Every Christmas my mom would fill the kitchen (and sitting room!) with freshly baked cookies. These vegan Linzer cookies are my take on her Linzer Plaetzchen (German name) - one of my favorite Christmas cookies 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 almond flour shortbread cookies and are very popular around Christmas time and Valentine's day.
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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
🧾 Ingredients Needed
These easy vegan linzer cookies are made with minimal ingredients. Here's what to grab:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Ground Almonds: Adds flavor and moisture to the recipe, please do not use almond flour as this can tend to be on the drier side.
- Vegan Butter: You’ll need vegan block butter, not margarine or spread. I use flora unsalted plant butter.
- Jam/Fruit Preserves: I love using raspberry or strawberry jam for these cookies. But you can also fill them with marmalade, apricot jam, blackberry jam, or any flavor of fruit jam that tickles your fancy.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a delicious flavor to the shortbread cookie dough.
- Sea Salt: A must for these cookies, the salt enhances the flavors as well as helps to balance the sweetness.
- Powdered Sugar: This is also labeled as confectioners' sugar or icing sugar.
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🥣 Instructions
Here are step-by-step images showing how to make this easy vegan linzer cookie recipe. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1: Whisk the softened butter in a large mixing bowl until light and airy. Add in the granulated sugar and vanilla extract and whisk for another minute or two until creamed together.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, ground almonds, and sea salt). Fold the ingredients together using a rubber spatula.
Step 3: Knead and shape the dough into a ball. Flatten it down into a disc shape and wrap it with cling film. Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out 19 cookies and 19 lids using a linzer cookie cutter. Re-roll the small circles from the center until all the dough is used up).
Step 5: Bake the cookies until golden and allow then cool them completely before adding the filling and topping.
Step 6: Dust the cutout cookies (which will be on top) with icing sugar.
Step 7: Brush the base cookies with some jam.
Step 8: Add a tsp of jam to the center of each bottom cookie and sandwich a sugar-dusted top cookie on top.
🍓 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. Lift the cookies onto the baking sheet with an offset spatula, this helps them hold their shape in the process.
Bake top and bottom cookies separately. The top cookies will take less time to bake, so make sure you don't mix them on the same sheet pan.
Bake in batches. If your baking trays are small, you will need to bake them in batches. I recommend getting all your cookies cut out, 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.
Melt the jam. Gently warming the jam makes it much easier to spread and brush over the cookies.
Brush the cookies with jam. Coating the entire cookie surface area with some jam helps the cookies stay in place once sandwiched together.
💬 FAQs
Keep these vegan Linzer 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 *see 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 *see 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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*This recipe was originally published in November 2021. The recipe has since been improved and updated to simplify the instructions.
