If ever a cookie deserved the title “lovely” it’s the lovely Linzer cookie.
Jump to RecipeLinzer cookies are so appealing to view and decadent and delicious to taste. And they couldn’t be more perfect for an accompaniment to tea! So they make a very presentable gift for friends and loved ones!
Valentine’s Day Cookie Perfection
Do you agree?! This cookie should be the go-to for Valentine’s Day baking. Cut out the center with a heart or make the whole cookie shape a heart. Either way, when you fill the center with that beautiful red jam and sprinkle the top with sifted confectioners sugar, the whole Linzer cookie becomes an edible valentine in the spirit of the holiday.
But then, I also love them during the Christmas season, too! And really, there isn’t a bad time to make these cookies. Because it’s a perfectly lovely Linzer cookie for all the days of the year!
The traditional lovely Linzer cookie remains a favorite
In the beginning, this cookie originated in Linz, Austria, from a torte/pie recipe found in a cookbook belonging to a Countess in 1653. It evolved into the Linzer cookie we know today with very little change from the original version.
Simple ingredients that we still use today make up this recipe. Ground almonds are in the original cookie dough instructions. And the current Linzer filling consists of red or black currant jam.
Lucky for New Yorkers, they can now make it just like the Austrians did with black currant jam as well. But this was not possible from 1911 through August 5, 2003. A ban was placed on black currants in the U.S. because they believed that the currants caused a fungus in trees that would hurt the timber industry. However, for Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Virginia, there are still no black currants allowed!
Today, red raspberry jam is a trendy cookie center, too. Therefore, if you can’t have black currants where you live, red raspberry jam does the trick!
No need to mess with perfection! It’s lovely to know that these same Linzer cookies were made in kitchens and bakeries long ago. And it’s comforting to think families and bakers have kept this recipe alive, passing it along to future generations to share the love.
Vegan recipe sharing with you
So, we sincerely hope you love this recipe. And we’re so happy to continue carrying on the tradition of sharing the Linzer cookie while updating it just a little bit to become vegan. So please continue to share this veganized Valentine’s treat with everyone.
VIVA LA LINZER COOKIE!
Another Valentine’s Day Favorite:
Also, The Scrumptious Strawberry Pie!
Check out some of our other long-standing, traditional recipes made vegan including the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie
and the American Apple Pie for the World.
© thehamptonsvegan 2017 – 2025. All rights reserved
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Beat butter and sugar together until light.
- Add flax mixture and vanilla and continue beating until light and well mixed.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest.
- Add flour mix to wet mix and blend together, but don't overmix.
- Divide dough into two parts, wrap in cling wrap and chill for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove one of the chilled doughs from the fridge and sprinkle a bit of flour on a sheet of parchment paper. Add dough to the center of the parchment then top with the second sheet of parchment paper. Roll to 1/8- 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out round or heart shapes with floured cookie cutters and then, using a floured spatula, gently move the cutouts to the prepared pan. Reroll scraps until all dough is used. (*1)
- Bake for approximately 10-14 minutes. They should be lightly brown just around the edges.
- Remove 2nd chilled dough and roll it out to 1/8- 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out with the same cutter and process used in step 7 above. I transfer them to a parchment-lined cookie sheet now. Then using a small cookie cutter, cut out a circle, heart, or another small shape from the center of each 2-inch cutout cookie. If the tiny cutout doesn't come out easily with the cookie cutter, just use the tip of a bread knife to gently lift the little cutout off the sheet and set it aside. This helps keep the shape without any distortion that can happen while moving to the cookie sheet. Reroll scraps until all dough is used, making sure there is an equal amount of cookie tops and cookie bottoms. Baking time may be slightly less for the top cookies than for the bottom cookies.
- Cool cookies on a wire rack. When completely cool, dust powdered sugar on only the tops of the cookies with the cutout centers.
- Stir jam until smooth. Flip the cookies without the cutout centers over to their bottom side. Spread about 1/2 -1 teaspoon on each bottom. Then top with the sugar-dusted cookies. (*2)
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to about 5 days.
