Spiced Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
These spiced hazelnut Linzer cookies are a delectable twist on the classic Austrian treat that is perfect for the holiday season. The buttery shortbread-style dough is punctuated with rich and nutty hazelnuts and infused with the warmth of cardamom, cinnamon, and a touch of cloves. The dough is cut into rounds and baked to golden perfection before being sandwiched together with a thin layer of jam. A dusting of powdered sugar lends a delicate sweetness and a festive look.
Hey there, and welcome back, friends.
You are in for a sweet holiday treat!
Today, I’m sharing a classic Linzer cookie recipe. I also have classic holiday cookies on the blog like Snowball Cookies, Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies, and Gingerbread Cookies.
Linzer cookies are a must-have cookie over the holiday season and make a great addition to your Christmas Cookie Boxes.
These cookies are a variation of the Austrian Linzer torte which is a shortbread pastry topped with preserves and nuts and decorated with a lattice top.
Linzer cookies are sandwich cookies filled with jam that are typically dusted with powdered sugar.
Have you ever tried a Linzer cookie before? These Linzer cookies have a crunchy texture similar to a traditional shortbread that begins to soften once they are sandwiched with jam.
They’re a fun sandwich cookie to make and kids can help with adding the jam and sifting the powdered sugar over the cookies.
What I love about these cookies is that you can make them over a few days. With all the running around we do over the holidays, you can break up the steps to create a timeline that works for you! The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Once baked and cooled, the cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 24 hours before being assembled or you can freeze the undecorated cookies and assemble them another day.
You can also make these cookies in different sizes. If your cookie cutter is smaller or larger it will work just fine. Keep in mind that the yield and baking times are written for larger 3-inch cookies.
I do not recommend going smaller than 2 inches as it will be a challenge to find a cookie cutter small enough to remove the cutout from the center.
The best part is you can customize the jams. Raspberry jam, apricot jam, peach jam, red currant jam, cherry jam, blackberry jam, and orange marmalade are all delicious options.
I know your family will love these cookies as much as mine did.
Ingredients
- whole raw hazelnuts
- all-purpose flour
- ground cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves
- baking powder
- salt
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- a large egg + an egg yolk
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- some jam or marmalade
How to Make Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
Pulse the hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with the S blade until finely chopped.
Add the chopped hazelnuts to a large bowl along with flour, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, mixing until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until the dough comes together. It will be fairly soft but will hold together in a ball. Resist the urge to add more flour as you’ll be adding some during the process of rolling out the cookies.
Remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour as well. Bring the dough together with your hands then divide it into two equal portions.
Pat each portion into a circle that is about 1 inch thick. Cover each round of dough with plastic wrap then chill until firm but pliable, about 30-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line at least 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the first circle of dough. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/8-inch thick.
Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 16 cookies. Re-roll the dough as needed.
Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet at least 1 inch apart. These will be the bottoms of the cookies.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges.
Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Remove the remaining dough from the fridge to make the tops of the cookies. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/8-inch thick. Use the same cookie cutter to cut out 16 cookies.
As you cut each circle, use a smaller 1 to 1 ½-inch sized round cutter to remove the center. Re-roll the dough you remove from the centers.
Place the cookies on lined baking trays at least 1 inch apart. Bake these cookies for 11-13 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once all of the cookies are completely cool, gather your jam and powdered sugar. To assemble the cookies, place the bottoms of the cookies (the ones without a hole cut out of the center) on your work surface.
Flip the cookies over so that the side that was on the baking sheet is facing up. Spread 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of jam onto the surface of the cookie, making sure to leave a very small border around the edge clear.
For the remaining cookies (the ones with the center cut out), you’ll dust them generously with powdered sugar.
Carefully place the cookies dusted with the powdered sugar on top of the cookies with the jam to create a sandwich.
How to Store
Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you are layering them in a container, you can use sheets of parchment paper in between each layer to keep the powdered sugar as tidy as possible.
For longer-term storage, you can freeze the cookies before adding the jam and powdered sugar. Unthaw the cookie pieces at room temperature and then add the jam filling and powdered sugar. This is great for making the cookies ahead of time for the holidays and holiday cookie boxes.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
Below are a few more cookie ideas to make over the holidays.
- Chocolate Orange Cookies
- Double Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
- Cinnamon Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Peppermint White Chocolate Cookies
What do you think of this beautiful Linzer cookie recipe? What would you serve with these cookies? Let me know in the comment section below.
If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!
Happy holiday baking, friends!
Spiced Hazelnut Linzer Cookie Recipe
Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
These spiced hazelnut Linzer cookies are a delectable twist on the classic Austrian treat that is perfect for the holiday season. The buttery shortbread-style dough is punctuated with rich and nutty hazelnuts and infused with the warmth of cardamom, cinnamon, and a touch of cloves.
Ingredients
- ½ cup whole raw hazelnuts
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the cookies
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- About ¾ cup jam or marmalade
Instructions
- Pulse the hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with the S blade until finely chopped. Add the chopped hazelnuts to a large bowl along with flour, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, mixing until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until the dough comes together. It will be fairly soft but will hold together in a ball. Resist the urge to add more flour as you’ll be adding some during the process of rolling out the cookies. Remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour as well. Bring the dough together with your hands then divide it into two equal portions. Pat each portion into a circle that is about 1-inch thick. Cover each round of dough with plastic wrap then chill until firm but pliable, about 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line at least 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the first circle of dough. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/8-inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut out 16 cookies. Re-roll the dough as needed. Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. These will be the bottoms of the cookies. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Remove the remaining dough from the fridge in order to make the tops of the cookies. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/8-inch thick. Use the same cookie cutter to cut out 16 cookies. As you cut each circle, use a smaller 1 to 1 ½-inch sized round cutter to remove the center. Re-roll the dough you remove from the centers. Place the cookies on lined baking trays at least 1-inch apart. Bake these cookies for 11-13 minutes or until just turning golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once all of the cookies are completely cool, gather your jam and powdered sugar. To assemble the cookies, place the bottoms of the cookies (the ones without a hole cut out of the center) on your work surface. Flip the cookies over so that the side that was on the baking sheet is facing up. Spread 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of jam onto the surface of the cookie, making sure to leave a very small border around the edge clear.
- For the remaining cookies (the ones with the center cut out), you’ll dust them generously with the powdered sugar. Carefully place the cookies dusted with the powdered sugar on top of the cookies with the jam in order to create a sandwich.
Notes
- The dough can be chilled for up to 3 days. If you are chilling it longer than an hour, make sure to leave the dough at room temp for 30-60 min before rolling it out. It should be pliable without cracking but not as soft as it was before it went into the fridge to chill.
- If you only have 2 large baking sheets, you’ll need to wait for them to cool down after baking the bottoms before you use them to bake the tops. Otherwise, you can use 4 large baking sheets to speed up the process a bit.
- The yield is based on using 3-inch round cookie cutters. If you use a different size, your yield and baking time will vary.
- You can make smaller cookies with a 2 or 2 ½-inch sized cookie cutter but keep in mind that the yield and baking times are written for larger 3-inch cookies. I do not recommend going smaller than 2 inches as it will be a challenge to find a cookie cutter small enough to remove the cutout from the center.
- Any jam can work in this recipe. I suggest trying raspberry jam, apricot jam, peach jam, red currant jam, cherry jam, blackberry jam, or orange marmalade.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 232Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 103mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g