Cooking and Serving: 55 minutes | 24 cookies
Ingredients
See recipe for ingredients
Description
Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
TIPS FOR CUTTING OUT AUSTRIAN LINZER COOKIES
Be gentle when rolling the dough as it’s pretty delicate. Roll the sheets of.
dough between pieces of parchment paper.
Roll the dough when it’s at cool room temperature until it’s about 1/4-inch.
thick, or a tiny bit thicker. Any thinner and the cookie-to-jam ratio will be.
all wrong, and the cookies too fragile.
If you’re rolling out the dough when it’s warm, be sure not to press too firmly.
with the rolling pin or your dough will become too thin, too fast. If it’s too.
cold, rolling will be too difficult.
Be sure to roll it between the sheets of parchment (plastic wrap will leave too.
many creases) or your rolling pin will stick to the dough. Your cookies won’t.
have a smooth surface even when they’re baked.
Then, after cutting the shapes and before moving the cookies, chill the shaped.
dough, so it’s more stable to move to the baking sheet.
Keep the little center cutouts and use them for your taste testers who must try.
everything the second it’s baked. Or use them as little ice cream toppers.
Raw linzer cookie rounds some with cutouts on white paper on tray.
linzer cookie rounds some with cutouts on white paper on tray.
ASSEMBLING THESE COOKIES
Be careful when you’re assembling your new favorite holiday cookie. And not just.
because this recipe uses gluten free flour. Because of the structure of the.
dough, the cookies are fairly fragile, so they’ll crack if you apply much.
pressure when you’re adding the top cookie.
GRINDING THE NUTS
If you’re grinding nuts to make your own flour (which is really easy as you’ll.
see below), watch them closely and don’t let them go too far. You want them to.
be fine but crumbly. If you keep pulsing them for too long, you’ll end up with a.
paste (which makes beautiful praline) and then a nut butter.
HANDLING THE COOKIE DOUGH
The best way to handle the dough is to roll it out between parchment rounds as.
soon as the dough is made, at room temperature. Then, cut out rounds, remove the.
excess dough around the rounds (saving it to reroll), and chill the rounds.
before moving them to the baking sheet.
Once the rounds reach the baking sheet, if they’ve only been chilled for 20.
minutes, you should be able to cut out the centers easily.
If you’ve gone too far and the dough is too cold, just let it warm at room.
temperature a bit. This holds doubly true for cutting out the centers of half of.
the raw cookie rounds, as trying to cut out small holes in dough that’s very.
cold will result in a cookie that cracks in multiple directions.
Baked linzer cookies some with cutouts on white paper on tray.
linzer cookies some with cutouts on white paper on tray.
GLUTEN FREE LINZER COOKIE INGREDIENTS, SUBSTITUTIONS, AND VARIATIONS.
My recipe for gluten free Linzer cookies is perfect for my family, just the way.
it is. But you can make your own tweaks to get it to the perfect flavor for your.
own tribe. You do have to exercise some caution, as the dough itself is.
temperamental, so you need to be careful what you change.
MAKING THE COOKIE DOUGH
Can you change the flour?
Yes, you can change the flour, but be careful. Using anything other than a.
well-balanced all-purpose gluten free flour.
change the texture of the cookies.
What nuts can I use to make Linzer cookie dough?
Authentic Austrian Linzer cookies use almonds and almond extract, but I prefer.
hazelnuts. You can use either.
You could experiment with other nuts, but I haven’t tried, and you’d need to.
find something that works with the jam and has a similar oil content to almonds.
and hazelnuts. Macadamia nuts.
are a potential option, since they’re buttery like hazelnuts, but they’re even.
softer, so you’ll have to be careful when grinding them not to make a paste!
Linzer cookie ingredients in small bowls.
cookie ingredients in small bowls.
THE FILLING
What you use for the filling is up to you. Traditionally, these gluten free.
with apricot or raspberry jam, but if you want something sweeter, go with.
strawberry jam or, for a tarter flavor, go with black currant preserves.
Just be sure to use something seedless, to avoid any unpleasant texture in these.
smooth, buttery cookies.
You could also ditch the fruit altogether and go for a chocolate ganache.
filling, salted caramel, or chocolate peanut butter.
4 Linzer cookies on a small white plate.
Linzer cookies on a small white plate.
FAQS
What is a Linzer cookie?
Based on the timeless Viennese Linzer torte, Linzer cookies are nut-based.
buttery sandwich cookies with a cutout on the top. Inside, and peaking through.
the cutout, you’ll find wonderfully sweet preserves, usually raspberry or.
apricot. And, of course, they’re then dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
They can be any shape, from a plain round cookie cutter to fluted, snowflakes,.
hearts, or stars. You’re only limited.
Why is my Linzer cookie dough so soft?
Gluten free Linzer cookie dough, like all linzer cookie dough starts out very.
soft, which is why you need to refrigerate it for an hour or so. This lets it.
firm up, so you can work with it and get nice, clean cuts. Refrigerating also.
helps the cookies hold their shape once in the oven, and makes the rounds easier.
to transfer to the baking sheet without their stretching and bending.
How do you keep Linzer cookies crisp?
Linzer cookies need to stay crisp or they lose some of their magic. So, when.
you’re done with the holiday cookie tray, keep the remaining cookies in an.
airtight glass container at room temperature, since plastic will cause them to.
How long do Linzer cookies stay fresh?
If kept in an airtight container at room temperature, Linzer cookies will stay.
fresh for up to a week. Depending on the filling, you can also freeze the filled.
cookies, then thaw and dust with powdered sugar when you want them.
Can I make a vegan gluten free version of Linzer cookies?
Yes, you can make gluten free vegan Linzer cookies. Substitute the butter for.
plant-based vegan butter, but not the soft spreadable kind. Go for a butter.
block that’s more like traditional butter. My favorite brands are Melt and.
For the egg, substitute a chia or flax egg. To make this recipe, I’d use 1.
tablespoon of ground chia and 1 tablespoon of lukewarm water. Mix and leave it.
for 10 minutes to gel, then add it to the recipe in place of the egg. Be sure.
that your sugars are made without bone char, too, if you’d like to make these.
GLUTEN FREE LINZER COOKIES RECIPE
Prep Time: 25 minutes mins.
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins.
Chilling time: 30 minutes mins.
4 gluten free linzer cookies on small white plate.
gluten free linzer cookies on small white plate.
These gluten free linzer cookies are made with a tender, melt-in-the-mouth.
cookie dough and sweet, tangy jam filling.
EQUIPMENT
Cookie cutters 2-inch round + Small for cutout top.
INGREDIENTS
5 ounces raw hazelnuts, (or roasted, blanched hazelnuts).
2 ½ cups (350 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend.
(I used Better Batter; please click thru for info on appropriate blends).
1 teaspoon xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it).
½ teaspoon baking powder.
½ teaspoon kosher salt.
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar.
16 tablespoons (224 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg, at room temperature, beaten.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting.
½ cup seedless raspberry jam.
ROAST THE HAZELNUTS
If your hazelnuts are raw, you must first roast them and remove their skins.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and set aside a clean tea towel.
Place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and place in.
the center of the preheated oven. Roast for 10 minutes, or until fragrant.
Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and place them immediately in the center.
of the tea towel, cover the hazelnuts with the towel and rub vigorously from.
the outside of the towel to remove the skins of the hazelnuts.
Allow the hazelnuts to cool.
GRIND THE HAZELNUTS
Place the peeled and roasted hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted.
with the steel blade or a blender, and pulse or blend until finely ground.
(stopping short of creating a paste).
Lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
MAKE THE COOKIE DOUGH
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and.
cinnamon and whisk to combine well.
Add the ground hazelnuts and brown sugar, and mix to combine well, breaking.
up any lumps in the brown sugar.
Add the butter, egg, and vanilla, and mix to combine as much as possible.
Then, using clean, dry hands, kneading the cookie dough to bring it together.
The dough should come together and be soft but thick.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Cover one portion in plastic wrap.
so it doesn’t dry out, and set it aside.
ROLL OUT THE COOKIE DOUGH
Place the remaining portion of cookie dough between two sheets of parchment.
paper, and roll out about ¼ inch thick, if not a tiny bit thicker.
CUT OUT THE COOKIES
Remove the top piece of parchment paper, and cut out 24 rounds of dough with.
a 2 inch diameter cookie cutter.
Peel away the excess cookie dough around the rounds, and set it aside to.
Without moving the cutouts, place them, still on the parchment, on a flat.
surface and place it in the freezer until firm enough to handle without.
tearing (about 20 minutes).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the rounds on it 1-inch.
apart from one another.
Repeat with the second piece of dough, cutting out 24 more rounds. From these.
24 rounds, cut out and remove a small shape from the very center of the dough.
(here I used a small star cutter).
Be sure to cut out the holes in the center when the raw cookie rounds are not.
cold, or the dough will crack when you attempt to push the small cutter.
BAKE THE COOKIES
Place the first baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake,.
rotating once, until lightly golden brown (about 10 minutes).
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool until firm on the baking.
sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Place the second baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake,.
rotating once, until lightly golden brown (about 9 minutes for the cookies.
with the center shapes cut out). These are the tops of the cookies.
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool until firm on the baking.
sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
ASSEMBLE THE COOLED COOKIES
Once the cookies are completely cool, place the cookie tops (with the cutout.
centers) face up on a clean sheet of parchment paper.
Place the confectioners’ sugar in a fine mesh sieve, and dust the tops of the.
cutout cookies evenly with a fine layer of the sugar.
On a separate sheet of parchment paper, lay out the whole, bottom cookies,.
Place 1 teaspoon of jam on the underside of each cookie, spreading the jam.
carefully into an even layer.
Top the jam with the sugared cookies. Do not use much pressure in assembling.
the cookies or the tops will break.
These cookies, even once fully assembled, with be relatively fragile, so take.
ASSEMBLE THE COOLED COOKIES
Once the cookies are completely cool, place the cookie tops (with the cutout.
centers) face up on a clean sheet of parchment paper.
Place the confectioners’ sugar in a fine mesh sieve, and dust the tops of the.
cutout cookies evenly with a fine layer of the sugar.
On a separate sheet of parchment paper, lay out the whole, bottom cookies,.
Place 1 teaspoon of jam on the underside of each cookie, spreading the jam.
carefully into an even layer.
Top the jam with the sugared cookies. Do not use much pressure in assembling.
the cookies or the tops will break.
These cookies, even once fully assembled, with be relatively fragile, so take.
Notes
Originally published on the blog in 2012. Republished in 2022: recipe unchanged,
photos, video, and most text new.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
hazelnuts being grinded
Broken linzer cookie on small white plate with cup of tea in background
linzer cookie on small white plate with cup of tea in background