Strawberry Linzer Cookies
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Strawberry Linzer Cookies are made with soft shortbread cookies sandwiched around sweet strawberry jam. They are great for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Christmas.
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These linzer cookies with strawberry jam are easy-to-make shortbread cookies that are full of strawberry flavor. And they look so pretty!
The dough is soft and sweet. It’s made with butter, confectioners’ sugar, salt, egg, and vanilla. I use baking powder as a leavening agent and that helps keep the cookies super soft.
The dough holds its shape and doesn’t spread during baking. So pick the size you desire best for the cookies.
Why This Recipe Works
- The dough bakes up soft and holds shape due to the amount of flour and baking powder used. Confectioners’ also helps in both of these areas.
- Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll and cut out the cookies.
- Cooking the jam to reduce the moisture makes for a better filling. It would cause the cookies to become soggy.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Strawberry jam: You can use homemade or storebought. Also, feel free to switch up the jam flavor to fit the season.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is best for linzer cookies.
- Baking powder: This will aid in keeping the cookies soft.
- Salt: Just a little is used to balance the flavors.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred.
- Sugar: Confectioners’ sugar is used to sweeten the dough and it’s dusted over the top of the assembled cookies.
- Eggs: Eggs are the binder and they add moisture so the cookies won’t bake up dry.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract will offer the best flavor.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Cook the jam over medium heat for about 7 to 10 minutes, until it is reduced slightly, then let it cool for 1 hour.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
- Cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
- Shape the dough into two equal-sized disks. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Roll each disk out to ⅙-inch thickened and use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut rounds. Cut the centers out of half the rounds.
- Bake until lightly brown then cool completely.
- Spread jam over the bottom of whole cookies then top with cutout cookie. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Tips For Success
- Chill the dough! It will be difficult to roll out if it has not had time to chill.
- Don’t overcook the jam. I made this mistake and ended up with hard candy. Start your timer as soon as you cut the burner on and cook no longer than 10 minutes.
- I highly recommend using a linzer cookie cutter which makes cutting out the cookies super easy.
Strawberry Linzer Cookies
Strawberry Linzer Cookies are made with soft shortbread cookies sandwiched around sweet strawberry jam. They are great for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Christmas.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (220 g) strawberry jam
- 2 ⅓ cups (303 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (169 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (90 g) confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Simmer the jam in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and reduced to ½ cup, about 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bow. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer, beat butter and confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract and beat until combined. The mixture will look curdled, this is normal and will smooth out as the flour is added.
- Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions until just combined, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Transfer the dough to the counter and divide in half. Form each half into a 5-inch disk, wrap disks tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Let chilled dough sit on the counter for 10 minutes to soften. Roll each disk of dough into a 13-inch circle, about ⅙ inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Using a 2-inch fluted round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Gently reroll scraps once and cut them into rounds. Space rounds ½ inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Roll out the second disk of dough. Using a 2-inch fluted round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Gently reroll scraps once and cut them into rounds. Using a ½-inch cutter, cut out the centers of dough circles. Space rounds ½ inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Spread the bottom of each solid cookie with 1 teaspoon of jam, then top with cutout cookie, pressing lightly to adhere. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
Notes
- Jam: Use any flavor of jam you prefer.
- Cookie cutter: I like to use a linzer cookie cutter. It makes it so much easier to cut even cookies.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Make ahead: You can make the dough in advance and store the raw dough for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 47mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.