I make these Linzer cookies any time I want a reliably buttery, nutty cookie that looks special but doesn’t take all day. They’re tender, lightly spiced by the almond flour, and the jam peek-through makes them feel festive without fuss. This recipe is straightforward and forgiving, which is why I reach for it when I’m baking for guests or wrapping homemade treats for friends.

You’ll need a bit of planning—mainly time to chill the dough—but the hands-on steps are short and calm. The dough is simple: butter, sugar, an egg, a touch of vanilla sugar, and two flours. Roll, cut, bake, fill, and let the cookies rest overnight so they soften and marry with the jam.

Below I’ll walk you through what to buy, the exact method, troubleshooting, and a few flavor-forward swaps. I keep the instructions practical and the tips real so you get consistent results even if you’re not a professional baker.

What to Buy

Buy the ingredients listed below and a few small supplies if you don’t have them already. If you bake often, these are pantry-worthy items that you’ll use again and again.

250 g butter
120 g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
1 egg
300–350 g flour
150 g almond flour
1 pinch of salt
apricot or cranberry jam (enough to fill and sandwich the cookies)
Cling film, baking paper, and a tin for storage (no special tools required)

Ingredients

250 g butter — the base of the dough; softened butter gives tender, flaky cookies.
120 g sugar — sweetens and helps with the cookie’s structure and texture.
1 sachet vanilla sugar — adds a gentle vanilla note; swap for vanilla extract if you prefer (no extra quantity given).
1 egg — binds the dough and adds richness.
300–350 g flour — start with 300 g; add up to 350 g only if the dough is too soft.
150 g almond flour — brings nuttiness and a soft mouthfeel; key to the Linzer character.
1 pinch of salt — balances sweetness and enhances flavor.
apricot/cranberry jam — the filling; choose a good-quality jam for best flavor and spreadability.

Method: Linzer Cookies

Soften the 250 g butter to room temperature. Beat the butter with the 120 g sugar until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the 1 egg and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth. Stop the mixer.
In a separate bowl, combine 300–350 g flour (start with 300 g), 150 g almond flour, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 sachet vanilla sugar.
Spoon the dry ingredients over the butter mixture and fold in with a spoon until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too soft, incorporate more of the measured flour up to a total of 350 g.
Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 2–3 hours, or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line baking trays with baking paper.
Divide the chilled dough into two pieces. Keep one piece refrigerated while you work with the other. Roll the working piece to about 0.3 cm (3 mm) thickness and cut out your shapes. For assembled (Linzer-style) cookies, cut a small center shape from half of the cutouts to make the top pieces.
Place the cut cookies on the prepared trays, leaving space between them. Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned at the edges. Transfer baked cookies to a cooling rack.
Repeat step 7–8 with the remaining chilled dough. Allow all cookies to cool completely.
Spread apricot or cranberry jam on the whole cookies (to taste) and sandwich each with a top cookie that has the center cut-out so the jam shows through.
Place the filled cookies in a tin and leave in a cool place overnight to soften. The next day, if desired, dust lightly with a little sugar and serve.

What Makes This Recipe Special

Two things give these cookies their character: the almond flour and the resting time. The almond flour keeps the texture tender and gives a subtle nutty flavor that defines Linzer-style cookies. Letting the filled cookies sit overnight softens the cookie edges and lets the jam soak in slightly, producing that classic melt-in-your-mouth bite.

Another strength is how forgiving the dough is. The recipe tells you to start with 300 g flour and add up to 350 g only if needed. That flexibility means you can adapt to humidity, the butter softness, or your rolling habits without ruining the batch.

Flavor-Forward Alternatives

Try swapping the jam or adding a hint of citrus to lift the filling. Apricot gives a classic, slightly tangy finish; cranberry introduces a tart contrast that plays well with the almond base. If you want a warm note, add a pinch of cinnamon or finely grated orange zest to the jam before filling (no extra ingredient quantities given here).

For a richer nut profile, use a slightly toasted almond flour (cool completely before mixing). If you like a bolder top, brush the inside of the top cookie lightly with warmed jam before sandwiching so the jam sets with a glossy finish.

Setup & Equipment

Essentials

Stand mixer or hand mixer — to cream the butter and sugar smoothly.
Rolling pin — for rolling to 0.3 cm (3 mm) thickness.
Cookie cutters — one for the full shape and a small one for the center cut-out on the tops.
Baking trays lined with baking paper and a cooling rack.

Nice-to-haves

Cookie spatula — makes transferring cut shapes easier.
Tin or airtight container — for the overnight rest and storage.

Things That Go Wrong

Dough too soft: Chill it longer. The recipe allows adding flour up to 350 g; add the extra flour a tablespoon at a time, then rest and re-roll. Working with chilled dough helps keep shapes and prevents spreading.

Cookies spread or lose detail: Your butter was probably too warm or the oven too cool. Make sure the dough is firm when you cut shapes. Bake on a preheated tray, and check oven temperature with a thermometer if your oven runs hot or cold.

Tops don’t match bottoms when sandwiching: Trim any very uneven cookies with a small cutter or gently press the jam layer to center it before placing the top. If the jam is too runny, warm it briefly to loosen, then let it cool so it’s spreadable but not liquid.

Make It Diet-Friendly

Lower sugar: Use a low-sugar jam to reduce sweet intensity; remember the recipe’s sugar quantities and adjust only the jam choice. For sugar in the dough, a granular sugar replacement that measures cup-for-cup could work, but results may vary—texture and browning can change.

Gluten-free: Replace the measured flour with a gluten-free all-purpose blend that’s designed as a 1:1 swap. Keep the almond flour as written. Note: some gluten-free blends handle moisture differently; you may need to adjust by chilling longer and adding a touch more flour from the 300–350 g allowance.

Dairy-free: Use a solid dairy-free butter substitute that performs similarly in baking. The rest of the process stays the same; chilling may be even more important because some plant-based spreads are softer at room temperature.

Behind-the-Scenes Notes

I follow the “start with less flour” rule to preserve tenderness. Almond flour adds fat and moisture; if you over-flour, the cookies will be dry. The 10-minute creaming of butter and sugar may feel long, but it aerates the fat and helps the dough come together smoothly; it also softens sugar granules so the texture is silky.

Chilling is structural and practical. Cold dough is firmer to roll, cuts cleaner, and spreads less. It also relaxes the gluten from the flour, which keeps the final cookie delicate rather than tough.

Save for Later: Storage Tips

Store the filled cookies in a tin in a cool place overnight—this softens them and improves flavor. For longer storage, keep in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. If you want to freeze, freeze the plain baked (and cooled) cookies flat between parchment layers, then thaw and fill when needed; filled cookies do not freeze as well because the jam can change texture.

Linzer Cookies Q&A

How long do they keep? Kept in a covered tin at room temperature, they stay good for about a week. They taste best after that overnight rest when the jam has had time to meld with the cookie.

Can I make the dough ahead? Yes. Wrapped well, the dough can be refrigerated for 2–3 days or frozen for up to a month. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling.

Why almond flour and not ground almonds? Almond flour is finer and blends smoothly into cookie dough; it gives the melt-in-your-mouth texture Linzers are known for.

Make It Tonight

If you want these on the table tomorrow evening, follow this timeline:

Evening, Day 1: Make the dough, refrigerate for 2–3 hours, roll and cut, bake, cool, fill with jam, then store in a tin overnight.
Day 2: Dust lightly with sugar if you like, arrange on a platter, and serve.

Hands-on time is mostly creaming, rolling, and cutting—plan for about an hour plus chilling and baking time. The overnight rest is the final, most important step for that classic Linzer texture.

Print Recipe Save it for later

Easy Linzer Cookies Recipe

Simple Linzer-style cookies made with butter, sugar, egg, flour and almond flour, sandwiched with apricot or cranberry jam.

Prep Time1

Cook Time43

Total Time1 43

Servings: 25 servings

Ingredients

250 gbutter
120 gsugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
1 egg
300-350 gflour
150 galmond flour
1 pinchof salt
apricot/cranberry jam

Instructions

Soften the 250 g butter to room temperature. Beat the butter with the 120 g sugar until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the 1 egg and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth. Stop the mixer.
In a separate bowl, combine 300–350 g flour (start with 300 g), 150 g almond flour, 1 pinch of salt, and 1 sachet vanilla sugar.
Spoon the dry ingredients over the butter mixture and fold in with a spoon until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too soft, incorporate more of the measured flour up to a total of 350 g.
Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 2–3 hours, or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line baking trays with baking paper.
Divide the chilled dough into two pieces. Keep one piece refrigerated while you work with the other. Roll the working piece to about 0.3 cm (3 mm) thickness and cut out your shapes. For assembled (Linzer-style) cookies, cut a small center shape from half of the cutouts to make the top pieces.
Place the cut cookies on the prepared trays, leaving space between them. Bake for 13–15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned at the edges. Transfer baked cookies to a cooling rack.
Repeat step 7–8 with the remaining chilled dough. Allow all cookies to cool completely.
Spread apricot or cranberry jam on the whole cookies (to taste) and sandwich each with a top cookie that has the center cut-out so the jam shows through.
Place the filled cookies in a tin and leave in a cool place overnight to soften. The next day, if desired, dust lightly with a little sugar and serve.