Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies – Perfectly tart raspberry jam sandwiched between two buttery almond shortbread cookies

December is finally here! My favorite month of the year – when holiday tunes are on blast, I spend ridiculous amounts of time cooking & baking, and diets go out the window. Hooray!

And with this new month, you know what that means…a new cookie recipe!

Today’s recipe features two of my favorite flavors in the world, which I’ve yet to feature together: raspberry and almond.

I’ve always loved the flavor of almond, hence my obsession with almond croissants. And you guys know I love my berries. Just see this chocolate raspberry mousse or this berry french toast or the million other berry recipes I posted this past spring.

But it wasn’t until I tried raspberry almond thumbprint cookies for the first time (which was only last year – yes, I am late to the party), that I found out how killer of a combo these two flavors were together.

So for this month’s recipe, I wanted to showcase another classic cookie that highlights this dynamic duo in a sophisticated way. Let me tell ya, these cookies are not short on the pizzazz, that’s for sure.

Without further ado, I present to you Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies!

As soon as you bite into one of these cookies, a rush of flavor overcomes your mouth and all you can manage to do is say “Yummm!” And not only that, the texture is incredible. Buttery and crisp, yet with the perfect moisture from the jam. How could you not love these cookies?!

So what are Linzer cookies? If you’ve never heard of them before, all you need to know is that they’re Austrian cookies that are known for having a little window of jam in the center. Sometimes you’ll see raspberry jam or apricot jam. This recipe uses raspberry jam because it’s an incredible pairing with almond. But you can use whatever tickles your fancy!

Now, how does the recipe look? I would say it ranks Medium on the level of difficulty. This recipe isn’t particularly hard – it just takes a little patience. After all, these aren’t your typical scoop-and-bake cookies.

Don’t worry though! As always, I’ll give you my list of tips and tricks are the bottom of this post to make sure you feel confident to handle it!

To make this recipe, it’s just like any other cut-out cookie recipe. You make the dough, chill it, roll the dough out, cut the shapes, and bake. The biggest difference is that the cut-outs will be sandwiched in-between jam and the top cookie will have a little window so you can see what’s in the center.

Sometimes the window is a heart or a Christmas tree or a star. I didn’t want to make you buy any special tools that would only be used for this recipe so I just kept them circles.

As promised, here are your tips and tricks for this recipe:

1. At its core, this cookie is a shortbread. So it’s super important that the cookie dough stays cool or else they could spread into flat pancakes. So when I say you need to chill the dough, it’s non-negotiable.
2. Speaking of the dough, if you work with it for too long, it will begin to get sticky. That’s why you need to use parchment paper to roll it out. Otherwise, your rolling pin will stick to the dough. Once you’ve rolled out the rough, lift the top sheet of parchment paper off. If it’s not gliding off easily, the dough is too warm. Pop in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it out. You’ll thank me once you start cutting out the cookies.
3. If at any time, the dough is too sticky, pop it in the freezer. I have to do this constantly because it’s usually hot in my kitchen. This will add time to the prep for sure. So I do not recommend making these cookies in a rush. They are a labor of love, for sure.
4. To keep the dough from sticking to your cookie cutter, dip it into flour and shake it off to release the extra. The flour will help the cutter smoothly slide off the dough after each cut.
5. For this recipe, I use almond flour because I usually have that around. If you don’t and you rather process your own almonds, check out the recipe at The Kitchn to learn how.
6. Because there is no baking soda in this recipe, the cookies barely spread. So you only need to place them about 1/2 inch apart on your baking sheet. But this only works if the dough is cold!! Make sure you chill it for 30 minutes after cutting and before baking.

You are gonna love these cookies, guys. Butter and jam – what’s there not to love?! They’re the perfect holiday cookie so make sure to make a batch of these for your holiday parties this year!

Here are all the kitchen tools and serveware that I used in today’s recipe. For each item sold below, I make a small commission. I only recommend items that I own and love so you can trust that each recommendation is tried and true. Thank you for supporting CPA!

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More cookies that you’ll love:

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

Cranberry Cookies with White Chocolate Drizzle

Funfetti Whoopie Pies