When life gives me lemon sugar, I make Lemon Sugar Linzer Cookies. This is a delightful and refreshing twist on the traditional Austrian dessert. These cookies have a buttery and crumbly dough sweetened with a hint of lemon and lemon-infused sugar. The filling is a selection of lovely jams from Tiptree that perfectly complements the sweet cookie.
I had several tiny jars gifted to me. Consequently, these make the perfect filling as I was able to vary the flavors. My favorite combination is the Black Currant. However, homemade lemon curd would also be a lovely filling. I approve of doubling down on all things lemon flavored.
These Lemon Sugar Linzer cookies are perfect for your Easter or Mother’s Day menu. They also make a lovely hostess gift. The lemon sugar colors the dough a beautiful bright yellow. I had some store-bought variety on hand begging to be used up. Alternatively, here is a good recipe to make your own. To be honest I have a few flavored sugars both store-bought and homemade stashed around my kitchen. They provide great inspiration to add to cookies and cakes. Not to mention the extra flavor.
To be extra cute, I used a lemon-shaped cookie cutter to create the cutout shape. The end result looks more like weird eyes. So I will not be using this cutter again to make Linzer cookies. I should have stuck with a more traditional one. However, feel free to use any 3″-4″ cutter shape you like.
Tips for Making Lemon Sugar Linzer Cookies:
- Make sure you bake the cookies with the cutouts and the solid cookies on separate baking sheets. They will have two different baking times.
- Make the dough ahead of time. Wrap in plastic cling film and store in the refrigerator.
- Before you start making the cookies, take a deep dive into your refrigerator and pantry. You will be surprised how many half-jars of jams, jellies, nut butter, etc. you can gather to use as fillings.
- Place the pre-baked cookies on the baking sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes before transferring to the oven. This minimizes the cookies spreading while baking.
- Make sure you wait until the cookies have cooled completely before dipping the top half in powdered sugar. It will become a melted mess.
Lemon Sugar Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1+1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup lemon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour*
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- 1 cup of your favorite jam
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Line 2 (4 if you have them) baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In a mixer cream the butter and lemon sugar together. Add zest.
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Blend in the egg, then the vanilla.
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Add the dry ingredients and then the almond meal until everything is just mixed in.
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Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
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Roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut out the cookies.
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Choose a shape from your collection and another cutter several sizes smaller.
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Cut out the cookie and using the smaller cutter make a cutout in half the cookies.
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Place the cutout cookies and the solid ones on different baking sheets. They will have different baking times. The cutout ones will bake faster.
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As you fill up the baking sheets, place them in the freezer for a few minutes before transferring to the oven. This will prevent the cookie shapes from spreading.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just slightly golden. Check and remove the cutout cookies before the solid ones.
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Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
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Spread the solid cookie (the one without the cutout) with a thin layer of jam.
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Dust or dip the cutout cookie with powdered sugar and place it on top of the jam covered cookie.
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Plate and serve but definitely hide a few for yourself.
Recipe Notes
*I buy almonds already ground into meal or flour. You can also pulverize blanched almonds in a food processor. If you do, make sure you add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar to prevent the almonds from forming a paste.
Other Lovely Linzer Cookie Recipes:
Pecan Pineapple Linzer Cookies
Linzer Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie Sticks
Hot Pepper Jelly Cashew Linzer Cookies
Glühwein Star Hazelnut Linzers
