Description
Pistachio Linzer Cookies are delicate, buttery sandwich cookies filled with raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. These festive treats feature finely ground pistachios in the dough, giving them a unique nutty flavor and a lovely green tint optionally enhanced with food coloring. Perfect for holidays or special occasions, they have a crisp edge and a tender crumb, filled with sweet jam for a delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Nut and Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (very soft but not melted, 170g)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Green gel food coloring (optional, 2-3 drops)
Other
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Grind pistachios: Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse or blend until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and whisk together with the flour and salt to combine evenly.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, use a spatula or electric mixer on low to combine the very soft butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth with no butter lumps. If desired, stir in 2-3 drops of green gel food coloring to reach the preferred green tint.
- Add dry ingredients: Stir the pistachio-flour mixture into the butter mixture until the dough begins to come together and pulls away from the bowl sides. Mix with hands if needed as the dough will be crumbly but should hold together when pressed firmly.
- Chill the dough: Turn the dough onto plastic wrap, press into a disc shape, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight to firm up and prevent cookie spreading.
- Cut the cookie dough: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out circles using a 2-inch cookie cutter and cut smaller center shapes from half the cookies to make the tops of the sandwich cookies.
- Bake the cookies: Arrange the cookies with cutouts on one baking sheet and whole cookies on the other. Bake cutout cookies for 7 minutes and whole cookies for 8 minutes. Dust cutout cookies with powdered sugar while warm. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- Assemble the cookies: Spread 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam on each whole cookie (bottom piece). Top each with a corresponding heart-shaped cutout cookie and gently press together to create sandwiches. Store cookies at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Use any round or fluted cookie cutter and a smaller cutter for the centers; linzer cutters are ideal but not required.
- Do not skip chilling the dough; it prevents spreading and keeps shapes crisp.
- Dough can be made and chilled 2–3 days ahead; baked cookies freeze well unfilled.
- Thaw frozen baked cookies overnight in the fridge before assembling with jam.
- Store cookies covered tightly at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerated up to 1 week.
- Choose any jam flavor or cookie shape to customize your Linzer cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
