By Casa de Suna
Published Dec 10
To us, nothing shouts “holiday season” quite like a good linzer cookie.
From the seasonal spices to the sweet, jammy preserve, they’re just as nostalgic as they are delicious. Our best tip: chill the dough in the refrigerator to make rolling out easy, then chill a second time after cutting the cookies into their shapes–it’ll keep the edges crisp, polished, and party-ready.
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How to Make It
Difficulty: Easy
Overall Time: 3 hrs 20 min
Prep Time: 1 hr 5 min + 1 hr 40 min cooling/chilling time
Cook Time: 15 min + 20 min cooling time
Serves: Makes 36 cookies
INGREDIENTS
Dough
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Assembly
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp water
- ¼ cup coarse white decorating sugar
- ¼ cup plum preserves
- ¼ cup red fig preserves
INSTRUCTIONS
- For the dough, combine flour with cinnamon, salt, and cardamom in a small bowl. Season with nutmeg and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat butter with sugar on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add egg and vanilla on medium-low speed until almost combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, then add flour mixture. Continue mixing on medium-low speed until a smooth dough forms. Divide dough in half and shape into discs. Wrap with plastic and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
- Working with 1 disc at a time, gently knead dough, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to ⅛-inch thickness. Using a 2 ½ x 1 ½-inch rectangular cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Using a 1 ½ x 1-inch rectangular cutter, cut out the centers of half of the shapes. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, 1-inch apart. Freeze for 20 minutes. Re-roll scraps and repeat with the remaining dough.
- Whisk egg with water in a small bowl until smooth. Lightly brush mixture over the cookies with cut out centers, then sprinkle over coarse sugar (remaining whole cookies should be left unfinished).
- Bake in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching sheets halfway through, until cookies are set, but not yet browned, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
- Turn whole cookies over and spread half with a thin layer of plum preserves. Spread fig preserves over the remaining whole cookies. Sandwich cut out tops with bottoms.
How to Store It
Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
