These crispy, buttery raspberry Linzer cookies are filled with a delicious jam that is flavored with ginger and cardamom. The cookies are easy to make and the raspberry jam takes only a few minutes on the stovetop.
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How to make the jam (overview with photos):
It’s very easy to make this particular jam because it only requires the stovetop; there is no canning involved here:
- In a small saucepan, combine frozen raspberries, corn starch and sugar. Cook until all the raspberries are thawed.
- Stir in powdered ginger and ground cardamom and continue to cook until the fruit is broken down.
While the jam is cooling, make the cookies.
How to make the cookies (overview with photos):
Instead of a traditional, nut-enriched Linzer cookie dough the cookies in this recipe are made with a very straight-forward shortbread dough that is flavored with a touch of vanilla.
1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add the dry ingredients and whip until the dough starts to clump together.
3. Bring the dough together and knead into a ball.
4. Cut the ball in half.
5. Knead the dough into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and chill.
6. Roll out the dough.
7. Cut out the cookies.
8. Bake the cookies.
9. Sift powdered sugar over the top cookies.
10. & 11. Spread on jam and stack into a sandwich cookie.
Recipe notes, tips and questions:
You can let Linzer cookies sit on a tray for several hours. If you want to keep them longer than that, I recommend transferring them into a freezer bag and freezing them. The cookies will keep their crispness this way and they thaw again very quickly on the kitchen counter.
I don’t recommend storing the cookies in an airtight container because that will cause them to go soft.
These cookies are great year-round and also make a delightful holiday treat, whether it’s the winter holidays, Valentine’s day or any other holiday.
Here are instructions on how to use a Linzer cookie cutter.
More cookie recipes you’ll love:
Made this recipe? It would be awesome if you could leave a rating. Either tap or click the stars in the recipe card or leave a comment below. Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe
Spiced Raspberry Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
For the ginger cardamom raspberry jam:
- 6 ounces frozen raspberries
- ½ teaspoon corn starch
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger root)
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
For the cookies:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- powdered sugar
Instructions
For the ginger cardamom raspberry jam:
- Add frozen raspberries, corn starch and sugar to a saucepan and start to cook on medium heat, stirring until everything is combined.
- Once the raspberries are thawed, add the ginger and the cardamom.
- Cook until the fruit is completely broken down and the jam thickened (about 10 minutes). (Note that the jam will thicken more as it cools.)
- Let cool.
For the cookies:
- Whip butter and granulated sugar until well combined and creamy.
- Whip in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and the salt and whip until the dough starts to clump together (this will take a few minutes).
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface and bring together into a ball by hand.
- Cut the ball into two halves, shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Take the disks out of the fridge and roll them out between two sheets of plastic wrap.* (If the dough is hard and/or tears easily, let it sit for a few minutes to warm up and become more pliable.)
- Remove the plastic wrap, then cut out the cookies and bake them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats until they start to brown (12 to 15 minutes).
- Let the cookies cool completely.
- Sift powdered sugar onto the cookies with the cut-out centers.
- Spoon a little bit of jam onto the whole cookies and top with a cut-out center cookie.
Azu
Love the combination of spices in the jam! I’m crazy about spices, so I would add a pinch of cardamom to the dough as well. Thanks for sharing
Nicole B.
That is a great idea, why didn’t I think of that? Thank you so much for coming by, Azu! :)
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen
Oh those cookie cutters are gorgeous! I got myself a set on special recently but haven’t gotten around to using them, so thank you for the inspiration! Love the star cut out in the centre too, and I can imagine that the spices in the jam would give it a lovely flavour <3
Nicole B.
Thank you, Claudia! They are so much fun to make, you’ll love it! :)
Shinee
I love (LOVE) crumbly, buttery cookies!! And no, I don’t have Linzer cookie cutter, and now I’m shopping on Amazon for it. Your cookies look so pretty, Nicole!!
Nicole B.
Thank you, Shinee! It was so much fun to make these, I have a feeling there will be many more Linzer cookies coming on The Spice Train… :)
Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect
These are so lovely Nicole. I really need to make some Linzer pies/tarts and biscuits, they look so cute.
Nicole B.
Thank you, Angela! They do look cute, don’t they? I love that cookie cutter set. :)
CakePants
Wow, these are gorgeous! And ginger cardamom raspberry jam sounds heavenly…I’ve never tried my hand at making homemade jam, but I’ll have to look into it!
Nicole B.
Thank you so much! This jam is super-easy to make and takes just a few minutes, I love it. :)