Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
Soft cut-out shortbread cookies sandwiched with delicious lemon curd into the most perfect cookie! These dainty little cookies pack such a lemony-sweet punch, and are so simple to make and assemble. Using freshly made lemon curd, my lemon curd linzer cookies truly are the most delicious little bite of summertime.
What’s a Linzer? Where does this cookie come from?
Linz is a city in Austria, where the concept of these cookies are inspired from. The original dessert was a Linzer torte with an almond crust, jelly filling, and a lattice pattern on top. This is a fun mini version of that classic dessert and is super popular everywhere, especially around Christmas. I thought the flower/sunshine version is perfect for springtime & summertime, so I’m excited to share this cookie with you.
What ingredients do I need to make linzer cookies?
There are very few ingredients – and I guarantee you have almost all of them in your kitchen right now.
- Butter – make sure it’s unsalted, and leave it out at room temperature for about 10 minutes so it has a better chance to cream together with the sugar. Cold butter doesn’t mix together with anything, right?
- Sugar – granulated sugar, and give it about 2 minutes to cream together with the butter well enough before you add in the rest of the ingredients.
- Salt – need to balance out the sweet!
- Vanilla – use good quality vanilla.
- Almond Extract – I love using PK Queen Almond, but you can use LorAnn or McCormick, o whichever is easiest. Just make sure to sgo easy – the flavor is particularly strong, so a little goes a long way.
- Lemon Extract – This is just for a little extra lemon flavor. You can use emulsion, elixir, or extract.
- Flour – Measured correctly 🙂
The directions are below for how to make the linzer cookies – with step by step instructions that you’ll find super helpful in making the most perfect linzer cookies.
What cookie cutter will I need for the linzer cookies?
While the cookie cutter set isn’t essential, it does help you get that signature linzer look. The cookie cutters I used here have different shapes and themes, but I obviously went with the scalloped shape with a circle in the middle for a sunshine/flower look. The exact ones I used are linked here.
If you don’t have the cookie cutters like these (they’re smaller, so you get more cookies, about 1″ each), you can use the bottom of the cup and then cut out little circles in the middle. However, these will be bigger that way, and you’ll end up with less cookies.
Chilling is key
I know we all don’t especially like having to chill cookies (the wait is torture!), but these cookies are SO worth it, and you don’t need to chill them for very long anyway. These cookies need to be chilled twice, though. The first time will be after you spread out the dough flat, and the second will be after they’ve been cut out into the shapes (so right before baking). That last little chill before you bake will ensure they keep their shape during baking and stay nice and soft on the inside.
Powdered sugar dusting on top
Make sure to only dust the heart-halves BEFORE you sandwich the halves together. If you dust them after you’ve assembled the cookie, the dusting will get in the heart center. I used a fine mesh sieve to dust the powdered sugar on top.
Homemade lemon curd or store-bought?
I’ve included my fresh lemon curd below, but if you use store-bought, that works great, too!
Video of the process:
I can’t wait for you to try these! If you do, I’d love to see it! Make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie #bakingwithblondie so I can join in on all the fun. Happy Baking!
xo, Mandy
Get the Recipe: Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
1 Batch of Lemon Curd *See Recipe Below in Separate Recipe Section
Shortbread Sandwich Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, left out at room temperature for 10 minutes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract/emulsion/elixir
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Equipment
- scalloped cookie cutter
- circle cookie cutter
- rolling pin & parchment paper
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Slow the mixer to low, then add in the flour until combined, but don't overmix.
- Dump out the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper, then place another sheet on top. Use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough to be about 1/8 inch thick.
- Place the flattened/covered dough on a cookie sheet, then refrigerate for 20 minutes until firm.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- Use the linzer cookie cutouts (one should be plain, and one should have the heart cut-out, OR you can use the bottom of a small glass for half the cookies, and use a circle cutout in the center of the other half), to make half the cookies plain and half the cookies with the circle cut-out. Place the cut out cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 3-5 minutes, then bake for 8-10 minutes. The edges should not be brown, so keep an eye on them. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.
- Add a dusting of powdered sugar on the circle cut-out cookies (on top on the outside), then spread on the curd on the inside of the plain cookies. Sandwich them together with the powdered sugar circle cut out portions on top.
Get the Recipe: The Very Best Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 `cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest (or zest of two lemons)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the yolks, egg, sugar, juice, and zest. Whisk together as the mixture begins to thicken, about 6 minutes. Curd should be thickening, and will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but keep whisking slowly so that you don't have any scrambled eggs!
- Remove curd from the heat, and stir in the butter cubes. Stir to combine until the butter has melted.
- Strain the curd, and discard the zest. Cover the curd with a light layer of plastic wrap placed directly on top of the surface of the curd, and then store in the fridge until cooled and thickened. Enjoy!