Shortbread Linzer Cookies

How to make linzer cookies recipe, soft and melt-in-your-mouth shortbread sandwich with a fruit jam filling. This recipe is very easy to make at home and these shortbread cookies are perfect for any occasion.

Known as Linzer cookies or jam-filled sandwich cookies, this recipe for shortbread with jam filling is one of the traditional cookie recipes made during the holiday cookies season and it is also the mini version of the famous Linzer torte.

Linzer cookies are made with a shortbread dough that is different from cookie dough in preparation and texture. It is more melting and crumbly and usually has some ground nuts such as almond flour that add a delicious flavor.

These shortbread cookies are cut with cookie cutters or a special Linzer cookie cutter kit, which allows you to create plain shortbread cookies and shortbread cookies with a hole in the center that can be made in different shapes, such as a heart, a star, a round etc.

And these sandwich cookies are filled with fruit jams, as in this recipe with strawberry jam, which can be replaced by any fruit jam or chocolate ganache, buttercream or caramel sauce.

This hole in the center that lets appear its filling makes these treats very appetizing, we can make them of all shapes which makes them perfect cookies for any occasion.

>> See all shortbread and cookies recipes

Ingredients and substitutions

Here is an overview of the ingredients needed and possible substitutions to make homemade shortbread linzer cookies, scroll down the page to see the recipe card with quantities.

Shortbread dough

• Flour: Use white wheat all-purpose flour which you can replace with another flour or a gluten-free flour mix.
• Almonds: as an option, add finely ground almonds, like almond flour provides a more tender texture and a delicious flavor. You can replace it with another nut flour like hazelnut flour.
• Sugar: fine sugar, preferably powdered sugar or brown sugar for a flavored version or simply granulated sugar.
• Butter: Use unsalted butter cut into pieces and cold.
• Eggs: At room temperature.
• Vanilla and salt: Essential to flavor liquid vanilla extract or a packet of vanilla sugar and salt to bring out the flavor.

Optional

• Spices: To flavor, the dough adds ground cinnamon, gingerbread mix, or other.
• Cocoa: Replace ¼ of the flour with cocoa powder to make a cocoa shortbread.
• Nuts: Crushed almonds, or hazelnuts, pecans and more for a shortbread dough with more texture.
• Baking powder: Optionally you can add baking powder for a more soft texture.
• Flavor: In addition to vanilla extract you can add almond extract, lemon juice, lemon zest, orange flavor and more.

Filling

• Jam: Strawberry jam, raspberry jam, blueberry, apricot, fig, orange, etc.
• Spread: Speculoos lotus paste, Nutella, peanut butter, almond butter, salted caramel, etc.
• Chocolate: Dark, milk, or white chocolate ganache.

⚠️ You will find the quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page

How to make Shortbread Linzer cookies filled with jam

Here is how I prepare my shortbread cookie dough, usually I just make it by hand I find it more practical than using any equipment. But you can mix all the ingredients directly in your stand mixer or use your food processor to mix all the ingredients together.

1 - Shortbread dough

1. In a large bowl, place the softened butter with the powdered sugar and beat with an electric whisk for 2 minutes until creamy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again to incorporate.
3. Finish with the dry ingredients, flour, salt and baking powder (optional) and mix again with the electric mixer until smooth.
4. Gather the dough with your hands to form a ball and cover with plastic wrap.
5. Place the shortbread dough in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Tip: To go faster you can roll out the dough directly between 2 sheets of parchment paper and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

2 - Cut out shortbread

1. Take the shortbread dough out of the fridge and on a floured surface roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3 mm.
2. Cut out the dough with a round cookie cutter or special linzer cookie cutter.
3. And with another mini cookie cutter remove the center on half of the shortbread, to get a shortbread cookie for the bottom and a shortbread cookie with a hole in the center for the top.
4. Finish by placing your shortbread cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Place the shortbread cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven.

Tip: You can let the dough rest in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before making the cutouts to make it easier to cut the shortbread into neat shapes.

3 - Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 347°F / 170°C and remove your baking sheets containing the shortbread pieces from the freezer.
2. Bake the Linzer cookies in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until they are lightly browned on the edges.
3. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before carefully moving it to a cooling rack.

Tip: The baked shortbreads are ready when they are still a little soft and lightly browned, they are still fragile at the end of the baking process but will harden as they cool.

4 - Assembly

1. Take a shortbread cookie and put a little jam in the center.
2. Cover with the shortbread cookies that have a hole in the center and press lightly to spread
3. Finish by sprinkling powdered sugar on all the cookies and enjoy!

Tip: You can use a piping bag to fill the shortbread more easily.

Conservation

At room temperature: Shortbread sandwiches can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container away from humidity for about 1 week.

In the fridge: The jam-filled linzer cookies can be kept in the fridge for 1 week, placed in a storage box with a lid.

How to freeze them? You can also keep them up to 3 months in the freezer, the shortbread alone or with the filling. Let them defrost slowly out of the refrigerator.

More shortbread cookies

• Snickerdoodles cookies
• Gingerbread men cookies
• Snowflake gingerbread
• Chocolate crinkle cookies
• German spritz cookies
• Iced gingerbread cookies
• Christmas sugar cookies with royal icing
• Mini gingerbread house recipe
• White chocolate shortbread sandwich cookies
• Nutella Linzer Cookies
• Soft & chewy M&M cookies

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