Homemade Linzer Cookies Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (2024)

Have you ever tried homemade Linzer cookies? These buttery cookies filled with raspberry jam last long so they can be easily made ahead. Perfect for gifting!

These delicious cookies originated in the 17th century in Austria’s city called Linz. Nowadays they are popular in many countries and are widely baked around Christmas!

In my family, Linzer cookies are among the first cookies to bake (right after gingerbread cookies and walnut crescent cookies). The reason is simple – they can be kept for many days when stored in an airtight container.

How to make homemade Linzer cookies

To make the dough you don’t need a bowl at all. In fact, your worktop will work better.

Sift flour and sugar onto the worktop and mix. Add beaten egg and give it a mix again (use a fork or your hand).

Now add cold diced butter (the smaller the cubes the better) and work it into the flour, again using your hand.

You may feel like the ingredients don’t want to come together but this will change quickly and you will be able to form dough. The whole preparation should not take longer than 10 minutes.

The dough needs to rest in the fridge overnight. I like when your dough needs to rest.

This means I can prepare it in advance – the night before the actual baking. As for this dough – you can keep it in your fridge for several days. Isn’t it great?

The following day is the baking & filling day. It’s very important to know that this dough needs to be as cold as possible. This way it’s easier to work with.

Take only a half (or a third) of the dough out of the fridge and roll it out.

First, knead it slightly with your hands to soften it a bit (only a tiny bit). Then start rolling! Again: the colder the dough the easier to move it around and to cut out the cookies.

Use a silicone mat or baking parchment. These cookies should look pale when ready. Don’t leave them in the oven too long or don’t wait until they are brown. That is not the color you are looking for.

Check their bottom for doneness – if the bottoms are light brown, you can take them out from the oven.

These homemade Linzer cookies will not spread in the oven during baking so there is no need to leave large gaps in between them. Try to fit on one tray as many as possible.

Bear in mind:

1. To make 1 cookie you will need 2 cookies + jam. This means that it’s better to roll the dough as thin as possible (my preferred thickness = 0.15 inch/4 mm).
2. This homemade Linzer cookies recipe yields about 120 pieces which means 60 cookies. If you use a larger cookie cutter, you will get less cookies.
3. They’ll be ready in 10 minutes or less (depending on your oven). They tend to burn fast so don’t leave your kitchen between the batches!
4. Keep them in an air-tight container.
5. Bake the bottoms (without a hole in the middle) and tops (with a hole in the middle) separately for even baking.

Tips for making homemade Linzer cookies

• Once you fill Linzer cookies with jam, they will turn softer. If you prefer your cookies crispier, fill them with jam right before serving.
• When they are stored properly (in an air-tight container in a fridge) they should last up to 2 weeks.
• You can choose any cookie cutter you like (any shape or size). Just note that the larger cookies might need a little more in the oven.
• This recipe can be easily doubled but I don’t recommend cutting it in half. It’s better to do it in two batches if you don’t feel like making all of them in one day.
• You can roll the dough right after you have taken it out from the fridge. In fact, it makes it easier to roll and does not stick so much. However, always dust your worktop and the dough with flour to prevent sticking.
• I personally think that raspberry jam works best here but you can also use other kinds (I have recipes for homemade strawberry jam and mixed berry jam on the blog).
• If you don’t have a small round cutter to cut the hole in the middle for the top cookies you can use the large end of a piping tip.
• You can pre-cut the cookies and place them on a floured chopping board or tray and keep them in the fridge while waiting for the first (or second) batch to finish baking.

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