Nothing says holiday like these tasty Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam. They are a perfect blend of a buttery cookie, sweet-tangy raspberry, and finished off with a kiss of powdered sugar.
And if you want to add some variety to your Christmas cookie platter, these Linzer Cookies go great with Double chocolate cookies and chewy M&M cookies.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
These Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam are a classic Christmas delight. And making them with a snowflake cookie cutter really gets you into the holiday spirit. These cookies are perfect for parties and served on cookie platters, so go ahead and make a batch this season!
- TASTE: Rich, buttery, and sweet, these Linzer Cookies are delicious. The cream cheese adds tangy richness and the jam is just a little tart.
- TEXTURE: The cookies are so buttery and the jam is perfectly sticky and thick.
- TIME: They only take an hour and 40 minutes to make.
- EASE: This recipe is not hard at all. Just follow the step by step photos to make amazing Linzer cookies for your next get-together.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Butter- This gives the cookies their buttery flavor and texture. Use unsalted because we will be adding salt later on.
- Cream cheese- This adds tangy flavors and richness to the Linzer cookies.
- Jam- You can use homemade or store-bought.
- Baking powder- This will help the cookies rise so they are thick and sturdy enough.
- Powdered sugar- We’ll use this to dust the tops of the cookies. You can also use confectioners’ sugar.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add poppy seeds- For some flavor and texture in these buttery cookies, add poppy seeds to the cookie dough.
- Substitute another jam- Try this cookie with 3 Ingredient Strawberry Jam (no pectin), lemon curd, currant jam, or apricot jam.
- Make them gluten-free- Substitute all-purpose gluten-free baking flour or almond flour in this recipe to make it gluten-free.
- Substitute different shapes- Circles with star cutouts and squares are also popular designs for these Linzer cookies.
How to Make Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam
- Sift together the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
- Cut the butter and cream cheese. Cube the butter and cream cheese and then use a pastry cutter to cut it into the dry ingredients, working until the butter cubes are pea-sized.
- Beat the egg and sugar. In a small bowl, beat the sugar and egg together with a fork.
- Combine. Take the egg mixture and pour it into a well in the center of the butter/flour mixture, then work the dough with your hands into a solid shape.
- Form the dough. Split the dough into 2 sections, cover each with plastic wrap, and place them in the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough. Roll out one piece of dough with a rolling pin until it is about 16 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick.
- Cut out cookie shapes. Using a 3 1/2-inch snowflake cookie cutter, cut out shapes in the dough. Then, take a smaller snowflake shape to cut out the centers of half of the larger snowflakes. The whole ones will form the cookie bottoms and the others will be the tops.
- Re-roll the dough scraps. Roll out the dough scraps to 1/8-inch thick and cut out the snowflakes until the dough is gone. Do the same with the other refrigerated section.
Pro Tip: To make these a little extra Christmasy, I used snowflake cookie cutters, but you are welcome to use any shape you have on hand, as long as it’s about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
- Bake. In a 350ºF oven, bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 10 minutes, until they are golden brown.
- Add the raspberry jam. Once the cookies have cooled on a wire rack, add a teaspoon of jam to the bottom cookies, with most of it in the center. Then, place the tops over them and sprinkle each sandwiched cookie with powdered sugar.
Recipe Tips
- Scoop and level the flour- Scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with a knife rather than scoop it with the measuring cup to avoid overfilling and getting dry cookies.
- Use a pastry cutter- While a fork can work, too, a pastry cutter is best for getting those little pea-sized chunks of butter and cream cheese that will moisten these cookies.
- Keep the cookies thin- Roll them out to about 1/8 of an inch to keep them thin. Too thick and these Linzer cookie sandwiches will be a mouthful when combining the top and bottom with jam.
- Spread most of the jelly in the center- To avoid jam oozing out the sides, place most of the jam in the center where the cut out will be and just a little toward the sides to act as glue holding the halves together.
FAQs
If your jam or jelly is too runny for your Linzer cookies, then place it in a saucepan with a tablespoon of cornstarch and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. Let it cool before adding it to your cookies.
You do not need to refrigerate cookies with a little bit of jam like these Linzer cookies. They can stay at room temperature for days, though you can place them in the fridge if you like.
Serving Suggestions
This Linzer Cookie recipe is perfect for holiday get-togethers. Serve them on cookie platters, with cakes, and alongside other sweet treats and coffee.
- Cookies: Serve these with Gingersnap Cookies, Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies, Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, or Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies (VIDEO).
- Cakes: Pair these jam cookies with a slice of Gingerbread Cake, Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, or New York Style Cheesecake.
- Sweet treats: Enjoy these Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam alongside some Chocolate Covered Dates, Apricot Rugelach (VIDEO), Candied Pecans, or Pumpkin Creme Brulee.
- Beverages: Have a Linzer cookie with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Iced Caramel Macchiato, Brown Sugar Boba, or Iced Matcha Latte.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: Since these cookies can be stored for nearly a week or frozen, they can easily be made ahead of time and then dusted with powdered sugar when you’re ready to serve them.
Storing: If you place these Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam in an airtight container, they will last at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Separate the cookies with parchment paper so that the jam does not cause the cookies to stick to each other (jam doesn’t freeze solid) and place them in a tightly lidded container. Raspberry Linzer cookies can last for up to 1 month in the freezer.
If you plan to freeze these cookies, it is best to not dust them with powdered sugar until they have thawed, otherwise, they absorb the sugar.
More Yummy Christmas Cookies!
Full Recipe Instructions
Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (cold)
- 4 oz cream cheese (cold)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
- Slice the butter and cream cheese into cubes and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter. Continue cutting into the butter until it resembles the size of peas.
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the sugar and egg with a fork.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour/butter mixture and work the dough into a solid shape with your hands.
- Separate the dough into 2 portions and wrap each piece with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm.
- Roll one piece of dough into a circle about 16 inches in diameter. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick.
- Using a 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut as many snowflakes from the dough as possible. Then using a smaller snowflake cookie cutter, cut through the center of half the cookies. These will be the cookie tops. The whole cookies will be the cookie bottoms. Gather up the dough scraps and roll it back into 1/8 inch thick and repeat the cutting process. Continue steps 6-7 with the remaining refrigerated dough.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden-brown.
- Once the cookies are cooled, spread about 1 tsp of raspberry jam onto the cookie bottoms leaving most of the jam dolloped in the center. Then place the cookie tops on top. Lightly sift powdered sugar on top of each sandwiched cookie.
Notes
- Scoop and level the flour- Scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with a knife rather than scoop it with the measuring cup to avoid overfilling and getting dry cookies.
- Use a pastry cutter- While a fork can work, too, a pastry cutter is best for getting those little pea-sized chunks of butter and cream cheese that will moisten these cookies.
- Keep the cookies thin- Roll them out to about 1/8 of an inch to keep them thin. Too thick and these Linzer cookie sandwiches will be a mouthful when combining the top and bottom with jam.
- Spread most of the jelly in the center- To avoid jam oozing out the sides, place most of the jam in the center where the cut out will be and just a little toward the sides to act as glue holding the halves together.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 7, 2017, we have updated it since.
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Diadiana says
Linzer cookies are one of my most favorite cookies. This is the first time I’ve ever made them from scratch… and OMG, so easy with so many simple ingredients! I did not have one cup of butter, instead, I used margarine and they came out insanely DELICIOUS! I made half of them with raspberry jam and the other half with apricot jam, equally yammy!!! Plus, if you have a toddler and do not know how to keep them busy on a cold/ snowy day, making this cookies will def keep them both entertained and creative????. Endless thanks for another awesome, simple, delicious recipe
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for such a kind review! 🙂