These Linzer Cookies, with their heart-shaped cutouts letting the red strawberry jam peek through like little stained glass windows, are the perfect treats for Valentine’s Day.
While Linzer Cookies are typically considered Christmas cookies since they are usually served during Christmas time, I think they are perfect for Valentine’s Day with their heart-shaped cutouts and red strawberry jam peeking through.
How to Make Linzer Cookies
This Linzer cookie recipe starts with the same base I used for my Chocolate Ganache Linzer Cookies, which was filled with a peppermint chocolate ganache instead of strawberry jam for Christmas.
- First, make the cookie dough by beating together the wet ingredients, followed by the dry ingredients. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour.
- Then roll out the cookie dough and cut with a Linzer cookie cutter. This usually comes with multiple inserts of different shapes to create the cutouts, use the heart shape for this recipe. Only use the insert on half of the cookies.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes at 350°F.
- When the cookies cool completely, dust the top cookies (with the cutouts) with powdered sugar, add jam to the bottom cookies (without the cutouts), and put them together to make sandwich cookies.
Can I omit almond flour or replace it with regular flour?
Almond flour gives these Linzer cookies their tender texture, I don’t recommend omitting or replacing it with all-purpose flour. Almond flour and all-purpose flour cannot be used interchangeably.
Use finely ground blanched almond flour for a uniform look. Blanched almond flour already has the skin removed so you won’t have the brown bits of almond skin in your cookies. If you don’t have access to almond flour, you can ground your own almond in a food processor.
What type of jam can I use for these Linzer cookies?
To achieve the same look and the signature color for Valentine’s Day, use a red color jam or preserve:
- Strawberry
- Raspberry
- Lingonberry
- Cranberry
You can certainly use other types of jam if you wish to make these your everyday favorite cookies. Be sure to use one that has higher pectin, you want to pick the jam that is stickier rather than runny so the sandwich cookies will stay together.
Other Tips for the Best Linzer Cookies
- Be sure to only punch the cutouts on half of the cookies before you bake them as you’ll need the full cookies for the bottom parts of the sandwich cookies.
- Sometimes I find that it is more difficult to remove the dough inside the insert when you use it in conjunction with the Linzer cookie cutter, so I tend to use the insert separately.
- If you don’t have a Linzer cookie cutter set, you can use similar size cookie cutters, about 2” round, fluted or even heart-shaped cookie cutter for the main cookie, and a much smaller one for the cutouts about ½” – ¾”.
More Special Valentine’s Day treats you’ll love
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Truffles
- 5 Minute Valentine’s Snack Mix
- Peanut Butter Blossoms with Heart Chocolate
- Strawberry Pink Ombre Cake
- Valentine’s Day Stained Glass Cookies
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting
If you make this peach cake recipe, we’d love to see a photo. Tag us on Instagram @wildwildwhisk and @ohsweetbasil. Happy baking!
Linzer Cookies
Description
Ingredients
- 4 oz butter, unsalted, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon citrus zest, lemon or orange
- 1 egg yolk, large, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- 15 teaspoon strawberry jam
- powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Add sugar and citrus zest to a stand mixer bowl, use a hand whisk or your fingers to rub the mixture together to release the citrus oil. Add softened butter and beat with the paddle attachment until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat until combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat into a flat disc or rectangle, wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
- On a lightly floured countertop, roll the dough to ¼” thick and cut with a Linzer cookie cutter without the insert. Use the heart-shaped Linzer cookie cutter insert to make a heart cutout in the center for half of the cookies. Gather the scraps and roll it back out again, continue cutting until all gone. Place cookie dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1” apart. Refrigerate while waiting for the oven to preheat.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until the edges are just beginning to brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place the cookies with the center cutouts on a separate baking sheet and sift powdered sugar over the top. Place the whole cookies on another baking sheet with the bottom side up, spoon 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam on top, use a butter knife to spread it slightly. Place sugar-dusted cookies on top of the jam to create the sandwich cookies.
Notes
Nutrition
Deborah Jongsma
The other important question is: what do you do with the little dough hearts that you cut out? (confession: I think I’d be tempted to just eat them as I cut)
Sweet Basil
I absolutely eat some of them as I go. I also bake the ones I don’t eat just for yummy little bites. I save them all and bake them on one sheet together as the bake time is only about 5 minutes.