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Delicious!
These vegan linzer cookies are extremely decadent, delicious, and are perfect for the holiday season! This recipe is super simple and is nut free; simple cookies filled with delicious jam and dusted with powdery sugar. Enjoy on their own or with a warm cup of tea! Let’s take a closer look at these amazing little morsels!
A Closer Look
A Christmas Cookie Story
Let’s start off with the charming history of these Linzer cookies! They are very popular in America and some European counties like Germany, however these treats actually originated in Austria. In fact, they didn’t start off as cookies at all! At first, Austrians would make tarts that resembled pies with almond crusts and currant preserves. They used nut crusts because wheat was not as easy to come by at the time.
Eventually, bakers in Austria began to make the cookie form of this tart, using delicate cookie cutters with pretty designs to create the popular “Linzer Eye”. The cookie tarts became very popular to serve around the holidays. This traditional cookie eventually made its way to America with the arrival of German and Austrian immigrants. Now, Americans have adopted and made their own slight modifications to the original recipe and use it as a holiday tradition of their own.
A lovely little Christmas cookie story I thought you would enjoy:)
So Gorgeous!
The Ingredients
Flour
Traditionally, Linzer cookies were made using almond flour. However, you can really use any flour that you wish:). I chose to use all-purpose flour but you can also use gluten free alternatives like almond or Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour.
Sweetener
Some recipes use white sugar as a sweetener but I found that maple syrup adds the perfect amount of sweetness to these cookies. The jam and powdered sugar on top also contribute to the sweetness so I didn’t feel the need to use a lot of sugar in the cookie dough itself. You can also use agave nectar in place of the maple syrup.
Jam Filling
The traditional preserves used for these cookies were red or black currant preserves but again, you can use any flavor you want! Raspberry is a very popular option but I would try using your favorite:). I did half blackberry and half strawberry rhubarb. Let me know what you try and how it turns out!
Cookie Cutters
These are the Linzer cookie cutters I used! They came in a lovey variety and were very easy to use! I chose to make half of my cookies with the heart as this is very traditional, and half with the star. I would recommend starting with the heart shape cutter as this was a very easy shape to cut out of the dough without the dough breaking.
Perfect for the Holidays!
So let me know what you think once you try this linzer cookie recipe! If you are looking for more holiday cookie recipes check out my Vegan Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies or my Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookies.
- 1/2 cup of vegan butter (softened)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk (I used almond)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/3 cup all purpose flour (you can also use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1)
- Powdered sugar for sifting on top of the cookies
- About 1/3 cup of jam (I used blackberry and strawberry rhubarb)
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2
First, beat the butter with a hand mixer or standing mixer until smooth and creamy.
3
Add the maple syrup, vanilla, milk, and salt. Beat again.
4
Sift the flour into the wet ingredients and incorporate with a rubber spatula, you will need to use your hands as well.
5
Knead it all together with your hands until you have a nice uniform ball of dough.
6
Divide the dough into two equal parts.
7
Roll the first ball out onto parchment paper (should be thin but not paper thin)
8
Use your full linzer cookie cutter to cut out the backs of the cookies (aim for 12-14).
9
Bake these backs for 6-8 minutes, they will seem soft still when you remove them but they will firm up as they cool.
10
While baking, roll out the second ball of dough onto a separate piece of parchment paper.
11
Use your shape (heart or star) cookie cutter to cut out the tops of the cookies (you should have an equal number to the backs.
12
Once you remove the backs from the oven, place the fronts of the cookies in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes.
13
Allow the cookies to cool completely.
14
Line up all of the shape cookie tops on a piece of cloth or parchment paper.
15
Use a sifter to sift powdered sugar onto the tops of the cookies (Should coat them completely), you can also coat the little shape cut outs if you wish.
16
Line the bottoms of the cookies up and place a small amount of jam into the middle of the cookies.
17
Spread the jam gently and leave a little space around the edges.
18
Gently press the shape tops of the cookies onto the jam covered bottoms.
19
Enjoy immediately with some tea, store at room temperature for up to 4 days, or keep in the fridge for a month. *
*If you freeze these cookies it is best to freeze them without the jam. You can freeze, then defrost and add the jam once they are defrosted. This will prevent them from becoming soggy.