Every Christmas, my mom would fill the kitchen (and living room!) with freshly baked cookies. These vegan Linzer cookies are my take on her Linzer Plaetzchen (German name), which were my favorite Christmas cookie growing up.
Linzer cookies are the biscuit form of the Linzer tart or "Linzer torte", which is an Austrian lattice pie filled with raspberries. They consist of raspberry or strawberry jam sandwiched between 2 buttery almond shortbread cookies and are very popular around the Christmas holidays.
🎁 Gift Idea: These delicious cookies would be amazing in a Christmas cookie box alongside some vegan mince pies, vanillekipferl, gingerbread cookies, and some chocolate truffles
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🧾 Ingredients
Here's everything you need for this vegan linzer cookie recipe. Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Ingredient Notes
Ground almonds: These add a lovely nutty flavor and tender texture to the cookies, while also helping to lock in moisture for that perfect melt-in-your-mouth bite.
Caster sugar (superfine sugar): Keeps the cookies light and delicate in texture. For this recipe, stick with white caster sugar to let the almond, butter, and vanilla flavors shine through. Brown sugar would overpower the subtle, buttery notes we're going for.
Dairy-free butter: Use vegan block butter, not margarine or spread, as it provides the structure needed for these delicate cookies. I recommend Flora Plant Butter (unsalted) or a similar firm-style vegan butter.
Jam of choice: Classic raspberry or strawberry jam gives that beautiful sweet-tart contrast and a pop of color. You can also experiment with other flavors like apricot, cherry, or even marmalade for a citrusy twist.
Vanilla extract: Adds warm, sweet notes that complement the almond and butter flavors beautifully.
Sea salt: A small pinch makes a big difference! It enhances all the other flavors and helps balance the sweetness of the jam and sugar.
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📷 Step-By-Step Images
Here's a visual overview of how to make this recipe. Please refer to the detailed card at the end of this page for full written instructions.
Start by creaming the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer. This helps whip in some air, giving the cookies a lighter, more tender texture. It's a little twist on the classic rubbing-in method, where butter is usually rubbed straight into the flour, but this extra step makes a noticeable difference in how delicate and crumbly the cookies turn out.
Once the mixture is nice and fluffy, it's time to add the dry ingredients, then use your fingertips to rub everything together. Think of it like making shortcrust pastry - you're aiming for a breadcrumb-like texture. As you do this, lift your hands slightly with each rub to help aerate the dough further.
When the mixture starts to resemble coarse crumbs, bring it all together with your hands and gently knead it into a dough. Don't overwork it - just enough until it comes together. Then flatten it into a disc, wrap it up, and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Chilling helps firm up the dough, making it easier to roll and shape without sticking or losing its definition in the oven.
After chilling, lightly flour your surface and roll the dough to about 1 centimeter thick. A 2.5-inch cookie cutter works great here. For that classic Linzer look, cut out the centers of half the cookies using a smaller cutter - these will be the tops of your cookie sandwiches.
Bake them in batches, keeping an eye on the different sizes. The full cookies usually need around 10 minutes, while the cutout tops bake a bit faster, in about 8. Let them sit on a baking tray for a few minutes after baking, as they're delicate while warm. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to come to room temperature.
Once cooled, add a dollop of jam to the base cookies and sandwich them with the tops. A teaspoon is usually the perfect amount for a neat finish, but you can go up to a tablespoon if you don't mind a little jammy ooze. Dust with powdered sugar if you like, and they're ready to impress!
🍓 Variations
While traditional linzer cookies with raspberry jam are probably the most popular, here are some ways to switch them up:
- Chocolate linzer cookies: Try this chocolate ganache recipe for a chocolate twist on your vegan Linzer cookies.
- Lemon curd linzer cookies: These soft cookies are also incredible when filled with vegan lemon curd.
- Caramel linzer cookies: Stuff the cookies with vegan caramel sauce for an extra sweet kick.
- Nutella linzer cookies: Swap out the jam for some homemade vegan nutella.
- Orange linzer cookies: Add a tablespoon of freshly grated orange zest to the cookie dough and fill them with homemade orange curd.
💭 Recipe tips
Use an offset spatula to transfer the cookies to your baking sheet. It helps keep their shape intact, especially with delicate cutouts.
Bake the tops and bottoms separately, as the cutout cookies bake faster than the solid ones. Mixing them on the same tray can lead to uneven results.
If you're short on baking space, cut out all the cookies first and chill them in a container, layering with parchment paper. This way, you can bake them in batches without the dough softening too much.
For assembly, gently warm the jam before spreading. It'll go on more smoothly and is also great for brushing over the tops to help sandwich the cookies neatly together and keep them from sliding.
💬 FAQs
Keep these vegan cookies in an airtight container or cookie tin and store them at room temperature. They will easily keep for a couple of weeks, but are tastiest when enjoyed fresh within the first 3-4 days.
Yes, you can freeze them for up to a month in an airtight container. Make sure your cookies have cooled completely, then stack them between sheets of parchment paper before freezing.
To defrost, simply place them on a plate in the fridge overnight.
🎄 More Vegan Christmas Cookie Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Linzer Cookies (Linzer Plätzchen)
Equipment
- Cookie cutters (2.5-inch and 1-inch)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) vegan butter (block-style) softened *note 1
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 180 g (1 ½ cups) all-purpose flour sifted
- 125 g (1 ⅛ cups) ground almonds
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) sea salt
- 150 g (½ cup) raspberry jam or strawberry jam *note 2
- 150 g (½ cup) apricot jam or marmalade
- 25 g (¼ cup) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar: Add the softened butter to a large mixing bowl and use an electric whisk (or paddle attachment if using a mixer) to beat the butter for 2-3 minutes until light and airy.Add in the sugar and vanilla extract and whisk for another minute or two until creamed together.
- Add the flour, ground almonds, and sea salt. Fold the ingredients together using a rubber spatula. Then knead and shape the dough into a ball. Flatten it down into a disc shape and wrap it with cling film. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F fan (200°C/392°F conventional).Line cookie trays with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll the dough: Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour and carefully roll out the chilled dough to approximately 1cm in height.
- Cut out the cookies: Use a 2.5" linzer cookie cutter to cut out 19 cookies and 19 lids and use an offset spatula to lift them onto 2 separate baking trays (they both have different baking times). Leave around 2 inches between each cookie. If your baking trays are small, you will need to bake them in batches. I recommend cutting out all your cookies at once, and then place them in a container and refrigerate until ready to bake. You can stack them on top of each other separated with sheets of parchment paper.
- Bake: Bake the bottom cookies for 10 minutes and the lid cookies for 8 minutes, then remove them from the oven and allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully slide the sheet of parchment paper with the cookies off of the tray and onto a cooling rack. Cool for another 15-20 minutes.
- Assemble: Dust the cutout cookies (which will be on top) with icing sugar. If your jam is thick, gently warm the jam in saucepans or in the microwave to make it easier to work with.Brush the base cookies with some jam and then add 1-2 teaspoons of jam to the center of each one and sandwich a sugar-dusted cutout cookie on top of them.
- Storage: Keep them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Vegan Butter: Take this out of the fridge 1-2 hours ahead of time.
- Jam: Swap for vegan nutella, ganache, lemon curd, or another jam of choice.
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