Linzer Cookies
November 30, 2023
The Linzer cookie looks like it was dreamed up by a wizard of holiday marketing, with its crisp white cookie halves, bright red center and dusting of snowy confectioners’ sugar. It tastes as good as it looks, too. The cookies are buttery and biscuit-like, and the center is tart and jammy; the sugar on top is lightly, electrically sweet.
In fact, the Linzer cookie has a long and storied history. It’s a descendant of the Linzer torte, a traditional Austrian pastry and the oldest cake to ever be named after a place — Linz, Austria. The torte is a shortcake topped with fruit preserves and a lattice crust. The Linzer cookie uses the same ingredients but presents them in a different (dare we say cuter?) way: two shortcake-style cookies held together with jam and a hole carved in the top to show off the sweet-tart preserves.
You can enjoy Linzer cookies any time of year, but they are truly magical around the holidays. They look the part, of course, but it’s the taste that seals the deal. If the holidays had an official flavor, we think it would be the flavor of Linzer cookies — bright, buttery, tart and softly sweet.
SERVINGS
36
PREP TIME
15 min
COOK TIME
20 min
Ingredients
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3 1/2cups flour
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1/4teaspoon kosher salt
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3sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
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1cup granulated sugar
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1teaspoon vanilla extract
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3/4cup L&B Triple Berry Jam
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Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
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1
Heat oven to 350 F.
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2
Sift the flour into a medium bowl and add the salt. Set aside.
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3
In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
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4
Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Mix until the dough starts to come together.
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5
Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a flat disk. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
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6
Lightly dust a flat surface with flour. Roll the dough, turning it 90 degrees every few rolls to prevent sticking, until it’s ¼-inch thick. Cut 2 ¾-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter.
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7
Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut a hole from the middle of half the rounds and freeze for 10 minutes.
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8
Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until set and light in color. Let cool to room temperature.
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9
Spread the triple berry jam on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners’ sugar, and press the flat sides together with the triple berry jam in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on top.
Recipe adapted from the Food Network.