Linzer cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookies because they're just so pretty! You can make them in almost and shape with any filling, but these snowflake shaped cranberry linzer cookies are my favorite!
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What are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer cookies are the cookie version of the Austrian dessert, linzertorte. The tart has a crust made from flour and ground almonds and is filled with fruit preserves and a lattice crust. Linzer cookies are a fun sandwich cookie which have a similar almond flour dough and are filled with jam.
Traditionally linzer cookies are made with a combination of flour and ground almonds, which helps give them their light, crumbly texture. You can toast and grind the almonds yourself if you prefer, but I always have a huge bag of almond flour on hand for baking!
You can use any jam that you have on hand to fill linzer cookies. Raspberry, current, and chocolate hazelnut are all popular choices! But I love using leftover cranberry sauce to make these linzer cookies!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these cranberry linzer cookies.
Almond Flour - I like substituting a portion of the all purpose flour with almond flour in all my cookies! It yields a more tender cookie with just that slight almond flavor. But you can leave it out if desired!
Leftover Cranberry Sauce - I like to use my leftover homemade cranberry sauce to fill these cookies, but if you just love cranberries you can make a full batch just for this!
How to Make Cranberry Sauce
Add all of the cranberry sauce ingredients to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the cranberries begin to split open. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the jam has thickened.
Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.
How to Make Snowflake Linzer Cookies
Add the softened butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
Add in the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix until just combined.
The dough should come together into a ball but will feel dry. If the dough doesn't come together, you can add a teaspoon of milk or water at a time until it does.
Press the dough into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm (1-2 hours minimum but up to 24 hours).
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough ¼ inch thick and cut into snowflakes. Then cut a smaller snowflake out of the center out of half of the cookies. Re-roll and cutout the scraps, making sure to have an even number of tops and bottoms for the cookies.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes (or the fridge for 40 minutes) before baking to allow the cookies to firm back up. This ensures the cookies won't spread during baking.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set. Bake on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely before assembling.
Once the cookies and cranberry sauce are cool, spread the bottom cookies with about 1 teaspoon of sauce. Sprinkle the tops cookies with powdered sugar and then place on top of the cranberry cookie.
Tip: for cleaner looking cookies, dust the powdered sugar on the tops separately before assembling.
Tips for the Best Cookies
I use a 2 snowflake cookie cutters from this set for these cranberry linzer cookies but you can cut the cookies in whatever shapes you like!
Make sure your oven is the proper temperature!! Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is exactly 350°F. If the oven is too cold, the cookies will spread too much and if it's too hot the centers won't bake all the way through. For example, my oven is about 20 degrees off. So I have to set the oven to 370°F in order to get it to bake at 350°F.
Use a lightweight, light colored baking sheet for best results! Believe it or not, a lighter pan makes the cookies bake more slowly than a dark pan, which helps keep them from spreading too much. My favorite pans for baking cookies are:
You also want to use either parchment paper or silicone mats on your cookie sheet to help keep the cookies from spreading.
Bake your heart shaped raspberry linzer cookies one sheet at a time, on the center rack. This will ensure all your cookies cook evenly and the bottoms don't burn. Then let the cookie sheet cool completely between batches. This ensures the cookies cool evenly and don't spread too much by being put on a hot pan.
Recipe FAQ's
Chilling the dough allows the flour to hydrate a bit and ensures the butter is super cold. This keeps your cookies from spreading too much and ensures they'll hold their snowflake shape.
The cookies themselves will last in an airtight container at room temperature for up to up to a week. However, once they've been filled with cranberry sauce and dusted with powdered sugar, the cookies will begin to soften and are best eaten within a day or two.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have different properties so that can not always be swapped 1:1. In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes!
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Recipe Card
Cranberry Linzer Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Linzer Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Cranberry Jam
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, or frozen
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the softened butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add in the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix until just combined. The dough should come together into a ball but will feel dry. If the dough doesn't come together, you can add a teaspoon of milk or water at a time until it does.
- Press the dough into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm (1-2 hours minimum but up to 24 hours).
- While the dough is chilling, make the cranberry jam.
- Add all of the filling ingredients to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the cranberries begin to split open. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the jam has thickened.
- Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough ¼ inch thick and cut into snowflakes. Then cut the center out of half of the cookies. Re-roll and cutout the scraps, making sure to have an even number of tops and bottoms for the cookies.
- Place cutout cookies 1-2 inches apart on your baking sheet (they won’t spread).
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a minimum of 20 minutes (or the fridge for 40 minutes) before baking to allow the cookies to firm back up. This ensures the cookies won't spread during baking.
- While the cookies are chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set. Bake on the middle rack of the oven and rotate the pan halfway through baking for the best results.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Let the cookies cool completely before assembling.
- Once the cookies and cranberry jam are cool, spread the bottom cookies with about 1 teaspoon of cranberry jam. Sprinkle the tops cookies with powdered sugar and then place on top of the jam cookie.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Anna K. says
These taste AMAZING! My family complimented me like crazy for bringing them to our Christmas Eve party. As much as I wanted to take credit, I plugged your blog instead. Keep it up!