Raspberry Linzer Cookies sandwich bright and tangy raspberry jam between two almond cookies. They’re as delicious as they are beautiful!
Friends, I am all in on heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day.
It’s no secret that I am one of those no-chocolate weirdos. It’s the one food I just cannot and will not do. I’ll eat things with tentacles before I touch chocolate.
#weirdo
So most people assume that Valentine’s Day is not so much my thing in regards to food. And while it is true that Alex will never be able to bring me home a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, I’m here for heart-shaped cookies and all things strawberry or raspberry.
Which means that I am definitely all in on these delicious and beautiful raspberry linzer cookies.
What is a linzer cookie?
Linzer cookies are so named because they are a cookie-sized version of the Austrian linzer torte.
The linzer torte, named after the city of Linz, Austria, has an almond or hazelnut crust, a raspberry filling, and a lattice top. Linzer cookies mimic the tart by sandwiching raspberry jam between two nut-filled cookies.
Of course, the top cookie needs to have that classic window cut-out to truly mimic the lattice top of the torte!
Though you’ll often see linzer cookies with different types of filling, raspberry is the most common and traditional.
These sweet little cookies make a great addition to Christmas cookie trays, a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day, or a delicious bite on a regular ol’ Tuesday.
My raspberry linzer cookies recipe
As with many cookie recipes on this site (Chai Sugar Cookies come to mind), I did some (fairly heavy) tweaking of my No Chill Sugar Cookies to create the dough for these Raspberry Linzer Cookies.
The biggest difference here is the addition of ground almond meal to the dough. You could also use ground hazelnut meal if you prefer.
The nuts add a fair amount of fat to the dough, even if you don’t realize it. Because of this, we will need to chill this dough and keep it cold while rolling and cutting out the Raspberry Linzer Cookies.
As you can guess by the name of this recipe, I went the traditional route and filled these linzer cookies with raspberry jam. But if you don’t love raspberries, you can use your own favorite fruit preserves or filling such as lemon curd instead!
How to make these cookies
These sweet little cookies do require a few different steps to make, but that doesn’t mean they’re hard to make. Just make sure you plan enough time to chill the cookie dough and roll and cut the cookies out.
What you’ll need
For the linzer cookie dough, you will need:
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup almond meal or hazelnut meal
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour? Almond flour is typically made from blanched almonds that have had the skins removed, while almond meal usually still has the skins.
Aside from that, almond flour is sometimes a bit more finely ground than almond meal. I find that both work just fine in this recipe, although I usually reach for my almond meal because I like the speckled look the skins add to the final cookies.
For the filling, grab your favorite store-bought or homemade raspberry jam or raspberry preserves. If using store-bought, I recommend using a good brand such as Bonne Maman.
You’ll need about 1/2 cup of jam to fill these cookies.
I like to use a linzer cookie cutter to cut out my linzer cookies. They usually come with a few “window” shape options, and are an easy way to make sure you get the cut-out centered for the top cookies. They’re also pretty inexpensive and useful for Stained Glass Cookies, too.
Of course, you can simply use one larger cookie cutter and make your “windows” with a smaller cutter. It’s up to you!
Making raspberry linzer cookies
Making this recipe starts with the linzer cookie dough. Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high for about 5 minutes. You want the mixture to be very smooth, fluffy, and light in color.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
Now mix in the salt and the almond/hazelnut meal until just combined. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Slowly mix in the all-purpose flour until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper and shape it into a disk.
Use the plastic wrap or parchment to cover the dough disk and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
When you’re ready to start rolling out and cutting the cookies, preheat your oven to 375°F.
Working with about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll it out between two pieces of parchment or waxed paper until it is about 1/8-inch thick. I prefer using parchment or waxed paper for rolling these cookies rather than a lightly floured surface because this dough can get a bit sticky.
Remember that we want the dough to stay cold, which is why we are only rolling out a portion of the dough at the time. Keep the rest in the fridge while you work.
If your house is warm, try sticking a sheet pan in the freezer while you work. Then, if the dough starts to get too warm while you are rolling and cutting, you can take the sheet pan out and set it over the dough for a few minutes to firm it up.
Cut out the cookies; make sure you cut windows in half of the cookies for the tops. Place on lined baking sheets about 1/2-inch apart (they won’t spread).
Because the tops and bottoms bake at slightly different rates, I recommend placing all tops (with windows) on one baking sheet and all bottoms (without windows) on another.
Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator to chill the cut cookies for 20 minutes. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are set and barely starting to turn golden at the edges.
Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes on the pan before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Cookie assembly
Raspberry linzer cookies will soften a bit if you let them sit after they’ve been filled, so keep that in mind if you want to fill them ahead of time. You can also wait to fill them just before serving.
When you are ready to assemble the cookies, place a small spoonful of jam (about a teaspoon) on each of the bottom cookies. Dust the top cookies lightly with powdered sugar, then place the tops on the cookies to create adorable little sandwiches.
Storage and make-ahead tips
Filled raspberry linzer cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days. Just remember that the cookies will soften a bit over time once they’ve been filled.
If you prefer, you can make the cookies several days in advance. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Add the jam and sandwich the cookies just before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Raspberry Linzer Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup almond meal or hazelnut meal
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Raspberry jam for filling
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until very smooth, fluffy, and light in color.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
- Mix in the salt and the almond or hazelnut meal just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Slowly mix in the flour, beating until just combined. Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap, parchment or waxed paper and shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Roll out dough 1/4 at a time between two pieces of parchment or waxed paper until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies, making sure to cut windows in half of the cookies, and place on prepared baking sheets about 1/2 inch apart. Because tops and bottoms make bake at slightly different rates, I recommend placing all tops on one sheet and all bottoms on another.
- Chill cut-out cookies for 20 minutes. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set and barely starting to turn golden on the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes on baking sheets before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When ready to serve, place a small spoonful of jam on each of the bottom cookies. Dust the top cookies with powdered sugar, then place the top cookies on top of the bottoms, creating sandwiches.
Stephie, You are wonderful for creating and sharing this lovely recipe for such a worthy cause!
Your Mediavine swag is on the way and should be to you soon. It’s a small token of our appreciation for your time and efforts to wipe out pediatric cancer.
Thank you so much for participating! <3
— Susannah at Mediavine
Thank you guys for supporting such a great cause! <3
This recipe looks amazing! Thank you for participating and doing amazing things, I hope you’ll do it again next year!
Thank you for being our fearless leader each year! <3
Is it ok to use Almond Flour?
You can use almond flour in place of the almond meal, but not in place of the all-purpose flour. Hope this helps!
Hi Stephie,
My sister made your cookies for a Valentine’s Day lady’s event and they were amazing. I wanted to reach out and let you know that I’m starting a new blog, it’s about to launch, and I’m excited to link your recipe/site to my blog so my viewers can make your cookies for themselves too. My blog will be highlighting entertaining and tablescaping ideas. I hope maybe we could create a partnership in the days to come. Blessings! Dani Mar
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies!! Good luck with your new site; enjoy the adventure!
I used a strawberry fruit spread that I bought at Costco. It was too wet and the cookies fell apart when lifting them to put in a cookie tray. I will be using jam or preserves next time. These cookies are so delicious! I was going to use them for my niece’s bridal shower and ended up having to throw them out. I will definitely bake these for the holidays!
So glad you liked these cookies, Ines, and I’m sorry the fruit spread you purchased didn’t work for you! A thicker jam should work much better. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Stephie!
Please can you tell me if I can refrigerate longer than an hour?
Does overnight work?
Thanks tons,
m
That should be fine, you just may need to let the dough sit at room temperature for a bit before you’ll be able to roll it out.
I just made these for the holidays, I’ve had the recipe for a longtime. I used hazelnut meal and it came out absolutely delicious. Thank you!
That’s great to hear! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing.