Linzer Trees
Updated Dec. 2, 2022
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus chilling time
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1¼cup unsalted butter (2½ sticks), softened
- ⅔cup/145 grams sugar
- 2⅓cups/308 grams all-purpose flour
- ½cup/70 grams finely ground, roasted almonds
- 1teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt
- 1cup/8 ounces good-quality raspberry jam, preferably seedless
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Nutritional analysis per serving (30 servings)
160 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 25 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.
- Step 2
In a bowl or stand mixer, mix butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients, a half-cup at a time, to butter mixture.
- Step 3
Divide dough into 3 balls. Place each ball between parchment paper (nonstick works best) and roll into a thin circle, about 11 inches in diameter and just over ⅛-inch thick. Refrigerate flat for at least 15 minutes.
- Step 4
Working quickly with one sheet of dough, remove top layer of parchment, then flip onto a clean sheet and remove the bottom layer. Using a tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut 30 shapes for the bottoms of the cookies and place on prepared baking sheets. Reserve scraps to reuse for more cookies.
- Step 5
Bake cookie bottoms for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Rest for a couple of minutes on the tray, then carefully transfer to a cooking rack. Repeat the process to create the tops, using a pastry tip or a straw to cut out 5 to 7 holes on the trees to resemble ornaments. Open any holes that close during baking.
- Step 6
Meanwhile, melt jam with 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar and boil lightly for about a minute. Cool slightly. Assemble cookies by flipping the bottoms, spreading them with a scant teaspoon of jam, dusting the tops lightly with powdered sugar and then gently pressing the tops onto the bottoms. Store airtight between layers of wax paper or parchment for 3 days. Freeze for up to a month.
Private Notes
Comments
Guided by the comments of others, I made a few small changes to recipe to good effect. A metal funnel about 5/16" at the end makes larger and fewer holes that lessens the work and lets the jam squeeze through. I substituted 1/4 cup of heavy cream for 1/2 stick of butter to make the baked cookies stronger with less tendency to break. Wax paper with a little flour spread on it is better for the bottom surface when rolling. The center of the holes come up easily.
Very pretty cookies!
Cookies have great flavor; they were requested again this year. I didn't have the problems that the others did with spreading, but I chill my dough in between stages compulsively due to a small, hot kitchen. I used the column part of a metal funnel to poke out the holes (about 5 mm diameter), and it worked well. I would roll out the cookies a little thicker, as they tended to break, but the broken pieces were the first to be gobbled up.
These were amazing! I made the holes with a straw, and it worked well. I liked them even better after a few days when the jam softened the cookies. A favorite worth the work!
These are Amazing! I generally use round or square cookie cutters. I have made them for a few years and.....people LOVE them!
The recipe doesn’t seem to have enough flour/nuts in it. Despite chilled cough, my cookies spread and never thought I would say it - seemed too buttery.
These have been in my Christmas cookie collection for years now, a favorite at my holiday parties. I have a mini-tree cookie cutter that mimics my full-scale version, making the top cookie easier to make than multiple holes and just as delightful to look at.