These Cherry Almond Linzer Cookies from Melissa Owens are a classic holiday favourite. Made with ground almonds, warm cloves and cinnamon and sandwiched with sweet cherry jam, they’re as fragrant as they are delicious. Even though they’re traditionally served around the holidays, these sandwich cookies are easy enough to enjoy anytime during the winter season, and they come together in under an hour (no need to chill the dough with this recipe)
Cherry Almond Linzers
The combination of cloves and ground almonds creates a deliciously fragrant cookie. The dough does not need to be chilled before rolling, so these cookies come together in under an hour.
Ingredients
Linzer Dough
- 1½ cups 210 g all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups 150 g ground almonds
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup 113 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup 100 g sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
- ½ cup 150 g cherry jam
Instructions
Linzer Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two (13 × 18-inch) cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, almonds, salt, cloves, and cinnamon into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Fit your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, followed by the vanilla, and continue to beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until the dough comes together.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface, cut it in half, and form each piece into a ball. Working with one ball of dough at a time, roll out to ⅛-inch thickness with a rolling pin.
- Cut 32 cookies using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter. Gather up the scraps and re-roll as necessary. Use a 1-inch cookie cutter to cut a window into 16 of the cookies. Transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheets, leaving ½ inch of space between each one. Bake until they’re just turning golden, about 10 minutes.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Filling and Assembly
- Once the cookies are cool, place a dollop of jam on the centre of each of the cookies without a window cut-out. Spread the jam to the edge of each cookie using an offset spatula and place a cookie with the window cut-out on top to create a sandwich.
Notes
Notes:
- These cookies taste best the day after they’re filled with jam, which gives everything a chance to meld together.
- If you don’t have 2½-inch and 1-inch cookie cutters on hand, any combination of a large cookie cutter plus a smaller cookie cutter will do.
- You can fill these cookies with any kind of jam you like!
More classic holiday cookie recipes:
These classic Italian Amaretti Croccanti are crisp, light and naturally gluten-free. Ground almonds are folded into airy meringue, piped, dried, and baked to golden perfection. Ideal with coffee in the morning, dessert wine after dinner, or as a festive holiday treat.
Get the recipe
These classic Italian Amaretti Croccanti are crisp, light and naturally gluten-free. Ground almonds are folded into airy meringue, piped, dried, and baked to golden perfection. Ideal with coffee in the morning, dessert wine after dinner, or as a festive holiday treat.
Get the recipe
Also known as Mostaccioli Napoletani, these chocolate-dipped cookies are warmly spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. These would be perfect for holiday baking and gifting.
Get the recipe
Also known as Mostaccioli Napoletani, these chocolate-dipped cookies are warmly spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. These would be perfect for holiday baking and gifting.
Get the recipe
These soft and chewy cookies are loaded with premium white chocolate chunks, roasted macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. It's a gourmet treat for any occasion and perfect for holiday gifting.
Get the recipe
These soft and chewy cookies are loaded with premium white chocolate chunks, roasted macadamia nuts and shredded coconut. It's a gourmet treat for any occasion and perfect for holiday gifting.
Get the recipe
A classically-inspired recipe for crumbly, flower-shaped shortbread cookies – a festive staple in Italy.
Get the recipe
A classically-inspired recipe for crumbly, flower-shaped shortbread cookies – a festive staple in Italy.
Get the recipe
Elegant, buttery and delicately crisp, these French sablé Linzer-style cookies bring a chic Parisian touch to classic holiday baking. With a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a jewel-like centre of fruit jam, they’re festive, refined and beautiful on any holiday dessert tray.
Get the recipe
Elegant, buttery and delicately crisp, these French sablé Linzer-style cookies bring a chic Parisian touch to classic holiday baking. With a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a jewel-like centre of fruit jam, they’re festive, refined and beautiful on any holiday dessert tray.
Get the recipe
Soft, chewy Lebkuchen cookies are the German cousin to North American gingerbread. Instead of molasses, the lebkuchen recipe uses honey for sweetness. A traditional German Christmas cookie it uses nuts, candied peel and eggs – but no flour.
Get the recipe
Soft, chewy Lebkuchen cookies are the German cousin to North American gingerbread. Instead of molasses, the lebkuchen recipe uses honey for sweetness. A traditional German Christmas cookie it uses nuts, candied peel and eggs – but no flour.
Get the recipe
If you turn to only one cookie recipe this season, make it this one. Using melted butter is the key to a perfectly firm glaze. Use a fine microplane zester for the nutmeg garnish for a photo-worthy finish.
Get the recipe
If you turn to only one cookie recipe this season, make it this one. Using melted butter is the key to a perfectly firm glaze. Use a fine microplane zester for the nutmeg garnish for a photo-worthy finish.
Get the recipe
These chewy ginger cookies are soft, spicy and packed with the flavours of blackstrap molasses and ginger. Crisp around the edges and tender in the centre, they’re the perfect treat for holiday baking, cookie swaps or anytime you crave a soft, flavourful cookie.
Get the recipe
These chewy ginger cookies are soft, spicy and packed with the flavours of blackstrap molasses and ginger. Crisp around the edges and tender in the centre, they’re the perfect treat for holiday baking, cookie swaps or anytime you crave a soft, flavourful cookie.
Get the recipe
