These cookies began as “Strawberry and Apricot Linzertorte Hearts,” adapted from a 1996 Gourmet magazine recipe. They’re ideal for Valentine’s Day or Christmas, though my first batch came during a very different season. I found the recipe on Epicurious.com in the early 2000s while training for a half-marathon to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My summer fundraising included pleading for donations from friends and family and running a few bake sales outside supermarkets. From that experience I developed firm opinions about what works at a bake sale—and these linzertorte cookies, especially when shaped like neat hearts, are exactly the kind of treat that sells.
What makes a great bake sale cookie? Appearance matters. Taste is essential, but presentation often drives the impulse buy: an 8-year-old leaving the supermarket is far more likely to beg for a cellophane-wrapped bundle of crisp, jewel-like heart cookies than for a bag of lumpy, homey oatmeal cookies. (My least favorite bake sale contribution remains clingfilm-wrapped frosted brownies—brown, often squashed, and slightly greasy as frosting melts in the sun.) These linzer cookies look beautiful and are genuinely delicious.
I’ve made a few changes to the original method. The original calls for pulsing the ingredients in a food processor to make the dough; since I don’t own a full-size processor, I use the creaming method and find it works perfectly. The recipe suggests rolling the dough to 1/4-inch thickness, but I prefer a slimmer 1/8-inch for a lighter sandwich once the cookies are filled. The recommended 3 1/2-inch cutter is lovely, but I often use a mix of sizes or slightly smaller cutters to produce a range of sandwiches.
These aren’t the quickest cookies to prepare. Periodic chilling while you roll the dough is essential. Rolling, chilling, cutting, and re-rolling always takes more time than expected, but the careful process delivers consistently excellent results.
Linzertorte Cookies
Adapted from Epicurious.com.
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 almonds with the granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground; set aside. Alternatively, use almond flour or grind almonds in a mini processor.
-
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
-
In a large bowl, cream the butter with confectioner’s sugar and lemon zest using an electric mixer. Add the egg and the egg yolk and mix until combined. Stir in the ground almonds and the flour mixture until just combined.
-
Divide the dough in half and press each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
-
Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
-
Remove one disk and roll it between sheets of parchment or wax paper (or plastic wrap) to 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer the rolled dough to a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 10–12 minutes.
-
Cut cookies using a 2–3½ inch heart or round cutter. For half the cookies, use a smaller cutter to remove the center—these will be the tops. Re-roll scraps, chill again, and continue cutting. Arrange bottoms and tops on parchment-lined baking sheets about 1/2 inch apart; keep sheets chilled while you work. You may need a second sheet or to bake in batches.
-
Bake full sheets for 12–15 minutes until edges begin to tint golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining cookies.
-
When cookies are completely cool, spread about 1 teaspoon of jam on each bottom and top with the cut-out piece. Add a little extra jam if a cookie seems underfilled.
-
Serve the same day, or refrigerate up to 4 days in a covered container with layers separated by wax paper.
Recipe Notes
- You can freeze wrapped dough for up to a month; transfer to the refrigerator the night before baking to thaw.
- The recipe uses apricot and strawberry jam. Raspberry jam can work, but if it’s too thin consider heating and straining it first.
- Traditional linzer tops are often dusted with powdered sugar. That’s optional—these look lovely without it.
- If you don’t have a full-size processor, a mini processor or 150 g almond flour/meal will substitute for the ground almonds.
