Vegan Linzer Cookies (Linzer Plätzchen)

Linzer Plätzchen were my favorite Christmas cookies growing up. Every year my mom would fill the kitchen - and usually the living room too - with trays of Christmas baking, so these are especially nostalgic for me.

They're also a great cookie to make ahead. I actually like them even more the next day, once the jam has softened the shortbread slightly while it still keeps a lovely bite.

For more holiday baking ideas, you'll find them alongside my vegan gingerbread cookies, Vanillekipferl, and other vegan Christmas desserts.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Key ingredients
• How to Make Vegan Linzer Cookies
• Christina's recipe tips
• Make Ahead & Storage
• 🎄 More Vegan Christmas Cookies
• 📖 Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

Tender almond shortbread. Ground almonds give the cookies their delicate texture and subtle nutty flavor without making them heavy.

The jam gets better with time. Once assembled, the filling gradually softens the cookies slightly. I love the texture the following day, which also makes them particularly useful for Christmas baking.

They hold their shape for sandwiching. Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll and cut cleanly without the delicate cookies losing their definition.

Easy to customize. Raspberry is classic, but strawberry, apricot, or marmalade all work beautifully depending on the flavor and color you want.

Ground almonds: These are responsible for much of the tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and subtle nutty flavor. Use finely ground almonds rather than coarsely chopped nuts.

Vegan butter: Use a firm block-style vegan butter rather than spreadable margarine. Softer spreads contain more water and can make these delicate cookies more difficult to roll and more likely to spread.

Sugar: I use white granulated or caster sugar rather than brown sugar so the almond, vanilla, and butter flavors stay light and delicate.

Jam: Raspberry is the classic choice, but strawberry, apricot, cherry, or marmalade all work. If the jam is especially thick, warming it slightly makes the cookies much easier to assemble. You can also use my homemade strawberry jam if you have a batch on hand.

How to Make Vegan Linzer Cookies

I cream the butter and sugar rather than using the traditional rubbing-in method. I've found this gives the finished cookies a lighter, more delicate texture while still keeping that shortbread-style crumb.

Once the flour and ground almonds go in, handle the dough gently. It can look crumbly at first, but bring it together with your hands rather than kneading it heavily. Overworking it develops the flour and takes away some of that tender texture.

The dough needs to be properly chilled before rolling. If it starts becoming soft while you're cutting the shapes, put it back in the fridge for a few minutes rather than adding lots of extra flour. Too much flour from repeatedly dusting and rerolling can make the later cookies firmer than the first batch.

I always bake the solid bases and cut-out tops separately. The tops have less dough because of the center opening and usually finish a couple of minutes earlier, so putting them all on one tray tends to give you either overbaked tops or underbaked bases.

Let the cookies cool before moving or filling them. They're particularly delicate while warm but become much sturdier once cold.

For assembly, gently warm thick jam until it's easily spreadable. I use a thin layer over the base plus a little extra in the center so you get a good amount of filling without it spilling out of the sides.

If you're making these for Christmas, I actually recommend assembling them the day before. One reader did exactly this and found the cookies became perfectly tender overnight while still keeping a lovely bite and chew - which matches how I like Linzer cookies best too.

Make Ahead & Storage

Linzer cookies are especially good for making ahead because the jam gradually softens the shortbread.

For the best texture, I like to assemble them the day before serving and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

They'll keep for around 2-3 days at room temperature or up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, although the texture is best within the first few days.

You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 1 month. For the neatest result, I prefer freezing them unfilled with parchment between the layers, then thawing and adding the jam before serving.

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