Linzer Trees

By Kim Severson

Updated Dec. 2, 2022

Linzer Trees
Soo-Jeong Kang/The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours, plus chilling time
Rating
4(289)
Comments
Read comments

These are a reworking of an old “Joy of Cooking” recipe I learned from my friend in Atlanta, Allison Dykes. They are the precious stars of her holiday cookie plate. The dough can be slightly finicky but can be re-rolled and re-chilled several times so all the scraps get used. The ideal thickness is somewhere between an eighth and a fourth of an inch. They need to be thin but not so thin that the delicate cookie breaks. The roasted almonds can be ground in a food processor.

Featured in: A Christmas Quarrel

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:About 30 cookies
  • 1¼cup unsalted butter (2½ sticks), softened
  • ⅔cup/145 grams sugar
  • 2⅓cups/308 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½cup/70 grams finely ground, roasted almonds
  • 1teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1cup/8 ounces good-quality raspberry jam, preferably seedless
  • Powdered sugar for dusting
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (30 servings)

160 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 25 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment or silicone baking mats.

  2. Step 2

    In a bowl or stand mixer, mix butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients, a half-cup at a time, to butter mixture.

  3. Step 3

    Divide dough into 3 balls. Place each ball between parchment paper (nonstick works best) and roll into a thin circle, about 11 inches in diameter and just over ⅛-inch thick. Refrigerate flat for at least 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Working quickly with one sheet of dough, remove top layer of parchment, then flip onto a clean sheet and remove the bottom layer. Using a tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut 30 shapes for the bottoms of the cookies and place on prepared baking sheets. Reserve scraps to reuse for more cookies.

  5. Step 5

    Bake cookie bottoms for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown. Rest for a couple of minutes on the tray, then carefully transfer to a cooking rack. Repeat the process to create the tops, using a pastry tip or a straw to cut out 5 to 7 holes on the trees to resemble ornaments. Open any holes that close during baking.

  6. Step 6

    Meanwhile, melt jam with 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar and boil lightly for about a minute. Cool slightly. Assemble cookies by flipping the bottoms, spreading them with a scant teaspoon of jam, dusting the tops lightly with powdered sugar and then gently pressing the tops onto the bottoms. Store airtight between layers of wax paper or parchment for 3 days. Freeze for up to a month.

Ratings

4 out of 5
289 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

Paul Fuge

Guided by the comments of others, I made a few small changes to recipe to good effect. A metal funnel about 5/16" at the end makes larger and fewer holes that lessens the work and lets the jam squeeze through. I substituted 1/4 cup of heavy cream for 1/2 stick of butter to make the baked cookies stronger with less tendency to break. Wax paper with a little flour spread on it is better for the bottom surface when rolling. The center of the holes come up easily.

Very pretty cookies!

Archie Goodwin

Cookies have great flavor; they were requested again this year. I didn't have the problems that the others did with spreading, but I chill my dough in between stages compulsively due to a small, hot kitchen. I used the column part of a metal funnel to poke out the holes (about 5 mm diameter), and it worked well. I would roll out the cookies a little thicker, as they tended to break, but the broken pieces were the first to be gobbled up.

Stephanie

These were amazing! I made the holes with a straw, and it worked well. I liked them even better after a few days when the jam softened the cookies. A favorite worth the work!

Tam

The recipe doesn’t seem to have enough flour/nuts in it. Despite chilled cough, my cookies spread and never thought I would say it - seemed too buttery.

kzdeb

These have been in my Christmas cookie collection for years now, a favorite at my holiday parties. I have a mini-tree cookie cutter that mimics my full-scale version, making the top cookie easier to make than multiple holes and just as delightful to look at.

Marina

Taste is good but the ratio butter:flour seems completely off. Compared to other recipes, the recipe contains no eggs or egg yolks which might also contribute to the crumbly texture. I had to throw the first batch of dough in the trash and tried to salvage the second by adding some more flour. Worked better, but still spread and had crumbly consistency. Disappointed

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.