Nut-free shortbread linzer cookies are buttery, lemony, & filled with a slightly tart raspberry jam. These cookies are a huge crowd pleaser and happen to be one of my most popular recipes!

Many shortbread linzer cookies with a heart-shaped center and raspberry jam, covered with powdered sugar, on a grey speckled background.
Man and woman standing in front of a green tree kissing. Woman is holding up hand with engagement ring.

So far, 2020 has brought me three of the best things in the whole world. 1. A finally-perfected recipe for linzers. 2. The announcement of a new Tame Impala album. And 3. The future title of Mrs. Hunt-Broka. (Or does Broka-Hunt sound better? Ahhhh so many things to decide!)

So yeah, I’m pretty much stoked out of my damn mind! I’ve been looking down at my ring finger every few seconds since it was slipped on my finger late Saturday night. It’s so pretty!!!

The night of our engagement included perfect Bolognese, lots of laughs, a parking lot engagement, celebration bourbon shots, a first rough draft of our ultimate wedding playlist, and of course, Marc asking, “You said yes, right?” approximately one hundred times before we went to sleep that night. I can’t wait to get all crotchety and senile with this dude.

And now that we’ve officially called/texted/social media-ed every person we know to tell them the news, I’m ready to create the *official* Hunt-Broka (Broka-Hunt?) Wedding Pinterest board. Marc, you’re the ketchup to my french fries, and I love you! 😛

Anyways, the day after the aforementioned engagement situation, I made these cookies! I originally learned how to make them when I was in pastry school, but Marc’s grandma used to make them all the time and they’re his favorite. They’d also make a cute little V-Day dessert along with mini red velvet cupcakes or lemony mini strawberry cheesecakes!

Powdered sugar vs. granulated

Rows of shortbread linzer cookies with heart cut outs on a grey counter with powdered sugar.

The key to melt-in-your-mouth shortbread is powdered sugar which gives the cookies a softer, smoother texture. If you like a snappier shortbread, granulated would work. Otherwise, stock up on unsalted butter, vanilla extract, lemon zest, flour, Kosher salt, and seedless raspberry jam.

Since butter is a main flavor here, I would really recommend springing for a higher-quality brand. But, any unsalted butter will do!

Step-by-step directions

A white bowl filled with butter and sugar sitting on a speckled table.
First, cream the butter and sugar until it’s fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
A white bowl filled with crumbly dough, surrounded by lemons, flour, and a jar of vanilla extract.
Next, add the flour and salt until the dough comes together and is crumbly. Knead until smooth.
Two discs of dough wrapped with plastic sitting on a speckled table.
Pat the dough into 2 discs. Wrap each disc and freeze the dough for about 15 minutes.
Rolled-out dough on a wooden board, surrounded by cookie cutters, flour, and a rolling pin.
Roll out the dough to 1/4” thickness & cut out the cookies. Then, bake them until golden.
Shortbread placed on a cooling rack, with some of the cookies filled covered with raspberry jam.
Let the cookies cool, and spread about one teaspoon of jam onto the bottom cookies. Sandwich the cut-out cookies on top. Then, dust with lots powdered sugar!

Store in the fridge or freezer

After the cookies are completely cooled, place them in a single layer in an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or, you can freeze the cookies in a parchment-lined airtight container for up to 3 months!

A woman's hand grabbing a cookie off of a white plate of shortbread linzer cookies with a grey background.

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An overhead photo of linzer cookies on a white plate set on a grey table.
4.79 from 28 votes

Shortbread Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam

Yield: 32
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Vanilla-y, lemony, and nut-free shortbread linzer cookies filled with a tart raspberry jam. A classic cookie that everyone will love!
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Ingredients

  • 420 grams all purpose flour, plus more for rolling (3 1/2 cups)
  • 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 342 grams unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks/1 1/2 cups)
  • 120 grams powdered sugar, plus more for decorating (1 cup)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
  • 206 grams seedless raspberry jam (2/3 cup)

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow, 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest until it's thoroughly mixed. Then, add the flour a cup at a time, until you have a crumbly dough that's starting to come together.
  • Turn the dough onto a pastry or cutting board. Press the dough together with clean hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. Cut the dough into two, and flatten each portion into a 1/2-inch disc. Wrap with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and freeze for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate until you're ready to use the dough.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll each disc of dough until it's about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out an even number of 3-inch circles with a cookie cutter. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out a shape from half of the cookies. Place the cookies 1-inch apart on the prepared sheets, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the bottoms and edges are lightly browned. (Refrigerate the unbaked cookies while the others are baking.) Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for about 5 minutes and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Once the cookies are cooled, spread about 1 teaspoon of jam onto the bottom cookies, and then sandwich the cut-out cookies on top. Dust with powdered sugar, and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

I used used a three-inch cookie cutter for the “main cookie” and a mini heart cut-out for the center.
The bottom cookies may puff up in the oven a little. Nothing to worry about! You could probably poke each cookie with the tines of a fork if you want them to be completely flat, but the jam may seep through!
You want to bake the cookies until they are just lightly browned on the bottom and edges. In my oven, they were perfect at 12 minutes.
Cuisine: Austrian, German
Course: Cookies
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.6g, Protein: 1.5g, Fat: 8.8g, Saturated Fat: 5.5g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 116mg, Sugar: 6.8g
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