These Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies are a gluten free twist on the traditional Linzer Cookies (originally from Germany). Filled with a refined sugar free raspberry jam filling, these shortbread like cookies melt in your mouth. If you’re looking for gluten free Christmas cookies to add to your holiday cookie tray, then these cookies are a must make!
German Linzer cookies were originally inspired by the Linzer Torte from the Austrian city of Linz. The Linzer torte is a large tart like pastry, whereas Linzer cookies are essentially two shortbread cookies held together by a filling (in this case a healthy raspberry jam filling). To make these gluten free Linzer cookies with almond flour a little healthier, they are made using pure maple syrup instead of white sugar. Making these cookies is so much fun – they aren’t just for the holidays, you can make them any time of year!
For more gluten free cookies you might like to try my two favorites Gluten Free and Dairy Free Snickerdoodles or Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These delicious cookies are perfect for any special occasion.
- This recipe is gluten free and refined sugar free.
- These cut-out cookies are fun to make.
- Filled with a delicious, healthy fruit jam.
Ingredient Notes
See a list of the ingredients required to make Gluten Free Linzer Cookies below, including some notes and tips.
Wet Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – Opt for a butter from grass-fed cows if possible as it is higher in Omega 3 Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA).
- Pure Maple Syrup – always opt for pure maple syrup and not maple flavoured syrup, which is just high fructose corn syrup artificially flavoured to taste like maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is the real deal and the healthiest for you.
- Lemon Zest
Dry Ingredients
- Almond flour – This recipe calls for Almond Flour or a fine blanched almond meal. Some blanched almond meals can be quite course in texture, if this is what you have then you can blend it in a food processor to achieve a finer texture.
- White rice flour
- Tapioca starch
- Xantham gum – This can be found at most health food stores and organic grocers.
- Sea salt flakes
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Raspberry Jam
- Frozen raspberries
- Water
- Tapioca flour
- Pure maple syrup
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredient quantities.
Equipment for Gluten Free Linzer Cookies
To make these cookies you will need:
- Linzer cookie cutters – you can buy Linzer cookie cutters as a set or use a scallop edged double sided cookie cutter and a smaller star shaped cookie cutter or any other shape that you would like to use.
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Electric beaters / stand alone mixer
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Zester / fine grater
- Rolling pin – if you don’t have a rolling pin you can use a glass jar to roll the dough.
- Pallate knife / spatula
- Fork / potato masher
- Glass jar
- Baking paper / parchment paper
- Baking sheet / Cookie sheet
- Wire rack
How to Make Gluten Free Linzer Cookies
Follow these step by step instructions to make the perfect Gluten Free Linzer Cookies!
Step 1:
Make raspberry filling by heating frozen raspberries in a small saucepan along with water and maple syrup.
Smash the raspberries with the back of a fork. Mix tapioca starch and water together and stir through raspberry mixture to thicken. Once the mixture is thickened, transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate.
Step 2
Add almond flour, tapioca starch, rice flour, xantham gum and sea salt to a bowl and mix to combine.
Step 3
Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Once the butter has a soft whipped appearance, slowly pour in the maple syrup while mixing. Once all of the maple syrup is added, mix through the lemon zest and vanilla extract.
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Step 4
Gently fold through the flour mixture into the butter mixture, using a spatula or wooden spoon.
Step 5
Divide the dough into half, placing each half between two sheets of baking paper. Use
Divide dough into half, placing each half between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the cookie dough out to ½ cm thickness. Place each sheet of dough forms into the fridge to chill for an hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Step 6
Remove the gluten free Linzer cookies dough from the fridge and use Linzer Cookie Cutters to cut equal amounts of top half and bottom half cookies. Use a pallet knife or egg slide to transfer the dough onto the baking trays.
Tip: Use one large and one small heart shaped cookie cutter to make these Linzer Cookies for valentine’s day.
Bake for 7 minutes – the cookies should still be almost blonde (slightly golden but not golden brown) when baked. Let the cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Step 7
Once cooled to room temperature, assemble by placing a ½ teaspoon of jam onto the bottom cookies, before placing the top cookies on top. Dust the tops of the cookies with powdered sugar (icing sugar) if desired.
Tip: These cookies are best assembled on the day of eating.
Substitutions
This Linzer cookie recipe is perfect as it is. However, there are some substitutions that can be made.
- Raspberry Jam – you can use strawberries to make strawberry jam or any other type of berry that is in season. Store bought raspberry preserves, homemade jams or any other kind of jam would work well as a filling also.
Storage
Cookies
It is best to store the cookies seperate to the jam in an airtight container in the fridge (nut flour keeps best in cool temperatures). I recommend filling the baked cookies with jam on the day of serving to extend their shelf life. If you make them all up then the linzer cookies can become soggy after a few days. Store cookies in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Jam
Store the jam in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Pin For Later
Gluten Free Linzer Cookies
Equipment
- Linzer cookie cutters
- Mixing Bowl
- Electric beaters / stand alone mixer
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Zester / fine greater
- Rolling pin
- Pallate knife / spatula
- Fork / potato masher
- Glass jar
- Baking Paper
Ingredients
Cookies
- 100 grams unsalted butter , softened
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, room temperature
- 1 cup almond flour, or blanched ground almond meal
- 3/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- zest of 1 lemon
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Raspberry Jam
- 2 cups raspberries, frozen
- 1/4 cup water, + 2 teaspoons
- 2 teaspoon tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
- First make the raspberry jam. In a saucepan place raspberries, the 1/4 cup of water and maple syrup (optional). Gently heat over a medium heat.
- When the raspberries are soften and heated through, use a potato masher or fork to mash raspberries. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- In a small bowl mix together tapioca flour and 2 teaspoons of water to make a paste.
- Return the saucepan to the heat. While stirring add tapioca mix. Continue stirring until the raspberries thicken and the jam coats the back of a metal spoon. Pour into a glass jar and place in the fridge too cool. To prevent a skin forming on the jam place a piece of cling film over the top of the surface of the jam and remove when cooled (optional).
- In a bowl mix together almond flour, tapioca flour, rice flour, xanthan gum and salt flakes and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl place softened butter and beat on a medium to high speed with electric beaters or with a stand alone mixer. When butter is a soft whipped texture, slowly pour the maple syrup into the butter while mixing on medium. If you pour too quickly the butter will look as if it has curdled, continue to whisk to bring it back to a soft whipped texture.
- When all maple syrup in incorporated add lemon zest and vanilla and whisk to mix through.
- With spatula or wooden spoon gently fold in the flour mix to form a soft dough. Divide dough into half. Place each half in between two pieces of baking paper and roll each into a disk of approx. 1/2cm thick. Place each disk in the fridge for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. Line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside.
- Once chilled, use one sheet of dough to cut out the base of the cookies, and the other to cut out the tops. Remember to count how many tops and how many bases you have to ensure you have equal amounts of both.
- The dough may soften, use a pallet knife or egg slide to help transfer the dough onto the baking trays. If needed return the dough to the fridge too chill again.
- Bake for 7 mins. These cookies should still be very slightly golden once baked. The cookies may require slightly longer, depending on the individual oven.
- Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
- Once cooled place a 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of jam on the base of cookie, carefully place the top cookie on the base by gently pressing it together.
- Dust the tops of the cookies with icing sugar if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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