These Nutella Linzer Cookies are the kind of Christmas goodies that look like they came straight from a fancy bakery but are surprisingly simple to make at home. Buttery hazelnut cookies with a smooth chocolate center make these classic treats as elegant as they are delicious. You'll get clear, step-by-step tips on how to make Linzer cookies that turn out beautiful every time-ideal for gifting or adding something unique to your holiday baking lineup. Pin this easy Christmas cookie recipe now so you'll have these stunning sweets ready to impress on your next cookie platter.
What are Linzer cookies?
Linzer cookies are traditional Austrian Christmas cookies, originating from Linz, Austria. They are made with a layer of jam, jelly, chocolate, or Nutella sandwiched between two layers of buttery shortbread that may contain ground nuts in the dough. My recipe below is made with all-purpose flour, but traditional Linzer cookies can often made with almond flour or ground hazelnuts instead of wheat flour.
Whatever they're made from, Linzer cookies are sandwich cookies that always feature a peek-a-boo cutout in the top cookie, exposing the yummy filling underneath, and they are typically dusted with powdered sugar.
Why this is the perfect recipe for Linzer cookies
These Christmas cookies are easy to make. There are a few steps, but none of them are difficult. It's a great recipe for kids to help with because it's so easy.
The ingredients for this easy recipe are very common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in most grocery stores or on Amazon.
These Linzer cookies taste amazing! The cookies are buttery and rich, and the Nutella filling is creamy and delicious! Add a dusting of powdered sugar on top, and you have a decadent treat worthy of any gathering or holiday party.
These cookies are big. We are making these cookies with a 3-inch round cookie cutter, so they are palm-sized. You can use this recipe to make your cookies in a smaller size, too. Do everything the same except use a smaller biscuit cutter to cut the cookies and then adjust the cooking time. Smaller cookies will need to bake for a shorter time.
These Linzer cookies are beautiful! They will be the prettiest cookies on the Christmas cookie tray, and they are lovely as a Valentine's Day gift.
This recipe is freezer-friendly. You can easily freeze the cookies after they've been baked but before they're assembled.
What you'll need to make Linzer cookies with Nutella
Equipment
Don't let this long list of required equipment intimidate you! It's mostly standard equipment that you would need for any cookie recipe.
- Parchment paper - I always line my baking sheets with parchment paper. It helps the cookies to release easily and also makes clean-up easier.
- Baking sheet - All of my baking sheets have a raised edge, so that's what I've linked here. My grandma only used a plain flat cookie sheet, and her cookies were perfect. Either is fine.
- Electric mixer - You can make cookies without an electric mixer, but I don't know why on earth you would want to.
- Egg separator - This is my preferred method for getting an egg yolk separated from the whites. There are other ways to separate an egg. You can search YouTube for instructions without an egg separator.
- Rolling Pin - You have to roll this cookie dough out to a certain thickness in order to have uniform cookies to make sandwiches. You need a rolling pin to do this, and I highly recommend it's a standard sized one (not a mini). It needs to be well floured so the dough doesn't stick to it.
- Round biscuit cutter set (2" to 6") - You will really only need a 3" circle cutter, so if you already have that size, you're in good shape. If you don't, I recommend buying a set with multiple sizes as you will probably find uses for them, too. The cutter needs to be well floured so the dough doesn't stick.
- Star shaped cookie cutter - As with the round cutters, you will only need the 1" star, but if you're buying that, you might as well get a set. You could also get a set of mini cutters in different shapes and use more than one shape. It needs to be well floured.
- Wire rack - You should always transfer your cookies from the baking sheet to a wire rack in order to avoid them overbaking on the hot baking sheet.
- Powdered sugar shaker - This is optional, but I like dusting my baked cookies with powdered sugar when they first come out of the oven.
Ingredients
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
- Unsalted butter - The butter should be room temperature, soft but not melted.
- White sugar - This sweetens the cookie dough.
- Egg - You will only use the yolk.
- Vanilla bean paste - I love vanilla bean paste. Vanilla extract is made from soaking vanilla beans in alcohol and then removing the beans. Vanilla bean paste is concentrated vanilla extract with ground vanilla beans added in. Vanilla bean paste has a stronger and richer vanilla flavor than extract. You can use them interchangeably.
- All-purpose flour - You will need flour for the cookie dough, plus extra to flour your work surface, rolling pin, cookie cutters, and hands.
- Salt - You need a little salt in baked goods to balance and enhance the sweet flavors.
- Nutella - I suggest this creamy chocolate-hazelnut filling, but you can use any jam or jelly instead.
How to make Nutella Linzer cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until the mixture is creamy and light. Add in the egg and vanilla bean paste and continue to beat until it's well incorporated.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a small amount at a time and mix well with the mixer until a dough is formed. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thickness.
- Cut 16 3-inch round cookies. Place all 16 cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheet, then cut a 1-inch star from the center of half of the cookies. (Do this after moving them to the baking sheet or the stars will get distorted.) Sprinkle the 8 cookies with the cutouts generously with powdered sugar.
- Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
- Use a spoon to spread a generous amount of Nutella on the 8 cookies without the cutouts.
- Place the 8 cutout cookies on top of the 8 Nutella-covered cookies and press gently. Enjoy!
Baker's tips
Flour the cookie cutters, rolling pin, hands, and surface well to prevent the dough from sticking, but not so much that you have clumps of flour on your cookie dough.
Make sure the cookie dough has a fluffy texture and light color after beating in the egg. You want to beat a little bit of air into the mixture, so don't rush through that step.
Make sure you sprinkle powdered sugar on the tops of the shortbread cookies before pressing them into the Nutella. If you do it after, the Nutella will get covered with sugar, and you won't be able to see the pretty design. There is no need to sugar the bottom cookies as you're going to spread Nutella on them anyway.
Variations and substitutions
You can use any flavor of jam or jelly to stuff your sandwich cookies in place of the chocolate hazelnut spread. Raspberry jam and strawberry jam are traditional favorites. You can also use lemon curd, which has a smooth, creamy consistency.
You can make this Linzer cookies recipe into smaller cookies, if you prefer. A 2-inch round with an even tinier cutout would also be fine. You would get more cookies from the recipe if you made them smaller.
Storing leftovers
Store Linzer cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They are okay to eat for longer than that (as long as there's no mold), but they will get stale after a few days.
There is no need to keep Linzer cookies in the fridge.
You can freeze Linzer cookie dough or you can freeze the cookies before assembling, but I do not recommend freezing the sandwich cookies.
To freeze baked cookies, first make sure they are completely cooled to room temperature. Then place them in a single layer in the freezer for an hour or two, until they are completely frozen and not sticky at all. Then layer them in an airtight freezer container or zippered freezer bag, with a sheet of parchment paper between the layers. Squeeze out all of the air before placing the whole thing in the freezer. You can store them in the freezer for a month or so.
To reheat frozen cookies, place them on a baking sheet, and bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 5-10 minutes. You can also defrost them at room temperature and eat once they're thawed.
More delicious cookie recipes:
- Easy Monster Cookies
- Cherry Pie Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Brownie Mix Crinkle Cookies
- Secret Hershey Kiss Sugar Cookies
- Inside Out Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Thumbprint Sugar Cookies with Jam Centers
- The Very Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe
Nutella Linzer Cookies
Equipment
- Rolling Pin well floured
- Round biscuit cutter set (2" to 6") 3" circle only, well floured
- Star shaped cookie cutter 1" star only, well floured
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, room temperature
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1½ cups all purpose flour plus extra to flour surface, rolling pin, cookie cutters, and hands
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Nutella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mix until the mixture is creamy and light. Add in the egg and vanilla bean paste and continue to beat until it's well incorporated.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg batter a small amount at a time and mix well with the mixer until a dough is formed. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface to ¼-inch thickness.
- Cut 16 3-inch round cookies. Place all 16 cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheet, then cut a 1-inch star from the center of 8 of the cookies. (Do this after moving them to the baking sheet or the stars will get distorted.)
- Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
- Spread a generous amount of Nutella on the 8 cookies without the cutouts. Sprinkle the 8 cookies with the cutouts generously with powdered sugar.
- Place the 8 cutout cookies on top of the 8 Nutella-covered cookies and press gently. Enjoy!
Hattie says
These are so pretty! I'm taking them to the cookie swap in a couple of weeks.