Crunchy, nutty, jam-filled Linzer Cookies are such a beautiful and fun cookie from Austria. You can make them with hazelnuts or almonds and fill them with your favorite fruit preserves, lemon curd, or Nutella spread!
If you love trying new Christmas cookies from around the world, be sure to check out my Cinnamon Walnut Raisin Rugelach , Greek Baklava , and Italian Pizzelles !
I’m going to admit that I was skeptical about making this linzer cookie recipe at home.
Linzer cookies seemed like one of those cookies that look pretty but involve more trouble than they’re worth and the end result is just so-so. But I couldn’t have been more wrong!
These Linzer cookies may just be one of my new Christmas favorites. I’m seriously obsessed! And I’m going to have to make again at Valentine’s Day using heart-shaped cookie cutters.
Other classic Linzer shapes are circles, flowers, stars, and hearts, but you could really make these with any cookie cutters as long as you have a large and small size. I think they would be cute as trees or gingerbread men.
What is a linzer cookie?
Linzer cookies were created in the town of Linz, Austria, which was already famous for another dessert that inspired these cookies – the Linzer torte .
Linzer cookies can be made with either hazelnuts or almonds. I happened to have a massive supply of hazelnuts in my freezer and needed my almonds for making english toffee , so that decided it for me.
The hazelnuts were absolutely delicious and gave these cookies a wonderful flavor, but I’m sure almonds are equally delicious.
How to Make Linzer Cookies
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light. Then beat in egg yolks, vanilla, and the zest of one lemon.
Whisk the flour and ground nuts together and gradually add to the butter and sugar mixture. Beat until the dough comes together when you squeeze it, then shape it into 4 balls, flatten into discs, and wrap each disc in plastic wrap.
Chill the dough for 1 hour.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden around the edges, then cool completely on a wire rack.
To assemble the cookies, first dust the top “window” cookies with powdered sugar. Then spread a little fruit preserves or other filling on each bottom cookie before topping with one of the top cookies. You can even spoon a little more filling in the opening, if you want to.
Storing and Freezing Linzer Cookies
If you keep these cookies in an airtight container, they will last for several days at room temperature and up to a week in the refrigerator. However, the crunchy cookies will absorb some of the moisture from the filling after a day or so. They will still taste fantastic and have an element of crunch from the nuts, but they won’t be quite the same as when these are freshly made.
You can freeze linzer cookies on a baking sheet in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer-safe container in layers with wax paper between them. Thaw on the counter until ready to serve.
These also won’t be as crunchy, and the powdered sugar dusting will be mostly absorbed into the cookie, but they still taste pretty darn wonderful!
More Cookie Recipes
- Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Mexican Wedding Cookies [aka Russian Tea Cakes]
- Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies
- Easy Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- The BEST Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Lemon Glazed Cookies
- Lime Meltaway Shortbread Cookies
- Homemade Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Soft & Chewy Molasses Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Linzer Cookies
Equipment
- Star Cookie Cutter Set
- Large Food Processor
- KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
Ingredients123
- ▢ 1 cup whole hazelnuts or almonds
- ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided
- ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1 cup salted butter softened
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 large egg yolks
- ▢ Zest of one small lemon
- ▢ 2/3 cup lingonberry jam (affiliate link) or raspberry jam, black currant preserves, cherry preserves, etc.
- ▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast the nuts on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Cool completely, then add them to a food processor (affiliate link) with ¼ cup of the sugar and process until finely ground. 1 cup whole hazelnuts or almonds, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, and ground nut mixture together in a bowl and whisk to combine. 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining ½ cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest, then beat again to combine. 1 cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large egg yolks, Zest of one small lemon
- Gradually add the flour/nut mixture, about ⅓ at a time, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces, and press each piece into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to two days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out each disc of dough on a lightly floured surface, one at a time, until between 1/4- and 1/6-inch thick. Cut out into shapes using 3-inch cookie cutters in star, heart, or circle shapes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out windows in half of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining dough, re-rolling scraps until all of the dough has been used. If the dough gets too soft, set it back in the fridge to chill for a bit to help the cookies keep their shape.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are just beginning to turn a nice golden brown around the edges. I prefer these cookies crunchy since they will soften slightly when filled. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Dust the top halves of each cookie with powdered sugar, then spread the bottom halves with the fruit preserves or other filling. Sandwich the top and bottom halves together. You may want to carefully spoon a little additional jam into the window on the top, although I usually skip this. You should end up with about 24 completed cookies. 2/3 cup lingonberry jam (affiliate link) , ½ cup powdered sugar
- Store the finished cookies in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for 4-5 days, or freeze for longer storage (up to 2 months). If frozen, you may want to dust the tops of the cookies with powdered sugar again after thawing.
Notes
- I have also seen Linzer cookies filled with Nutella and lemon curd, which both sound delightful. But black currant preserves is traditional.
- If you prefer not to toast and grind the nuts yourself, you could replace the nuts with ¾ cup of almond flour. Just add the full amount of sugar to the butter when creaming and proceed with the recipe as written.
Nutrition
Thumbprint Cookies are a buttery shortbread bite-size delight filled with your favorite jewel-colored jams, then drizzled with a simple vanilla glaze. They make a fun and tasty addition to any holiday cookie plate!
If you are looking to round out your Christmas cookie plates, be sure not to miss my Chocolate Crinkle Cookies , Soft & Chewy Molasses Cookies , and Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms .
I adore shortbread cookies and look forward to making cranberry shortbread bars and toffee pecan shortbread cookies every year.
It’s the perfect canvas for showcasing other flavors in a crumbly, buttery cookie that practically melts in your mouth.
And it’s not as sweet as most cookies, which is why it goes so well with the fruity jam baked in the center of each little one- or maybe two-bite cookie.
These thumbprint cookies are no exception and one of my favorite traditional Christmas cookies. The easy shortbread dough comes together quickly and little helpers love rolling the dough into balls, then making the thumbprint to hold a dollop of jam.
And speaking of jam, you can use any jam flavor you like! I grabbed raspberry, blueberry, and apricot jam from my fridge for these thumbprint cookies and all were absolutely delicious.
But I just bought a jar of cloudberry jam from Ikea and will try that when I make these again closer to Christmas! And strawberry, boysenberry, and peach jam are also yummy choices.
The glaze is optional and thumbprint cookies are good with and without the glaze, but I love the way it dresses up these cookies and makes them just a bit more special.
How to Make Thumbprint Cookies
- Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy in a stand mixer.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla, beating until combined and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add flour, cornstarch, and salt. At first it might seem like the dough isn’t going to come together because there isn’t much liquid for binding, but if you keep mixing it will form a nice dough that is perfect for shaping into balls.
- Scoop out small amounts of dough and roll into 1 tablespoon size balls, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Use your thumb or the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon to make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Some people get hung up on thumbprint cookies with no cracks, but I find that’s pretty hard to avoid. You can press the dough back together a bit before filling with jam and baking, but I actually think it adds charm and a homemade quality to the cookies that I like.
- Fill with about ½ teaspoon of jam. If the jam is thick, you may need to warm it just a bit in the microwave until you can stir in, but you don’t want to get it too hot.
- Bake until barely browned around the bottom edges of the cookies, but definitely don’t overbake. 9-11 minutes in a 375°F oven is perfect for me.
Do I need to chill the dough?
I have found that this dough is easy to work with right after mixing without chilling it in the fridge first.
You should be able to roll the balls of dough between the palms of your hands without any difficulty, even with unchilled dough. Because the cookies are small and have little liquid in them, they don’t spread much while baking, so chilling is unnecessary.
How to Store Thumbprint Cookies
Jam thumbprint cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
For longer storage, you can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Just let them thaw on the counter for 30-60 minutes before eating.
More Christmas Cookies You’ll Love
- Mexican Wedding Cookies [aka Russian Tea Cakes]
- Homemade Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- The Best Snickerdoodle Cookies Recipe
- Oatmeal Rolled Sugar Cookies
- Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Peppermint Macarons
- Chocolate-Dipped Almond Biscotti
- Greek Baklava Recipe
- Double Chocolate Nutella Sandwich Cookies
- Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Men Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients123
Cookies
- ▢ 1 cup salted butter softened
- ▢ 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk
- ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ▢ 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 cup jam or preserves raspberry and apricot are our favorites but you can use any you like
Glaze
- ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
- ▢ 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix on medium-high speed using the paddle attachment for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. 1 cup salted butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Add the flour, cornstarch, and salt and mix again until everything comes together in a nice dough. It may seem crumbly at first, but just scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and keep mixing until the dough comes together. 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt
- Shape the dough into 1-tablespoon size balls and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Gently press in the center of each cookie with your thumb or the back of a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon to create and indentation. Fill with your favorite jam, warming the jam first for about 10 seconds so it is stirrable. ½ cup jam or preserves
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until set and just barely starting to turn golden around the bottom edges. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- While the cookies cool, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, cream or milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Transfer to a ziplock bag and snip off one corner. Drizzle the glaze over cookies, then let set for 1-2 hours until the glaze has set up. 1 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Notes
- These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Linzer Cookies
Equipment
- Star Cookie Cutter Set
- Large Food Processor
- KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole hazelnuts or almonds
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks
- Zest of one small lemon
- 2/3 cup lingonberry jam or raspberry jam, black currant preserves, cherry preserves, etc.
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast the nuts on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Cool completely, then add them to a food processor with 1/4 cup of the sugar and process until finely ground. 1 cup whole hazelnuts or almonds, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, and ground nut mixture together in a bowl and whisk to combine. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon zest, then beat again to combine. 1 cup salted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large egg yolks, Zest of one small lemon
- Gradually add the flour/nut mixture, about 1/3 at a time, mixing just until combined.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces, and press each piece into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to two days.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out each disc of dough on a lightly floured surface, one at a time, until between 1/4- and 1/6-inch thick. Cut out into shapes using 3-inch cookie cutters in star, heart, or circle shapes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, then use a smaller cookie cutter to cut out windows in half of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining dough, re-rolling scraps until all of the dough has been used. If the dough gets too soft, set it back in the fridge to chill for a bit to help the cookies keep their shape.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are just beginning to turn a nice golden brown around the edges. I prefer these cookies crunchy since they will soften slightly when filled. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Dust the top halves of each cookie with powdered sugar, then spread the bottom halves with the fruit preserves or other filling. Sandwich the top and bottom halves together. You may want to carefully spoon a little additional jam into the window on the top, although I usually skip this. You should end up with about 24 completed cookies. 2/3 cup lingonberry jam, 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- Store the finished cookies in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for 4-5 days, or freeze for longer storage (up to 2 months). If frozen, you may want to dust the tops of the cookies with powdered sugar again after thawing.
Notes
- I have also seen Linzer cookies filled with Nutella and lemon curd, which both sound delightful. But black currant preserves is traditional.
- If you prefer not to toast and grind the nuts yourself, you could replace the nuts with 3/4 cup of almond flour. Just add the full amount of sugar to the butter when creaming and proceed with the recipe as written.
Nutrition
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