These Linzer Cookies with Strawberry Preserves are sweet and festive, perfect for holiday baking. They make a great tea party food, too!
(Post modified on 7/10/23.)
The history for these cookies again comes from Austrian and German immigrants who brought the tradition and recipe to America. The cookies are named after the Linzertorte, a nut pastry covered with fruit preserves and a lattice top.
Bakers then developed cookies using Linzertorte dough, with cutout shapes of stars, hearts, or circles, with a second cutout in the center of the top cookie (called the Linzer eye). They would then sandwich the two together between jam. Black or red currant preserves are traditional, as is raspberry, but some cooks use lemon curd or even hazelnut chocolate spread.
For this recipe I’ve used an almond/all-purpose flour dough with strawberry jam, and I’ve cut out the cookies with a flower-shaped cutter and a small circle for the “eye”.
More Tea Party Cookies to Consider
- Black Currant Tea Biscuits
- Chocolate-Coated Raspberry Spritz Cookies
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Lavender Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients for Linzer Cookies with Strawberry Preserves
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
- all-purpose flour
- almond flour
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- butter, softened
- granulated sugar
- lemon zest
- princess cake and cookie flavoring
- large eggs
- strawberry preserves
- powdered sugar
Instructions for this Recipe
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Zest the lemon. You’ll want enough to make 1 tablespoon.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Make the Dough
In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, ground cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine.
Using a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add the egg yolks and Princess Cake and Cookie Flavoring, mixing to combine.
Gradually add the flour to the butter, mixing just to combine. Do not overbeat.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
Cutting out the Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes for better workability.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to about 1/8″ thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters and transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Try to work quickly. If the dough becomes too soft (or sticky), you may refrigerate it for a few minutes until chilled and more workable.
Place the first baking sheet in the refrigerator while you finish up the rest of the cookie dough.
Depending on the size of the cookie cutouts, you’ll have between 32-40 cookies. When you reach the halfway point, begin cutting the centers out of the remaining cookies, reusing the dough until it’s gone. Place second baking sheet in refrigerator to chill.
Total refrigeration for the cookies is 15-30 minutes.
Baking the Cookies
Place the first baking sheet in a preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges start to turn brown. Allow to cool for 7-8 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the second baking sheet.
Assemble the Cookies
Once the cookies have cooled completely, it’s time to assemble them. Place the cookies with the center holes together on a baking sheet. Sift powdered sugar over them to cover.
Spoon strawberry preserves onto the remaining cookies, spreading the jam to the outer edges.
I’ve used strawberry preserves for the filling of this cookies, but feel free to substitute raspberry jam, black currant preserves, lemon curd or even chocolate hazelnut spread.
Place the tops of the cookies onto the preserves, pressing lightly to attach and line up with the pattern.
Carefully, spoon more jam into the centers to fill.
This recipe will make 16-20 assembled cookies. Store in an air-tight container for 5-7 days. Serve these pretty sandwich cookies at a tea party or give as Christmas gifts.
See more Cookie Recipes Here. Browse Holiday Baking Ideas Here. View Tea Party Recipes Here.
Linzer Cookies with Strawberry Preserves
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon princess cake and cookie flavoring or vanilla extract
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup strawberry preserves
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table. Zest the lemon (enough to make 1 tablespoon.)Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Make the Dough
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, ground cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Using a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg yolks and Princess Cake and Cookie Flavoring, mixing to combine.
- Gradually add the flour to the butter, mixing just to combine. Do not overbeat.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
Cut out the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes for better workability.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to about 1/8" thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters and transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Repeat until all the dough has been used. Try to work quickly. If the dough becomes too soft (or sticky), you may refrigerate it for a few minutes until chilled.
- Place the first baking sheet in the refrigerator while you finish up the rest of the cookie dough. Depending on the size of the cookie cutouts, you'll have between 16-20 cookies. When you reach the halfway point, begin cutting the centers out of the remaining cookies, reusing the dough until it's gone. Refrigerate cut cookies for 15-30 minutes.
Bake the Cookies
- Place the first baking sheet in a preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges start to turn brown. Allow to cool for 7-8 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the second baking sheet.
Assemble the Cookies
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, it's time to assemble them. Place the cookies with the center holes together on a baking sheet. Sift powdered sugar over them to cover.
- Spoon strawberry preserves onto the remaining cookies, spreading the jam to the outer edges.
- Place the tops of the cookies onto the preserves, pressing lightly to attach and line up with the pattern.
- Carefully, spoon more preserves into the centers to fill.
- Store in an air-tight container for 5-7 days. This recipe will make 16-20 assembled cookies.
Notes
