Linzer cookies are a holiday classic. Although I’m not Christian, I have embraced the holiday spirit since my school days, as Christmas is a national holiday in India due to the country’s large Christian community. And here, my daughter loves putting up the Christmas tree, and we enjoy inviting friends over for dinner, as well as visiting them. It’s like a big end-of-year get-together with family and friends. So these soft, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Linzer cookies, filled with jam and dusted with powdered sugar, always make an appearance!
Recipe Video on my YouTube Channel.
We don’t follow the tradition of (material) gift giving like those celebrating Christmas. However, I love baking cakes and cookies, and I find joy in giving and receiving homemade food as gifts. This love of baking led me to participate in an online cookie swap back in 2013, organized by the Foodie community on Google+ (a platform I was very fond of at the time). It was celebrating its first anniversary and developed an app where you can see all the recipes in magazine format. The whole idea of organizing this cookie swap was to spread joy and cheer through sharing of cookies or any homemade edible gifts.
The partners for this cookie swap were randomly paired based on country or the location wished by participants. There were only two entries from Canada so I was paired with Sally Weatherly of Vancouver. Since we merely lived 40-50 min drive from each other I dared to ask Sally if she was interested in meeting in person. She thought it was an excellent suggestion and then we started materializing our plan by exchanging emails, choosing the day, time and location for the cookie exchange.
It was such a thrilling experience to meet someone face-to-face whom I had originally met through the Foodies community. We had a wonderful time chatting, laughing, and getting to know each other at Oakridge Starbucks, Vancouver. She brought me rich, soft, brownie-like gluten-free cookies, which I loved.
When I was deciding what to bake for the cookie swap, Linzer cookies immediately came to mind. Besides being scrumptious, these jam-filled cookies are also visually appealing. Traditionally filled with raspberry or black currant jam, their tartness beautifully balances the sweetness of the powdered sugar-dusted cookies. While they are fragile and hard to ship, meeting in person gave me the perfect opportunity to taste test a gluten free cookie recipe from a gluten eating, non food blogger.
Although making Linzer cookies can be a bit labor-intensive, the recipe itself is straightforward. The dough needs to be rolled thin and cut into bottom and top cookies, with a shape cut out of the top ones. Then, they’re baked, cooled, and filled with jam. The best part is when you dust the top cookies with icing sugar. It’s so pretty and gives off a lovely wintery vibe!
It was my first experience with a cookie exchange, and I thought it wouldn’t be my last. Unfortunately, after Google+ shut down, I never got the same kind of vibe from other social media platforms, and I never had the chance to participate again. However, I make Linzer cookies every year. They are addictively delicious and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week. They will start to soften as they sit. Freezing is the best option if you want to store them longer.
I know people usually don’t freeze Linzer cookies because they’re dusted with sugar and filled with jam. But I always do, since I tend to eat just 1-2 cookies with my evening tea. I take them out of the freezer and enjoy them cold, and they taste delicious! Try and let me know.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup 96 g almond flour
- 1 cup (140 g) GF all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp confectioners' sugar, for dusting
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam
Instructions
- Combine almond flour, Gf all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, beat until mixed.
- Turn the mixer on low and add flour, beat until it comes together as a soft dough.
- Divide the dough into 2 balls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm for 30 minutes or more.
- Set aside two trays lined with parchment paper or silpat.
- Remove one ball and roll out over a parchment paper until it is roughly 1/8" thickness.
- Using a 2" round or square fluted cookie cutter, cut out cookies. With a spatula, transfer cookies to the prepared sheets, spacing them 1" apart. Gather the scraps, wrap and put in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Put the tray of cut out cookies in refrigerator to chill.
- Roll out the other wrapped dough and cut out cookies with same cookie cutter. Then, using a smaller cutter, cut centers out of the cookies. Chill the tray of cookies in refrigerator. Repeat rolling and cutting with the scraps of dough.
- Preheat oven to CONVECTION MODE at 325 deg. F.
- Bake both trays of cookies until golden, 15-20 minutes, rotating from top to bottom and back to front halfway through.
- Remove tray from oven, cool cookies slightly on the baking sheets, then using a spatula transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Place the cut out cookies on a baking sheet and lightly dust the tops with powdered sugar.
- Spread a thin layer of jam on the flat side (bottom) of each cookie and top with the sugar dusted cut out cookie tops and gently press to seal them together.
- Using a small squeeze bottle or piping bag, fill the cut -out with a little more jam (if desired).
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days or Freeze.
Bringing these Jam filled cookies to Angie’s Linky party @ Fiesta Friday.
Sridevi Ravi
Your cookie swap story is so impressive. I was delighted to see you and your online friend Sally sharing your time and cookies. It is very inspiring! The real spirit of any festival! Nice cheerful blue outfit too!
I like this cookie recipe and want to make them at the earliest possible.
Balvinder
The whole meet up idea happened because of foodies cookie swap… we had awesome time together. I am glad Sri, you liked the cookies! Hope you enjoy making them.
Malti Sharma
These look so perfect and dainty. I’ve never tried linzer cookies but they sound gorgeous, particularly with jam filling.
P.S. I want to meet the smart young woman I see in royal blue top 🙂
Balvinder
Thanks Malti for your lovely compliment about me and the cookies. I too would like to meet you.
Bam's Kitchen
I have just brought this recipe into my kitchen on my ipad. These are beautiful and will make gorgeous gifts for the holiday. Have a safe and happy holiday. BAM
Balvinder
Absolutely the gorgeous gift for holidays! Thank you and happy holidays!
ela@GrayApron
What a fantastic recipe! Almonds and vanilla….delicious. And a touch of fruit. Love it 🙂 ela
Balvinder
Thank you Ela!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
These linzer cookies are perfect! What is white rice flour mix? Is it a mix of sweet rice flour and some others?
Balvinder
Its a mix of regular rice flour and two starches.
yummychunklet
Such sweet and pretty cookies.
Monica
Your linzer cookies came out beautifully! And I had such a nice time reading about your lovely cookie exchange and meeting with your blogger friend (great picture of the two of year). I’ve wanted to make true linzer cookies for so long – I’ll get to it eventually. Looking at yours makes me want a dozen or two!
Balvinder
Thank you,Monica. I am sure you must be baking dozens of cookies much more beautiful than mine.
Amelia
Hi Balvinder, your Linzer cookies look so pretty and cute. Well done, love this tempting cookies.
Best regards.
Coffee and Crumpets
How pretty are these?! Absolutely stunning and what a lovely and thoughtful gift! It’s always so much fun to meet up with the face behind the words. Sometimes I wish we all lived close by, we could have so much fun 🙂
Balvinder
I wish we bloggers should have more opportunity to keep in touch with each other than just writing comments on blogs. i am glad you liked the cookies.
michael
wow, your cookies are perfect and look so delicious! I wish I was in your cookie swap! We have been doing a cookie swap since 2004 and everyone enjoys it.
I enjoyed cruising around your site, a lot of good recipes and pictures. check out my site sometime, here is a link to my Chocolate Chip Cake recipe, it is to die for, Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cake
Greetings from South Carolina 🙂
Michael
Balvinder
Thank you Michael for visiting, you have a really wonderful blog of wood craftsmanship. Have a safe and happy holiday!
Nava Krishnan
Its a beautiful concept and certainly opens up to new friends and friendships. The cookies are simply fabulous but I am far away from it. I am looking forward to foodies and the swap in bring out tried and tested recipes.
Balvinder
I wish I could send some to you.
Chai a cup of life
What a brilliant idea! I also have a blogger friend who is exchanging gifts with fellow food bloggers. your cookies look amazing. I’m sure she will be thrilled 🙂
anne
Bal , love the meet up idea , wish I lived closer 😀 Gonna check Sally’s blog after this . I think those cookies are your best yet – they look beautifully-made and I’m sure tastes really yummy , too !
Shirley Tay (Blackswan)
OMG, it’s snowing already!! Bal, love these cookies with the snowy effect. I’m not active over at Google all. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to chat nor interact :< Thumbs-up to your recipe!
Vicki Bensinger
Oh Balvinder these are so beautiful and perfect for the holidays. I really need to make some.
Nami | Just One Cookbook
Love receiving homemade gifts like your cookies! As I don’t bake often, I’m usually afraid of failure especially I try to give away… I need to practice baking more so that I can comfortably share my baked goods with others. Your Linzer Cookies are so beautiful. Flawless! Someone’s lucky to get your cookies! 😉
Jennifer Eloff
Beautiful cookies!! Merry Christmas holidays, Balvinder. Thank you so much for everything this past year. 🙂
sangeeta khanna
Lovely cookies. Its always a pleasure to come to your blog Balvinder, there is so much to do with alternative flours and you get more creative when you are free from wheat 🙂
afracooking
These look amazing – stunningly perfect!
JC
These are excellent gluten free cookies. They hold together well and the flavor is spot on. I’ll be making these a lot. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Jyoti Vats
These cookies look so yummy. I will try out this recipe for sure. Wishing you a great day!
Rampdiary
rainbow evening
wish to taste your cookies …. yummy
Tandy (Lavender and Lime)
These look so pretty! And I would never think to freeze them. But if I make these at some stage, I will most certainly try that 🙂
Marcela
I love Linzer cookies! and yours look delicious!…I freeze all my cookies too since I can’t eat them all at once. I would love to be in Vancouver again to exchange cookies with you….and of course Indian dishes!!….Abrazotes, Marcela