Linzer cookies are my favorite holiday cookies to bake, and one of my favorites-if not my favorite-to eat. Buttery, crunchy, zesty cookies dusted with powdered sugar and filled with sweet, tart raspberry jam…what’s not to love?

I went to find the recipe for these by searching my blog earlier this week, and I realized I never shared it with you, which meant I also didn’t have it. BIG mistake. I’m sharing it with you now so we never run into that problem again.

A few things to note about making Linzer cookies: First, it’s a labor of love. These are not the kind of cookies you scoop out of a mixing bowl and throw onto a baking sheet and finish in 10 minutes. You make the dough, let it chill until firm, cut out the cookies, and then let them chill some more on baking sheets. They take time and effort, but the reward is well worth it.

Second, don’t skip the chilling process. Cold dough is critical to these cookies, the same way it is when you’re making a pie crust. If it’s too soft when you’re rolling it out, it will start sticking to the counter or not holding its shape. It’s definitely a sweet spot, but I would say, err on the side of having firmer dough.

Finally, the filling makes all the difference. I think the traditional route is raspberry jam, and that’s what I always use, but feel free to get creative. I was thinking these would taste good with strawberry or even cherry jam. Maybe I’ll do a repeat bake and test this the week of Christmas.

I have so much fun putting the jam on the cookies and sealing them with the sugar-dusted top cookies with the heart cut out. It’s definitely satisfying to know that all my effort created something beautiful and delicious. I had one spare cookie that didn’t have a top, so I spread some jam on it and ate it with my coffee this morning. It hit the spot.

Here’s a song to get you started on your Linzer cookie journey. I’ve been really into Spanish music lately, at least partly because I’m teaching myself Spanish. This one is good for car karaoke, or really anytime.

Linzer Cookies

Ingredients
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
raspberry jam for filling
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions

Beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Scrape the bowl. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, almond flour, and sea salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Give the mixture a few turns with a rubber spatula if you need to. Divide the dough in half, pat into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two until firm.

Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, remove one from the fridge and let come to room temperature for a few minutes. Dust a worktop with flour and a rolling pin, and roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut the cookies out of the dough. There should be about 15. To get to that number, keep gathering the scraps of dough after you cut out some, roll them into a bowl, and roll out the dough again. Repeat until you have 15 cookies. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Repeat this process with the second chilled dough disc, except this time, use a small cookie cutter to cut a shape out of the center (I used hearts). Put these cookies on a second parchment paper lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once it’s ready, bake each cookie sheet separately for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden brown. Let them cool for five minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, take the ones with the hearts cut out and dust them with confectioners’ sugar. Take the other cookies, turn them cut side up, and place 1/2 tsp of raspberry jam on the center of each. Top with the sugar dusted cookies to form a sandwich. Store these at room temperature. Enjoy!