Traditional Austrian Linzer Cookies are perfect for your holiday cookie collection. Popular throughout Austria and Germany, these Linzer Cookies are made from a rich buttery dough with ground almonds, filled with a tart raspberry jam, and finished with a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar. The almonds give an otherwise plain butter cookie an awesome texture and taste.
Ingredients for Traditional Austrian Linzer Cookies:
I used the following ingredients for these delicious cookies from the King Arthur site: Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, lemon zest, egg yolk, vanilla extract, sea salt, almond flour, all-purpose flour, raspberry jam, and confectioners’ sugar.
Making the Dough for the Traditional Austrian Linzer Cookies:
I used the King Arthur recipe as a starting point for these wonderful cookies. First, I beat the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until it was light and fluffy. This took about 3 minutes. Then, I added the egg yolk and vanilla, and continued beating it for another minute or so. Next, I added the salt and almond flour, and beat it on low just until the dough was combined. Finally, I added the flour, and continued beating the dough on low until everything was combined.
A lot of the reviews for the King Arthur recipe complained that the dough was very difficult to work with. To solve this problem, I transferred the dough to a gallon ziploc bag. This is a brilliant trick that I learned from one of Dorie Greenspan’s recipes! I began gently rolling the dough out with my rolling pin until the dough completely filled the bag. Then, I sealed the bag and placed it in the freezer over night.
Finishing the Traditional Austrian Linzer Cookies:
The next day, I removed the cookie dough from the freezer. I cut away the ziploc bag, and placed the dough on a well floured piece of parchment paper. I used my holiday linzer cookie cutters to cut rounds. Half of the rounds were plain and the other half had a cutout in the center.
I placed the cutouts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Before baking the cookies, I placed them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I popped the baking sheet into a 350° preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies started turning a light brown. I let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To finish the cookies I sifted confectioners’ sugar over the top of the ones with the cutout. Then, I spread raspberry jam on the flat side of the other cookies, and topped them with the sugar-dusted cookies. The Traditional Austrian Linzer Cookies had an incredible texture and taste. They weren’t too sweet with just a hint of lemon. Yum!
Traditional Austrian Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (6 ounces, 170 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (3.5 ounces, 99 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest about 1 lemon
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (2.75 ounces, 78 grams) almond flour
- 1 cup (4.25 ounces, 120 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- Raspberry jam for filling
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until well combined, another 2 minutes. Add salt and almond flour; beat on low just until combined. Add all-purpose flour; beat on low just until combined. Dough will be soft and sticky.
- Using the spatula, transfer the soft, sticky dough to a gallon-size ziploc bag. Put the bag on a flat surface. Leaving the top open, roll the dough into a ¼-inch thick rectangle that completely fills the bag. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so that it doesn't cause creases. Seal the bag, and freeze the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Put the ziploc bag on a cutting board and carefully cut open. Turn the firm dough onto a well floured parchment lined board or counter; discard bag.
- Using a 2-1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Cut out center of half of the cookies. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 2-inches between cookies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. While cookies are chilling, cut rounds from remaining dough.
- Bake cookies at 350° F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to turn brown. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To finish the cookies, place cookies with holes in them on cookie sheet and sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Turn remaining cookies flat side up and spoon 1/2 teaspoon of jam into center, spreading it slightly. Top with sugar-dusted cookie.
- Yield: 20 Linzer Cookies.
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