Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (2024)

Published: Author: Sabine / This post may contain affiliate links

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Learn how to bake original Austrian Linzer Cookies like I learned from my mother in Austria! This recipe has been passed down through generations and I'm excited to share it with you. These sandwich cookies are soft, buttery, and filled with jam. It has been a family favorite for many decades. By the way, have you tried my Vanillekipferl (vanilla crescent cookies) yet?

Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (1)
Jump to:
  • Step-by-step video tutorial
  • Ingredients
  • Process shots
  • Expert tips for success
  • How long do they last?
  • Make ahead and freezing instructions
  • More cookie recipes to try
  • Recipe

Step-by-step video tutorial

Ingredients

Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (2)

For a full list of ingredients see Recipe Card.

FAQs & Cookie Cutters

What are Linzer Cookies?

Linzer cookies are soft, buttery and filled with jam. These are traditional Christmas sandwich cookies from Austria, which are usually filled with apricot or strawberry jam. They're so popular that you can buy them in stores all year round, not just during the holiday season, even though they're considered Christmas cookies.

Where did you get your cookie cutters from?

I got mine from my mother when I was still living in Austria. After some research I found that Wilton sells Linzer Cookie cutters that look similar to mine. Their cookie cutter set is available on Amazon. My cookie cutters are 2 inches (5cm) in diameter and so are theirs. However, any 2-inch cookie cutters will work.

Process shots

Making the dough is as easy as making regular sugar cookie dough. Start mixing the butter until creamy. Then add powdered sugar followed by egg yolks. Stir in the vanilla, salt, lemon juice and cinnamon. Finally add flour and almond flour. Divide the dough in half and shape it into discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (3)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, ¼-inch (0.6cm) thick. Then cut out cookies and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. You can space them 1-inch (2.6cm) apart as they don't spread at all.

Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (4)

Then bake, cool completely, and fill with jam.

Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (5)

Expert tips for success

  • The dough contains a lot of butter, so it will become soft if rolled too long. Work in batches, roll out one sheet of dough at a time and keep the second refrigerated until the entire first sheet of dough is cut and ready to bake. If the dough gets too soft, put it back in the fridge. You can also work in smaller batches and quarter the dough if that's easier for you. Consider using a suitable butter substitute for cookies if you prefer a different approach.
  • Avoid counteracting the increased softness and stickiness of the dough as you roll it out with too much flour. Use enough flour to roll and cut the dough, but don't work too much flour into the dough or the Linzer cookies will become dry and crumbly.
  • Gently roll out the dough with increasing pressure but avoid pressing too hard on the dough or it will tear.
  • When it comes to apricot jam, it is popular in Austria to add a bit of rum to the jam. If you want that too, add 1-2 tablespoons of dark rum to your jam, depending on your preference.
  • I highly recommend using a kitchen scale and weighing the ingredients. Cups vary in size and too much (almond) flour would dry the cookies out. If using cups instead of a kitchen scale, fluff up the flour, spoon it into the cups, and level with the back of a knife.
  • Whenever possible, use real Bourbon vanilla beans, as this is the type of vanilla originally used in these sandwich cookies.
Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (6)

How long do they last?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Make ahead and freezing instructions

  • Cookie dough - Place wrapped dough discs in freezer bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
  • Baked cookies- You can either freeze filled cookie sandwiches or just the cookies and fill them after thawing. Individually wrap each cookie tightly in plastic wrap, place in freezer bags or containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap and let sit on the counter for 1 hour.

More cookie recipes to try

  • Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti
  • Christmas Thumbprint Cookies
  • Buckeye Cookies
  • Gingerbread Men Cookies
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
  • Brown Butter Cookies

Recipe

Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (7)

The softest and best Linzer Cookies

4.99 from 344 votes

Author Also The Crumbs Please

Calories: 134kcal

Servings: 32 sandwich cookies

Prep 1 hour hour

Cook 27 minutes minutes

Chill 1 hour hour

Total 2 hours hours 27 minutes minutes

Print Pin Rate

Baking Linzer cookies is a delicious holiday tradition in Austria, where they originated. Buttery and soft, these sandwich cookies have been popular for centuries for their sweet taste and tender texture. Although they're considered Christmas cookies, they're usually enjoyed all year round!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 vanilla bean* (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 cup almond flour, spooned and leveled
  • ½ cup apricot or strawberry jam
  • Optional powdered sugar for decoration

Instructions

  • 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 for about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix to combine. Stir in the egg yolks 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.

  • 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.

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

*First, cut off the straight end of the vanilla bean. Then place the tip of your sharp knife below the curled end and cut the vanilla bean through the middle of the bean lengthwise. Although you don't need to cut it all the way through, it's ok when you do so. Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the flavorful seeds with the back of your knife. Just use the seeds.

Video

You can find the video in the post above. If you don't see a video, please check your browser settings.

Nutrition

Calories: 134kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 39mgPotassium: 17mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 200IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg

Course Dessert

Cuisine Austrian

Did you make this recipe?Leave a feedback and rate this recipe!

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About Sabine

Sabine is a professional baker, cookbook author, and award-winning food photographer.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Annie

    Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (8)
    I've made these cookies twice now. My family loves them. Thank you!

    Reply

  2. Andrew Betrix

    Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (9)
    Came out perfect, I changed nothing, I am at 7800 ft altitude & this recipe was flawless, I used smuckers seedless red raspberry
    And Diamond almond flour, I also sifted the almond & regular flour before spooning & leveling . Will be make hundreds of them, test batch was superb, wish I could leave a picture. Thanks 😋😋😋

    Reply

  3. Patricia

    I am looking forward to baking these, however, I am unable to view the entire video. It plays halfway, then a Windows 11 ad comes on & the video moves to a new recipe. ???

    Reply

    • Stan Ivanov

      Hello Patricia. Half way through the video there is a pop up that asks if you want to keep playing the existing linzer cookie recipe. The default is to skip to the next one, so just make sure you don't miss this popup.

      Reply

      • Patricia

        Thank you so much! One more question...I measure my flours on a digital scale. Are there specific amounts you recommend? I use 113 g/ cup of flour...

  4. Lauren

    Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (10)
    What a delicious cookie!! I subbed 1 cup of hazelnut flour for the almond flour, and I used raspberry jam for the filling. Spectacular!

    Reply

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Linzer Cookies (Original Austrian Family Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What nationality are Linzer cookies? ›

Linzer cookies are a twist off the linzer torte, originating from Linz, Austria. The linzer torte is one of the oldest tortes in the world, found in an Austrian abbey in the early 1700s. Luckily for us, the linzer torte was brought to the US around 1850s.

Is Linzer cookie good? ›

Similar to a shortbread cookie, these Linzer cookies are tender, crumbly, and have a lovely melt-in-your-mouth texture thanks to the use of powdered sugar. I flavored these with vanilla, almond, orange, and cinnamon to make them extra cozy and wintery.

What is the history of Linzer torte? ›

Linzer Torte is considered the oldest known cake named after a city. It is available in different variations and it was already mentioned by name as early as 1653. Yet who invented or named the cake will remain a mystery forever.

Where is the Linzer cookie right now answer? ›

Chapter 1
StageQuestionAnswer
After the SupperWhere is Linzer Cookie right now?Suite No. 9
What is the Special Ceremony?00:00-01:00 The Tree-Lighting Ceremony
Dec 25, 2023

Where did the Linzer Slice originate? ›

The History of the Linzertorte

Way back in 1653, this recipe (originally a tart) was discovered in the cookery manuscript of Countess Anna Margarita Sagramosa In Austria. The tart was baked like a pie with a delicious buttery almond crust, filled with black currant preserves and topped with a latticework crust.

What is the difference between a torte and a Linzer tart? ›

Many tortes are multilayered cakes made with nuts, but the Linzer torte is different—it's decidedly more tart than cake, but still centered on nuts. There's a rich nut pastry crust that's covered with jam, then a lattice top of the same nut pastry.

What is the number 1 cookie brand in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the difference between Linzer Cookies and imperial cookies? ›

They are derived from the Austrian Linzer Augen, a similar shortbread cookie sandwich which has 1-3 small round cut outs (the "eyes") in the upper cookie and is dusted with powdered sugar. The empire biscuit does not have a cut-out section on the top and is decorated with white icing.

What is the oldest cake in history? ›

The world's oldest known cake, baked during the reign of Pepi II in Egypt between BCE 2251 and 2157. Alimentarium, Vevey, Switzerland. The Egyptians gave us the world's oldest known cake–and also the world's oldest Tupperware as it happens.

What is a European torte? ›

A torte (/ˈtɔːrt/; from German: Torte (German pronunciation: [ˈtɔrtə]), in turn from Latin via Italian: torta) is a rich, usually multilayered, cake that is filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, jams, or fruit. Torte. A serving of Sachertorte at the Hotel Sacher, Vienna.

Is Linzer Cookie a girl? ›

Linzer Cookie (Korean: 린저 쿠키, linjeo kuki) is an Epic Cookie released alongside Crème Brûlée Cookie in the The Holiday Express update (v4. 15). She is of the Support type and her position is prioritized to the Rear.

Why are they called Linzer cookies? ›

The Linzer torte is a traditional Austrian pastry, a form of shortbread topped with fruit preserves and sliced nuts with a lattice design on top. It is named after the city of Linz, Austria.

How to keep Linzer cookies crisp? ›

If you want the cookies to stay crisp, assemble the day of serving. The assembled cookies can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for several days. Makes about 26 - 3 inch (7.5 cm) Linzer Cookies.

What toppings for Linzer cookies? ›

The best toppings for Linzer Cookie in Cookie Run: Kingdom are those that play to her ability to debuff. As the cooldown for her ability is fairly long and it's a pretty formidable power, giving her five Swift Chocolate is definitely what I'd recommend.

What ethnicity are black-and-white cookies? ›

The black-and-white cookie was among the original recipes used by Glaser's Bake Shop. By the post-war period, black-and-white cookies had become part of American Ashkenazi Jewish culinary repertoire, deeply rooted in the Jewish communities of New York City and elsewhere around the United States.

What ethnicity are Spritz cookies? ›

Spritzgebäck (German: [ˈʃpʁɪt͡sɡəˌbɛk]), spritz cookie in the United States, is a type biscuit or cookie of German and Alsatian-Mosellan origin made of a rich shortcrust pastry. When made correctly, the cookies are crisp, fragile, somewhat dry, and buttery.

Are black-and-white cookies German? ›

The lineage of the black-and-white cookie

Contrasty designs marked many cakes, pies, and other sweets. These particular mini-cakes are thought to have been the invention of German immigrants in Glaser's Bake Shop in Manhattan.

References

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