Soft Raspberry Linzer Cookies

These are the best Raspberry Linzer Cookies — spiced with subtle holiday flavors and filled with raspberry jam, they are soft, buttery, and perfect.

Whenever I get an assorted cookies from a bakery, these are always the one’s I gravitate towards.

I mean the buttery, flaky cookies. The sweet and sticky raspberry jam. The dusting of powdered sugar. They’re absolutely PERFECT.

Looking for more Christmas cookie ideas? I’ve got you covered:

• Italian Rainbow Cookies
• Italian Ricotta Cookies
• Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

What are Linzer Cookies?

Based on the classic Austrian linzer torte, these jam-filled sandwich cookies are made with a simple, spiced shortbread that includes almond flour — necessary for their signature flavor.

Where to Buy Linzer Cookie Cutters

So you can use the cookie cutters you already have if you have a small circle to cut out the tops with. I’ve used a cupcake corer in the past to make my circles!

If you want to be a little extra though, just search on Amazon for Linzer Cookie Cutters! These are the ones I have: Linzer Cookie Cutters.

Raspberry Linzer Cookie Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need to make these cookies:

King Arthur AP Flour: Spooned and leveled

King Arthur Almond Flour: Spooned and leveled

Unsalted butter: Softened

Powdered sugar: Sifted, plus more for dusting

Egg yolks: At room temperature

Vanilla bean paste: Can sub vanilla extract

Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed

Spices: We’ll be using cinnamon and allspice

Kosher salt: To bring it all together

Seedless raspberry jam: Or your jam of choice

How to Make Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Here’s how to make these delicious sandwich cookies:

Step 1: Prep your ingredients.

I like to prep by combining my dry ingredients (flour, almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and allspice) in a bowl and setting this aside.

Step 2: Cream your butter and sugar.

Add the softened butter to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Starting on low and increasing to medium, begin creaming your butter until it’s creamy (about 3 minutes). You may need to stop the mixer occasionally to scrap down the sides, or pop the butter out of the paddle. 

It will look like this:

Then lower the speed to low and add the powdered sugar. Mix until combined, like this:

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients.

Now on low speed, add the egg yolks one at a time, making sure the first is incorporated before adding the second. Increase the speed slightly and add the vanilla and lemon juice until just combined.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients.

With the mixer on the lowest setting, add the flour mixture in stages, making sure the first one is incorporated before adding the next. Once all of the flour is added and just combined, turn off the mixture.

Step 5: Make the discs and chill.

Now take the dough and add it to a clean work surface. Cut it into equal portions, and then form each portion into a round disc.

Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for atleast one hour, or up to overnight.

About 20 minutes before you want to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 6: Roll the dough out.

Dust some flour on a piece of parchment paper and place one disc on top (leave the second in the fridge while you work). Roll it out until it’s ¼ of an inch thick.

Step 7: Cut out the cookies.

Now cut out the cookies, making sure you have an equal amount of tops and bottoms. Add them to the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.

Step 8: Bake the cookies.

Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Step 9: Dust the tops with powdered sugar.

Set the wire rack over a backing sheet for easy clean up and, using a sifter, dust the tops generously with powdered sugar.

Step 10: Make the sandwiches.

Add about ½ teaspoon of jam to the bottom cookies and then place the top on it in order to form a sandwich.