Let's make a unique twist on the classic soft and sweet Linzer tart cookies. These cookie sandwiches are made by taking two almond and pink peppercorn flavored cut-out shortbread cookies, then layering them together with an apricot jam filling. Lastly, finish by decorating the cookies with a topping of powdered sugar and chopped pistachios.
Recipe Video
Why You'll Love You'll Love These Linzer Tart Cookies
- Flavorful: These cookies are a lovely blend of spice, sweetness, citrus, and pistachio.
- Easy: Linzer cookies may look difficult, but they are quite easy to make and will definitely impress your friends.
- Beautiful: Linzer Cookies look like little edible stained glass windows.
What is a Linzer Cookie
Linzer cookies are jam-filled, almond shortbread cookie sandwiches based on the Viennese Linzer Tart. The tender cookie dough is commonly made with ground almonds or hazelnuts, and the filling used is traditionally a raspberry or apricot fruit jam.
Ingredients
- All Purpose and Almond Flour, weigh with a kitchen scale to be precise.
- Pink Peppercorns, mash or grind into small flecks to add a sweet and mild peppery spice note.
- Ground Ginger for a little extra spice.
- Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar is the sugar of choice.
- Orange Zest to brighten the almond cookie flavor.
- Vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract is a must for all sugar cookies.
- Apricot Jam is the perfect fruit to pair with pink peppercorns and pistachios.
- Powdered Sugar to decorate the top of the linzer cookie.
- Pistachios should be un-salted, roasted, and finely chopped.
- Maple Syrup for sticking the pistachios to the cookie.
Shape & Flavor Variations
Different Shapes & Sizes: Linzer cookies can be made with many different shaped cookie cutters. Any size cookie cutter will work, and the hole for the jam can be made with any shape that's smaller. You don't need to purchase a specific set, but you can use the traditional Linzer cookie cutters if you prefer. For this recipe, I used rectangular scalloped edge cutters and made the jam hole with a circular end of a piping tip. Cut the holes in the center or experiment with an offset design.
Fruit Jam Choices: The filling for a linzer sandwich cookie can be adjusted to raspberry, grapefruit, orange jam. These tart citrus jams will all nicely compliment the pink peppercorns and pistachios.
Change the Nut Topping: Pistachios create a balanced flavor with apricot and pink peppercorns. But you can also swap them out for finely chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans.
Tips for How to Make Linzer Tart Cookies
Don't use too much flour rolling out the dough. Linzer cookie dough is soft and can be easily rolled out between two sheets of parchment paper. Adding too much flour on the work space and rolling pan can dry out the cookies.
Cut shapes from cold cookie dough: Work in batches when cutting out shapes and baking cookies. Cold cookie dough is much easier to cut and transfer to the baking pan.
Assemble Cookies Carefully! The tops of the cookies will be more fragile since they have a cut-out hole in the center. Be gentle when placing them on top of the jam layer.
Don’t overfill the cookies. Use just enough jam for the cookies to stick together. Too much filling between the cookies will cause the jam to ooze out the sides therefore making the bottom layer soggy. I often add a touch more jam to where the open hole will be.
Use a piece of paper to create a powdered sugar design: Cover half of the top cookie with a small piece of paper before dusting with powdered sugar. Experiment with angles and how much cookie top is covered with sugar.
Adding a crunchy nut topping: To help the pistachios stick to the top of the cookie sandwich, carefully paint a thin coating of maple syrup where you want to sprinkle on the chopped nuts.
Linzer Cookie FAQs
Yes, cookie dough should be chilled. Cold cookie dough is needed for cutting out perfectly shaped cookies.
Linzer cookie dough can be made up to 2 days prior to baking. Cover in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge until ready to bake. Allow cookie dough to warm on the counter at room temperature for about 20 minutes to slightly soften before rolling out.
After cookie dough is made, stored in freezer safe plastic wrap or an air tight freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.
Sandwich cookies are best stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 7 days of freshness.
Place a piece of parchment paper between the cookies if you stack them in a container or cookie tin.
Assembled cookies can be frozen in an air tight freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.
Bake cookies until the edges start to turn a little golden. Underbaked cookies will be softer.
Use a thin layer of jam between the cookies to prevent the cookie layers from becoming soggy.
DO NOT store Linzer cookies in the fridge or they will absorb moisture.
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Linzer Tart Cookies
Equipment
- scalloped rectangular cookie cutter (6.5cm x 4.5cm)
- piping tip size 2 or 3 (cut cookie hole with large round side)
Ingredients
Linzer Cookie Dough
- 96 grams almond flour
- 250 grams all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns, ground into small flecks with spoon or spice grinder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 227 grams unsalted butter *European style, softened at room temperature
- 133 grams granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, finely graded
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Jam Filling
- 165 grams apricot jam
Cookie Topping
- 56 grams powdered sugar for dusting
- 113 grams roasted pistachios, finely chopped
Instructions
Make the Cookie Dough
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, almond flour, peppercorns, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg yolks, orange zest and vanilla. Mix again to incorporate. Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and spoon in ⅓ of the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour, spooning in ⅓ at a time. Scrape bottom and sides of the bowl again as need to ensure everything is incorporated. Mix until a rough cookie dough is formed. DO NOT over mix the dough.
- Divide cookie dough in half and shape each half into a disk with your hands. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Dough will need to chill and firm for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
Bake Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and line two cookie sheets or rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Double layer the parchment paper to prevent over browning.
- Remove one disc of dough from the fridge and place on either a lightly floured surface or between to pieces of parchment paper.
- Gently roll out the cookie dough between ⅛ inch and ¼ inch thickness. The thicker cookies are less fragile and hold their shape better.
- Make the bottom of the linzer cookie sandwiches first. Take your cookie cutter of choice and cut the dough.
- Any dough scraps can be re-packed into a disc and rolled out again. If the dough gets too soft, re-wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firmer.
- Transfer cut-out cookie dough onto parchment lined baking pans. Space 1-2 inches apart. *If the dough has become too soft, option to chill cookies for 15-20 minutes before baking to prevent losing their shape in the oven.
- Bake the solid cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 8-9 minutes or until edges start to slightly golden.
- Remove baking pans and place on wire cooling racks. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie pan before transferring to a wire rack or decorating surface.
- Make the top cookies next. Repeat rolling out and cutting with second half of the cookie dough. To make the tops of the cookie sandwiches, be sure to use a smaller cookie cutter of choice to carefully cut out the center of each cookie.
- Transfer the top cookies to lined baking pans. Space 1-2 inches apart. These may bake faster than the solid cookies and closer to 6-7 minutes or until edges start to slightly golden.
- Remove baking pans and place on wire cooling racks. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie pan.
- Carefully transfer cookies with an offset or flat spatula onto a flat surface for assembly.
Assemble Cookies
- Once the top cookies (the ones with holes) are cooled, set them on a piece of parchment paper to decorate.
- Cover half of the cookie with a piece of cut-out paper and dust the exposed cookie with powdered sugar through a small wire sieve.
- Line up the bottom cookies (the ones without holes) and spread a ¾ teaspoon dollup of apricot jam on each cookie. Spread the jam carefully to the edges of the cookie. *A little more jam can also be added to where the hole will be.
- Gently place a powdered sugar cookie top on each of the bottom cookies. Careful to avoid pressing to hard with the top cookie.
- Add the chopped pistachios by painting a thin layer of maple syrup on the part of the top cookie that doesn't have powdered sugar.
- Pour maple syrup into a small bowl. Take a pastry brush and dip it into the maple syrup. Lightly coat the exposed cookie top with maple syrup, then sprinkle the pistachio crumbs onto the syrup to stick.
- *Adding the nuts to the top cookie can also be done before making the sandwich just after the powdered sugar step. This will prevent any pistachio pieces from going into the jam. I just find it easier to do last.
- Eat and enjoy you beautiful linzer cookies! The flavors only get better the next day if you have any left.
Video
Notes
- Linzer Cookie Cutter: Any size cookie cutter will work, and the hole for the jam can be made with any shape that's smaller. You don't need to purchase a specific set, but you can use the traditional Linzer cookie cutters if you prefer. For this recipe, I used rectangular scalloped edge cutters and made the jam hole with a circular end of a piping tip. Cut the holes in the center or offset.
- Cookie Dough: If the cut-out dough has become warm, option to chill cookies for 15-20 minutes before baking to prevent losing their shape in the oven
- Refrigerate: Linzer cookie dough can be made up to 3 days prior to baking. Cover in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to bake. Allow cookie dough to warm on the counter at room temperature for about 20 minutes to slightly soften before rolling out.
- Freeze: Cookie dough can also be made, stored in freezer safe plastic wrap or air tight freezer bag.
-
Store Cookies: Sandwich cookies are best stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 7 days of freshness.
- Place a piece of parchment paper between the cookies if you stack them in a container or cookie tin.
- Assembled cookies can be frozen in an air tight freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.
Sam
I've tried this recipe and can say first hand that it is absolutely delicious! Thank you Two Cups Flour!
Marisa
DELICIOUS!! This recipe was so easy to follow and really wowed the family this year at Christmas. The orange zest and pink peppercorn adds a bright pop to balance the sweetness, and also adds some pretty color to the dough. No notes! This is a new staple in my cookie recipes.
Jenn
Thank you for trying my recipe! So glad you enjoyed the flavor combo.