Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Raspberry linzer cookies are buttery, tender shortbread cookies filled with sweet-tart raspberry jam. The classic peekaboo cutout shows off the jam and makes them as beautiful as they are delicious. Perfect for bake sales, holiday treats, or serving as a stunning dessert!

Love More Christmas Cookies? Try My Peanut Butter Blossoms or this Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookie next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The jam holds its shape beautifully, so each bite is neat and satisfying. These cookies have a fancy look but are actually simple to make with the right dough handling. Quick to assemble and bake, they’re perfect for whipping up even on busy weeknights.

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Ingredient List

Linzer Cookie Dough

• 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup superfine almond meal
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Filling & Decoration

• 2 cups raspberry jam
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Why These Ingredients Work

The butter has to be soft enough to press with your finger but not melting. I leave mine on the counter for about an hour before I start. Almond meal is what separates these from regular sugar cookies – it adds this nutty depth that tastes expensive. That cornstarch was something I picked up from watching a baking show. Just one tablespoon makes the cookies way more tender than flour alone.

Using just the egg yolk instead of the whole egg keeps them rich without making them puffy. The raspberry jam needs to be thick enough to stay in place but not so thick it tears the delicate cookies when you assemble them.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Stand mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer
• Two large mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Plastic wrap
• Rolling pin
• 1½-inch scalloped circle cookie cutter
• ¾-inch heart or circle cutter (for the windows)
• Two large baking sheets
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
• Wire cooling racks
• Fine mesh sieve (for dusting powdered sugar)

How To Make Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Make the Cookie Base

Beat the butter and sugar together for about 4 minutes until it gets pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolk, almond extract, and vanilla. Mix until everything looks smooth.

Combine Dry Ingredients

In another bowl, whisk the flour, almond meal, cornstarch, and salt together. Add this to the butter mixture and mix just until you can’t see any dry flour. The dough will be pretty thick.

Chill the Dough

Split the dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Flatten them into rectangles and stick them in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. Cold dough rolls out way easier and doesn’t stick to everything.

Prepare for Baking

Heat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll and Cut Cookies

Take one piece of dough out and roll it to about 1/8-inch thick on a floured surface. Cut out circles with the bigger cutter. For half of them, cut out the centers with the smaller cutter to make windows. Keep all the scraps – you can roll them out again for more cookies.

Bake the Cookies

Put the cookies about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 minutes until the edges just start to turn golden. They’ll keep cooking on the hot pan, so don’t leave them in too long. Let them cool on the pan for 15 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

Assemble the Sandwiches

Use the fine sieve to dust powdered sugar all over the cookies with holes. Spread about 2 teaspoons of jam on each solid cookie. Top with a sugared cookie and press down gently until the jam shows through the window.

You Must Know

I stick my cookie cutters in the freezer while the dough chills. Cold cutters cut way cleaner than room temperature ones. Found this out after making a bunch of cookies with raggedy edges.

Your butter temperature matters more than you think. Too cold and it won’t cream right. Too warm and your cookies will spread into flat pancakes. I test mine by poking it – should give under pressure but not leave a dent.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

If your dough gets too soft while you’re working with it, just put it back in the fridge for 10 minutes. Don’t try to force it – you’ll just make a mess. When dough cracks while rolling, push it back together with your fingers. This recipe is pretty forgiving about that stuff.

My oven runs hot on the left side, so I turn the pan around halfway through baking. Figure out your oven’s quirks and work with them. Use a little spatula to spread the jam instead of a knife. Way less likely to tear the cookies.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

I’ve made these with strawberry jam when raspberries were expensive. Apricot jam tastes more sophisticated if you’re serving them to adults. My neighbor tried Nutella once and her kids went crazy for them.

Instead of almond extract, try lemon zest for summer parties. A tiny bit of cinnamon in the dough makes them smell incredible while they bake. Some people add chopped hazelnuts but I think that makes them too busy.

Make-Ahead Options

These cookies get better after sitting for a day. The jam softens the cookies just enough to make them perfect. I store them in a big plastic container with parchment paper between the layers. They’ll stay good for about 4 days if you can keep people from eating them.

You can freeze the dough wrapped up tight for a month. The baked cookies without jam also freeze well. Just thaw everything completely before you put them together.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

This makes about 48 cookies, which sounds like a lot but they go fast. You can cut the recipe in half if you want fewer, just figure out how to split that egg yolk.

If you live somewhere with high altitude, you’ll need to adjust the recipe. I don’t know the exact amounts but you’ll want less sugar and more flour. The jam needs to be spreadable but not runny. Too thin and it soaks through the cookies.

Serving Suggestions

These look great on a platter with other holiday cookies. They’re fancy enough for grown-up parties but kids love them too. I serve them with coffee in the afternoon or hot chocolate when it’s cold outside.

They make really nice gifts if you pack them in clear containers with ribbon. People always seem impressed by the little windows showing the jam.

How to Store Your Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Keep the assembled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for about 4 days. Put parchment paper between layers so they don’t stick together.

If you made extras, wrap the unfilled cookies in plastic wrap and freeze them. They’ll keep for a month. Just thaw them out completely before adding jam and powdered sugar.

Allergy Information

These have eggs, dairy, tree nuts, and gluten. For gluten-free, use a cup-for-cup flour substitute. Vegan butter works instead of regular butter – just make sure it’s soft. Skip the almond meal and extract if you can’t have nuts, just use more flour. You can try aquafaba instead of egg yolk but I haven’t tested that myself.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Why did my cookies spread too much?

Your butter was too warm or you didn’t chill the dough long enough. The dough should feel cold and firm when you roll it out.

My dough is too sticky to roll out?

Put it back in the fridge for another 15 minutes. Cold dough is way easier to work with.

The jam bubbled out while baking?

You add the jam after baking, not before. These are assembled cookies.

Do I have to use almond extract?

No, you can use all vanilla instead. The almond flavor is nice but not required.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear how your linzer cookies turned out and any creative variations you discovered!