Classic Almond Flour Linzer Cookies with Mixed Berry Jam
Delicate, buttery almond shortbread cookies sandwiched with sweet mixed berry jam and beautifully dusted with powdered sugar. This advanced recipe requires careful handling of the fragile almond dough to achieve perfect, tender cookies.
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Rolling pin
- Linzer cookie cutters (round or fluted, plus small center cutters)
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Wire cooling rack
- Fine mesh sieve (for dusting)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups Blanched almond flour — Finely ground
- 2 cups All-purpose flour — Plus extra for dusting if needed
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon Kosher salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted butter — Softened to room temperature
- 0.66 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 large Egg yolks — Room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 0.5 teaspoon Almond extract
Filling and Garnish
- 0.75 cup Mixed berry jam — Seedless preferred, high quality
- 0.25 cup Powdered sugar — For dusting
Dry Ingredients
| 2 cups | Blanched almond flour | Finely ground |
| 2 cups | All-purpose flour | Plus extra for dusting if needed |
| 0.5 teaspoon | Ground cinnamon | |
| 0.5 teaspoon | Kosher salt |
Wet Ingredients
| 1 cup | Unsalted butter | Softened to room temperature |
| 0.66 cup | Granulated sugar | |
| 2 large | Egg yolks | Room temperature |
| 1 teaspoon | Vanilla extract | |
| 0.5 teaspoon | Almond extract |
Filling and Garnish
| 0.75 cup | Mixed berry jam | Seedless preferred, high quality |
| 0.25 cup | Powdered sugar | For dusting |
Instructions
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the blanched almond flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Set aside.
~5 minSift the almond flour if it has large lumps to ensure a smooth dough. -
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
~3 minScrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through mixing. -
Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined.
~2 min -
Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low speed. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix, or the cookies will be tough.
~3 min -
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a flat disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
~2hChilling is absolutely crucial. Almond flour dough is inherently soft and will tear if rolled at room temperature. -
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
~5 min -
Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator. Place it between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Rolling between parchment prevents sticking and tearing without needing to add excess flour.
~5 minIf the dough becomes too soft while rolling, slide the parchment-enclosed dough onto a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes. -
Using a 2-inch fluted round cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Use a smaller cutter (like a star, heart, or circle) to cut 'windows' out of half of the cookies (these will be the tops).
~10 minTo prevent delicate cutouts from tearing, peel the negative dough away from the cut cookies, rather than moving the cookies themselves. Alternatively, chill the cut dough for 10 minutes before transferring to the baking sheet. -
Carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets using a thin offset spatula, spacing them 1 inch apart. Keep the solid bottoms on one sheet and the tops (with windows) on another, as they may bake at slightly different rates.
~5 min -
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn lightly golden. Rotate the pans halfway through baking.
~12 min -
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
~30 minThey are very fragile when hot; do not rush this step. -
Once completely cool, separate the solid bottom cookies from the top window cookies. Heavily dust the top cookies with powdered sugar using a fine mesh sieve.
~5 minAlways dust the tops before assembling so the powdered sugar doesn't cover the jam. -
Flip the solid bottom cookies upside down. Spread about 1 teaspoon of mixed berry jam in the center of each bottom cookie, leaving a small border around the edge.
~5 minIf your jam is very thick, warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it spreadable. -
Gently place the powdered top cookies over the jam-covered bottom cookies, pressing down lightly so the jam pushes slightly up into the window.
~5 min
Tips & Storage
- Patience is key with almond flour dough. Keep it cold. If it gets shiny or sticky at any point, chill it immediately.
- Save the cut-out centers and bake them as miniature cookies, or re-roll them with the scraps.
- For the cleanest presentation, wait to assemble the cookies until the day you plan to serve them, as the moisture from the jam will eventually soften the crisp cookie.
- Storage: Store assembled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Unassembled baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months in an airtight container layered with parchment paper.