10:32 amSometimes winning is not really winning! But I totally won the last cookie and it was worth it! 🙂
Ella-HomeCookingAdventure
December 12, 2014 at 10:01 amThis linzer cookies are perfect. This time the photos are simply amazing. I need to make some linzer cookies too, are looking too good to skip them.
AmericanCooking22
December 13, 2014 at 11:28 pmI see on your IG that you whipped some up and they are GORGEOUS!!!!!
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog
December 14, 2014 at 7:02 amLove these, they look absolutely gorgeous! So perfect for gifting 🙂
AmericanCooking22
December 14, 2014 at 9:25 amAbsolutely! Thanks, Sharon!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures
December 17, 2014 at 4:21 pmWhat a beautiful and elegant cookie!
AmericanCooking22
December 17, 2014 at 11:06 pmThanks, Laura!
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mia
December 28, 2015 at 12:17 pmOy vey! I don’t know how I screwed these up so badly?! I just couldn’t get the dough to play nice. After getting them somewhat rolled, I couldn’t get them off the counter without a huge struggle… misshapen mess! LMAO. They smell divine baking. I’ll try to add more flour to the rest of the dough as I only got 6 each top and bottom. I was sooo looking forward to these…
Lindsey
December 29, 2015 at 11:42 amBummer, Mia. Next time just try more bench flour when you roll them out. Also keeping the dough chilled, so only working with part of it at a time. And if your cookies ever get stuck again you can use a large offset spatula to scrape underneath them with out completely destroying their shape.
Rebecca
December 26, 2017 at 9:14 amI actually chilled my dough overnight & sat it out on the counter until the dough became workable. I rolled the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper as I dislike adding extra flour to the dough. I had no complications whatsoever. I used a spatula to pick up the cut out dough & transfer to the cookie sheet. I then chilled the cookies in the fridge for a little before baking.
Lindsey
December 26, 2017 at 12:14 pmHi Rebecca! Great technique! I don’t like adding a lot of extra flour to dough either, so I can definitely get behind the wax paper! Parchment works too!
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February 14, 2016 at 3:03 am[…] One of my favorite ways to celebrate a holiday is by baking sweet and festive treats. And what better way to bake than with family! My sister-in-law, Courtney, helped me make these wonderful little heart shaped linzer cookies for Valentines Day. They are absolutely delicious, and were all eaten in one afternoon haha. Thats when you know they are good! The recipe for these yummy and esthetically pleasing cookies are here. […]
Melissa Adams
April 11, 2016 at 7:46 amI just wanted to say that I made these for morning tea for church except in heart shapes. Everyone loved them and were asking for the recipe. The biscuit is so short and crispy. Yum, yum, yum.
Lindsey
April 11, 2016 at 11:51 amI’m so glad you liked them, Melissa! These would be perfect for tea!
Zuzi
January 12, 2017 at 8:32 pmHello there, do you know why jam would seep into my cookie and color it in the center? I used different kinds of jams and they all do it, what could be a problem?
Lindsey
January 18, 2017 at 12:55 pmHi Zuzi! If the jam isn’t thick enough then it will just soak in. Choose a thicker jam or preserves. A small amount will soak in and that’s ok! It makes the cookie even more moist!
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Dianne Evans
October 27, 2017 at 12:04 pmHow much would you sell these cookies for? Thinking about selling them in my community.
Marie-Ève
November 22, 2017 at 8:44 pmHi! I want to make these, but someone in my family is allergic to nuts (coconut and all).
Could I omit the nuts and still get a good cookie?
thanks!
Lindsey
December 26, 2017 at 11:09 pmHi Marie Eve, absolutely but you will want to increase the flour. I am not sure how much. I would mix the ingredients as are and then add flour until you get a dough that is no longer sticky.
Sam
December 15, 2017 at 9:23 amWould the cookies turn out if you double this recipe?
Lindsey
December 26, 2017 at 1:42 pmAbsolutely Sam! I have made up to 8x batch, but I also have a large commercial mixer at work. A double should work in any stand mixer. Any more than that and you would need to tell me the bowl capacity! Happy baking!
Larissa Pullen
December 19, 2017 at 2:34 pmMy boyfriend and I followed this recipe to the T and they turned out FABULOUS! The toasted almonds in the biscuit really made it. Also this was my first success making cookies out of a dough that require cookie cutting without failing completely so highly recommend. The dough seemed slightly dry and cracked a bit when rolling it out or shaping it into the disks which made me nervous but I resisted the urge to add water and just worked with it and it turned out perfect! (However I doubled the batch and separated the dough into four disks so the last of the dough was quite a bit more crumbly then the rest so we did just throw a splash of water on them and they turned out fine as well). They look so pretty and impressive once their finished!
Lindsey
December 26, 2017 at 1:14 pmHi Larissa! I am so glad you found success! If your dough is ever super crumbly, you can always add a little egg yolk which will give the dough a bit of moisture to come together but also not hydrate your flour and develop the gluten. I made these for the restaurant this year and so I made very large batches of this dough and the bottom is always a little more crumbly because mixers are never great at mixing that bit. I kneaded mine together and then chilled.
Julie
December 19, 2017 at 4:15 pmDo these cookies freeze well? After they’re baked?? Or should I freeze the raw dough instead?
Lindsey
December 26, 2017 at 1:10 pmJulie! You can do either! If I were you, I would freeze the cookies unassembled but baked, then when you are ready, dust the tops with powdered sugar and assemble the cookies.
Rebecca
December 26, 2017 at 9:08 amI’ve always loved this cookie. I made them for the first time a few days ago when my kids & I were baking & decorating sugar cookies. I decided to make these for me since I knew my kids wouldn’t try them, definitely their loss!!! I searched the internet for recipes & decided to go with this one. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I made mine bigger also & slightly thicker. I love the fact that this cookie isn’t overly sweet. Absolutely delish with my cup of tea in the morning. I packaged some & gave to family & friends as sweet little treats. Everyone loved them. I’ll b making more very shortly as I’m trying to hold on to the last one lol.
Lindsey
December 26, 2017 at 12:18 pmI am so glad you liked the linzer cookies, Rebecca! And I am always down with a bigger, thicker cookie!
Ellen
January 25, 2018 at 1:44 amVery traditional recipe indeed but ii would love to try this with coconut in the middle, this will be other perfect recipes to add to my collection here I share a recipe which is dairy free. https://pastreez.com/pages/the-recipe
Lindsey
January 25, 2018 at 10:43 amThat sounds delicious Ellen!
Victoria Marsh
December 10, 2018 at 8:02 pmTried this recipe and the cookies tasted amazing! Almond flavor came through perfectly and it was combined with the apricot jam I used. Am making another batch tomorrow for Christmas cookie trays for friends. Thank you for posting. Will become one of my go-to’s.
Lindsey
December 12, 2018 at 6:54 pmI’m so glad you liked them Victoria! Apricot would be divine! They are perfect for gifting because they keep so well! Merry Christmas and happy baking!
Courtney Taylor
December 11, 2018 at 10:46 pmCan I use almond flour in place of the almonds? Thank you.
Lindsey
December 12, 2018 at 6:52 pmAbsolutely! That is what I do out of convenience 🙂 Happy baking!
Giuliana
December 12, 2018 at 1:10 pmCan this recipe be doubled as-is? I’ve made these before (and loved them!) but am looking to make a larger batch and am worried about the conversions messing with the texture or crumb. Thanks!
Lindsey
December 12, 2018 at 6:51 pmAbsolutely! I make huge batches at work (I use weight instead of volume) so I’m sure you’ll be fine! Happy baking!
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Mary
December 23, 2018 at 4:04 pmThank you for this wonderful Linzer cookies recipe they are amazing I made half with raspberry jam and half with Nutella – this is a keeper recipe
Lindsey
January 1, 2019 at 11:09 amOoo Nutella! What a great idea Mary! Happy New YEar!
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Victoria Regina Marsh
January 17, 2019 at 9:33 pmMade the Traditional Raspberry Linzer Tart cookies for Christmas 2018. THEY WERE FANTASTIC!!!! Soooo gooood had to make a second batch! Will be making them again next Christmas. Thanks so much!!! (Victoria M, Cortland, NY)
PS – Would love to be able to send pictures!
Lindsey
January 19, 2019 at 3:49 pmOh I am so happy to hear that Victoria! You can email me pictures or you can tag me on Instagram! I’ve gotten a bunch of emails of pictures of these cookies in particular! Wishing you and your family a wonderful year full of health, happiness and love!
Victoria Regina Marsh
December 18, 2019 at 11:06 pmUPDATE – These were included in my 2019 cookie trays and everyone (esp. me!) loved them. I used the heart shaped cutout and they were so pretty. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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Inez
October 1, 2019 at 12:59 amLinzer cookies are my favorite! Can I use almond meal instead of roasting and grinding my own?
Lindsey
October 1, 2019 at 9:14 amAbsolutely! I use almond meal especially when I make large batches
Mary
October 2, 2019 at 10:17 pmI have never made Linzer cookies but you made it seem pretty easy to do. Can I substitute gluten-free flour for regular flour?
Lindsey
November 21, 2019 at 4:10 pmI have never done that but you can try!
Marcia Hoang
December 11, 2019 at 3:44 pmLove these! They come out perfect every time and everyone is always so impressed!
Lindsey
February 10, 2020 at 5:43 pmI’m so glad to hear that!
Marcia Hoang
December 11, 2019 at 3:45 pmLove these! They come out perfect every time and everyone is so impressed by them. I also use almond flour to make things a little easier.
Charlottle
December 23, 2019 at 12:43 amHi there,
I’ve made these before last Christmas and they were perfection.
This year I’ve moved away from home and I don’t have a blender or food processor to grind up the almonds. Could I substitute store bought ground almond and just toast it in a pan?
Lindsey
January 27, 2020 at 1:08 pmHi Charlotte! You could absolutely use almond meal. I do when I make them in large batches. I give the grinding option for those who don’t have access to store-bought meal. I love King Arthur’s brand. No need to toast! Happy baking
Josh
December 24, 2019 at 5:38 pmSadly, this recipe is the equivalent of using the old metal Christmas tree stands, the ones that your parents cussed a storm over. They may be traditional, but grandma should have let off the booze,. The dough is so super crumbly that it took everything to roll the dough out, cut them out, and transfer to the baking sheet. I did not deviate whatsoever from the recipe. I work in a molecular biology lab, so I’m very adjusted to following recipes. This one should have been left in the past.
Lindsey
January 27, 2020 at 1:06 pmHI Josh, You are too kind. I do feel as if perhaps there was a mistake made in measuring because I make this recipe often at work and in large quantities and the dough is not crumbly. There are lots of recipes that should be left in the past, and trust me I’ve found a lot of them, but this isn’t one of them.
Cait
November 13, 2020 at 10:34 amThis is amazing! How cute would it be to use a Rudolph cookiecutter and for the top, cut out his nose, so that the preserve makes his nose red?! 😀
Lindsey
November 16, 2020 at 11:31 amOh my gosh! So cute! What a great idea, Cait!