These delightful Raspberry Jam Linzer Biscuits are the perfect mix of rich cookies, sweet-tart raspberry, and a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar, making them a beloved choice during the festive season.
If you’d like to diversify your holiday biscuit selection, pair these Linzer Biscuits with Double chocolate biscuits and chewy M&M biscuits.
Recipe Details
These Raspberry Jam Linzer Biscuits embody the traditional Christmas ambiance, especially when crafted with a snowflake biscuit cutter. They are perfect for gatherings and biscuit displays, so consider baking a batch this season!
- TASTE: Luxurious, buttery, and sweet, these Linzer Biscuits are heightened by the tangy richness of cream cheese and a slightly tart jam.
- TEXTURE: The buttery biscuits complement the sticky and thick jam perfectly.
- TIME: It only takes an hour and 40 minutes to prepare them.
- EASE: This recipe is simple to follow with step-by-step photos to assist you in creating amazing Linzer biscuits for your next gathering.
Necessary Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Butter- Provides the buttery flavor and texture of the biscuits. Use unsalted butter because salt will be added later.
- Cream cheese- Adds tangy flavors and richness to the Linzer biscuits.
- Jam- Homemade or store-bought jam can be used.
- Baking powder- Helps the biscuits rise and become thick and sturdy.
- Powdered sugar- Used to dust the tops of the biscuits. Confectioners’ sugar can also be used.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add poppy seeds- Incorporate poppy seeds into the biscuit dough for added flavor and texture.
- Substitute another jam- Experiment with this biscuit using 3 Ingredient Strawberry Jam (no pectin), lemon curd, currant jam, or apricot jam.
- Make them gluten-free- Use all-purpose gluten-free baking flour or almond flour in this recipe to make it gluten-free.
- Substitute different shapes- Circles with star cutouts and squares are also popular designs for these Linzer biscuits.
How to Prepare Raspberry Jam Linzer Biscuits
- Sift together the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
- Cut the butter and cream cheese. Cube the butter and cream cheese and then use a pastry cutter to cut it into the dry ingredients, working until the butter cubes are pea-sized.
- Beat the egg and sugar. In a small bowl, beat the sugar and egg together with a fork.
- Combine. Take the egg mixture and pour it into a well in the center of the butter/flour mixture, then work the dough with your hands into a solid shape.
- Form the dough. Split the dough into 2 sections, cover each with plastic wrap, and place them in the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough. Roll out one piece of dough with a rolling pin until it is about 16 inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick.
- Cut out biscuit shapes. Use a 3 1/2-inch snowflake biscuit cutter to cut shapes in the dough. Then, use a smaller snowflake shape to cut out the centers of half of the larger snowflakes. The solid ones will form the biscuit bottoms and the others will be the tops.
- Re-roll the dough scraps. Roll out the dough scraps to 1/8-inch thick and cut out the snowflakes until the dough is gone. Do the same with the other refrigerated section.
Pro Tip: To infuse a bit more Christmas essence, I used snowflake biscuit cutters, but feel free to use any shape you have available, as long as it’s about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.Â
- Bake. In a 350ºF oven, cook the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet for around 10 minutes, until they turn golden brown.
- Incorporate the raspberry jam. After the cookies have cooled on a wire rack, add a teaspoon of jam to the bottom cookies, with most of it in the center. Then, position the tops over them and sprinkle each sandwiched cookie with powdered sugar.
Recipe Suggestions
- Level the flour- Employ a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife rather than using the measuring cup to prevent overfilling and getting dry cookies.
- Use a pastry cutter- While a fork can also work, a pastry cutter is the most suitable tool for obtaining those tiny pea-sized butter and cream cheese chunks that will moisten these cookies.
- Keep the cookies thin- Flatten them to about 1/8 of an inch to maintain their thinness. If they are too thick, these Linzer cookie sandwiches will be overly large when the top and bottom are combined with jam.
- Spread most of the jelly in the center- In order to prevent jam from oozing out the sides, place the majority of the jam in the center where the cut out will be, and just a small amount toward the edges to act as adhesive holding the halves together.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your jam or jelly is too runny for your Linzer cookies, then place it in a saucepan with a tablespoon of cornstarch and cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Let it cool before adding it to your cookies.
There is no need to refrigerate cookies with a small amount of jam like these Linzer cookies. They can remain at room temperature for days, although you can refrigerate them if desired.
Serving Ideas
This Linzer Cookie recipe is ideal for holiday gatherings. Serve them on cookie platters, with cakes, and alongside other sweet treats and coffee.
- Cookies: Serve these with Gingersnap Cookies, Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies, Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, or Lofthouse Frosted Sugar Cookies (VIDEO).
- Cakes: Pair these jam cookies with a slice of Gingerbread Cake, Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, or New York Style Cheesecake.
- Sweet treats: Relish these Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam alongside some Chocolate Covered Dates, Apricot Rugelach (VIDEO), Candied Pecans, or Pumpkin Creme Brulee.
- Beverages: Enjoy a Linzer cookie with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Iced Caramel Macchiato, Brown Sugar Boba, or Iced Matcha Latte.
Advance Preparation of This Recipe
Prepare in advance: As these cookies can be stored for almost a week or frozen, they can be easily prepared in advance and then dusted with powdered sugar when you are ready to serve them.
Storing: If you place these Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam in an airtight container, they will last at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Separate the cookies with parchment paper so that the jam does not cause the cookies to stick to each other (jam doesn’t freeze solid) and place them in a tightly lidded container. Raspberry Linzer cookies can last for up to 1 month in the freezer.Â
If you plan to freeze these cookies, it is best to not dust them with powdered sugar until they have thawed, otherwise, they absorb the sugar.
More Delicious Christmas Cookies!
Chewy Nutella Cookies
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies (VIDEO)
Classic Shortbread Cookies
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Complete Recipe Instructions
Pass the flour, baking powder, and salt through a sieve into a bowl.
Cut the butter and cream cheese into cubes and blend it into the flour using a pastry cutter. Continue blending the butter until it takes on the size of peas.
In another bowl, lightly whisk the sugar and egg with a fork.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour/butter mixture and knead the dough into a solid shape with your hands.
Divide the dough into 2 parts and wrap each piece with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm.
Roll one piece of dough into a circle about 16 inches in diameter. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick.
Using a 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut as many snowflakes from the dough as possible. Then using a smaller snowflake cookie cutter, cut through the center of half the cookies. These will be the cookie tops. The whole cookies will be the cookie bottoms. Gather up the dough scraps and roll it back into 1/8 inch thick and repeat the cutting process. Continue steps 6-7 with the remaining refrigerated dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden-brown.
Once the cookies are cooled, spread about 1 tsp of raspberry jam onto the cookie bottoms leaving most of the jam dolloped in the center. Then place the cookie tops on top. Lightly sift powdered sugar on top of each sandwiched cookie.
- Scoop and level the flour- Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping it with the measuring cup to avoid overfilling and obtaining dry cookies.
- Use a pastry cutter- Although a fork can suffice, a pastry cutter is preferable for obtaining those small pea-sized chunks of butter and cream cheese that will moisten these cookies.
- Keep the cookies thin- Roll them out to about 1/8 of an inch to keep them thin. If too thick, these Linzer cookie sandwiches will be hefty when combining the top and bottom with jam.
- Spread most of the jelly in the center- To prevent jam from oozing out the sides, place most of the jam in the center where the cut out will be and just a little toward the sides to act as glue holding the halves together.
This recipe was originally published on December 7, 2017, we have updated it since.
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