Originally known as “Strawberry and Apricot Linzertorte Hearts,” this recipe is adapted from a 1996 Gourmet magazine version. These cookies are ideal for Valentine’s Day or Christmas—and make spectacular bake sale offerings. I first discovered the recipe on Epicurious in the early 2000s while training for a half-marathon to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That summer’s fundraising included a few supermarket bake sales, which taught me what does and doesn’t sell. Presentation matters: a neat, attractive cookie will always outsell a clumsily packaged treat. These linzertorte cookies are both beautiful and delicious, which makes them perfect for selling or gifting.
What makes an outstanding bake sale cookie? Appearance is crucial. A kid leaving a grocery store is far more likely to persuade a parent to buy a tidy, jewel-like, heart-shaped cookie than a bag of lumpy oatmeal cookies. (My least favorite bake sale contribution: clingfilm-wrapped frosted brownies—brown, often squashed, and greasy when the frosting melts.) These cookies combine an appealing shape with refined flavor, making them hard to resist.
I’ve made a few personal tweaks to the original recipe. The original instructs using a food processor to combine ingredients, but I don’t own a full-sized processor and use the creaming method with an electric mixer instead; it works very well. The original also calls for rolling the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, but I prefer a slimmer cookie once sandwiched, so I roll to about 1/8 inch. The recipe recommends a 3 1/2-inch heart cutter; I often use a mix of sizes or slightly smaller cutters to make more delicate sandwiches.
These cookies aren’t the fastest to make—periodic chilling of the dough is essential. Rolling, chilling, cutting, and re-rolling always takes longer than expected, but the finished cookies are worth the effort.
Linzertorte Cookies
Adapted from Epicurious.
Ingredients
-
1 1/2
c (150 g)
blanched almonds
toasted and cooled -
3
tbsp
granulated sugar -
2 1/4
c (315 g)
all-purpose flour -
1/2
c (60 g)
cornstarch -
1/2
tsp
cinnamon -
3/4
tsp
salt -
3/4
tsp
finely grated lemon zest -
2 1/4
sticks (254 g)
unsalted butter
(not fridge cold) -
1
c (120 g)
confectioner’s sugar -
1
large egg -
1
large egg yolk -
2/3
c
apricot jam
heated, strained, and cooled -
2/3
c
strawberry jam
heated, strained, and cooled
Instructions
-
Pulse the toasted almonds with the granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground; set aside. If you don’t have a processor, use almond flour or almond meal as a substitute.
-
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
-
In a large bowl, cream the butter with the confectioner’s sugar and lemon zest until light. Add the egg and yolk and mix until combined. Stir in the ground almonds and the flour mixture just until incorporated.
-
Divide the dough in half, press each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
-
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
-
Work with one disk at a time. Roll it between sheets of parchment or plastic to about 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer the rolled dough to a baking sheet and freeze for 10–12 minutes to firm it up.
-
Cut shapes using 2–3½ inch heart or round cutters. For half the cookies, cut a smaller shape from the center to create the tops. Re-roll scraps, chill, and repeat until all dough is used. Arrange bottoms and tops on parchment-lined sheets spaced about 1/2 inch apart; keep sheets chilled while you work.
-
Bake full sheets for 12–15 minutes, until edges just begin to brown. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies.
-
When cookies are cool, spread about a teaspoon of jam on each bottom and top with the cut-out pieces. Add a little extra jam if needed for fullness.
-
Serve the same day, or refrigerate up to 4 days in a covered container with layers separated by wax or parchment paper.
Recipe Notes
- You can freeze the wrapped dough for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
- The original pairing is apricot and strawberry jam. Raspberry jam works as well, but strain seeded varieties if you prefer a smoother texture.
- Linzer cookie tops are often dusted with powdered sugar, but these are attractive without it; dusting is optional.
- If you don’t have a full-size food processor, a mini processor will do for grinding almonds; otherwise use almond flour or meal (150 g).
