Yield: 16 valentine’s linzer cookies // Total Time: 1 hr. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //
Vanilla linzer cookies filled with ermine buttercream and topped with raspberry powdered sugar.
valentine’s linzer cookies
The perfect little snack cookies for Valentine’s Day! Linzer cookies are truly the perfect treat for any occasion. There are endless possibilities of what you can fill them with and what shape you can stamp out on top. Here we’re stamping out a heart (for Valentine’s Day of course), filling them with a two-toned vanilla and raspberry ermine buttercream, and dusting them with raspberry powdered sugar.
small batch linzer cookies
A lot of linzer cookie recipes yield a lot of cookies – but we’re all about small batch over here! This recipe yields 16 sandwich cookies which is perfect for a small event, or keeping in your fridge to snack on during the week. If you need a larger batch of linzer cookies you can double or triple the recipe as needed. I do even more strongly recommend using grams to measure if you are scaling the recipe for the best results!
recipe tips
linzer cookie cutters
Here is the pack I used to get the little heart cookie cutter! I used a 2″ linzer cookie cutter from a different set – as the cutter in this set isn’t quite big enough.
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient which can give you some undesirable results. This kitchen scale is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out! If you don’t have access to a scale, here is the best way to measure flour: fluff up the flour with a fork, then use a spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup. Use a knife to level off the top of the cup, then use as directed.
room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the butter and egg 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. Here’s how to get room temperature ingredients FAST if you’re in a time crunch or forgot to take the ingredients out (like I often do):
- Egg: place the egg in a bowl and run hot water over it for 1 continuous minute, or let it sit in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
- Butter: slice the butter into 1 tbsp. slices and place them flat on a plate. Microwave in 5-second intervals until the butter is soft to the touch, but not melting.
be careful when beating the butter and sugar
We’re going to beat some softened butter and powdered sugar together at the start of the cookie recipe, but only until they have combined. Over-beating the mixture will incorporate more air into the dough, which will make these cookies more puffy rather than flat.
how to stop linzer cookies from spreading
After stamping out the cookies, we’ll freeze them for 10 minutes and then pop them in the oven straight from the freezer. Making the dough cold allows the butter and other ingredients to firm up – which makes it take longer for them to melt in the oven.
ingredients and substitutions
For the vanilla linzer cookies:
All purpose flour: for structure.
Salt: a little bit of salt helps balance and bring out the flavor and sweetness of the dough.
Almond flour: essential to linzer cookies. Make sure you are using almond flour and not almond meal, which is a bit more coarse than almond flour.
Powdered sugar: for sweetness and giving the cookies that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Egg yolk: helps bind the dough together and adds some richness.
Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the cookies. I haven’t tried it – but I don’t see why you couldn’t substitute in your favorite dairy-free butter stick here to make these dairy free!
Vanilla bean paste: for flavor. You can also use vanilla extract here.
For the ermine buttercream:
Granulated sugar: for sweetness.
All purpose flour: for thickening the mixture for the ermine frosting.
Salt: for flavor – never skip on the salt!
Whole milk: the base of the ‘pudding’ mixture for the ermine frosting.
Unsalted butter: the base of the frosting. You can use salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt.
Vanilla bean paste: for flavor. You can also use vanilla extract here.
Freeze-dried raspberries: optional, if you want to create the two-toned buttercream! You could replace this with any freeze-dried fruit flavor if desired.
For the raspberry powdered sugar:
Powdered sugar & freeze-dried raspberries: You could replace the raspberries with any freeze-dried fruit flavor if desired.
valentine’s linzer cookies q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Definitely! It’s super easy to make the cookie dough ahead of time. Simply roll out the dough, stamp it, and when it’s time to place them in the freezer, you can just leave them like that overnight. If you want to make the dough even further in advance, transfer the cookies to an airtight container in the freezer once they have frozen on the baking sheet. Bake directly from the freezer when you’re ready, just note that the cookies may need 1-2 more minutes in the oven.
how should I store these cookies?
Because these linzer cookies are filled with an ermine buttercream, they will need to be stored in the fridge. Store the filled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
a note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and aren’t always at the temperature they claim to be at. I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
did you make these valentine’s linzer cookies?
If you made these valentine’s heart linzer cookies I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Valentine’s Linzer Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Vanilla Linzer Cookies
- 113 g unsalted butter room temperature (½ c.)
- 70 g powdered sugar (½ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 140 g all purpose flour (1 c. + 2 ½ tbsp.)
- 50 g almond flour (½ c.)
- ¼ tsp. salt
Ermine Buttercream
- 125 g granulated sugar (½ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 25 g all purpose flour (3 ½ tbsp.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 141 g whole milk (5 oz.)
- 141 g unsalted butter room temperature (½ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste
- 10 g freeze-dried raspberries optional, crushed (2 tbsp.)
Raspberry Powdered Sugar
- 30 g powdered sugar (¼ c.)
- 10 g freeze-dried raspberries (2 tbsp.)
Instructions
Vanilla Linzer Cookies
- Add the butter and powdered to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment just until the ingredients are combined.
- Add in the egg yolk and vanilla bean paste, and beat until just combined.
- Add in the flour, almond flour, and salt. Beat just until a cohesive dough forms.
- Form the dough into a square and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap. Transfer the dough into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. In the meantime, start making the ermine frosting.
Ermine Buttercream
- Add the sugar, flour, salt, and milk to a small saucepan set over medium heat.
- Continuously whisk the mixture together until it starts to bubble up and thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
- Transfer the mixture to a heat-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Leave the mixture in the fridge to chill until the cookies are done baking.
- Take out the chilled cookie dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out until it is ¼” thick. Use a 2” linzer cookie cutter to stamp out the cookies.
- Gather the scraps of dough and re-roll to ¼" thick, and cut out more cookies. Repeat 1 more time.
- Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to stamp out a heart in the center of half of the cookies.
- Carefully transfer all of the cookies to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until they no longer look wet and have started to slightly turn golden brown on the edges.
- While the cookies come to room temperature, finish making the ermine frosting. In a medium sized mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy.
- While the mixer is running, add in the milk mixture one heaping tablespoon at a time, allowing it to fully combine with the butter before adding in more. Repeat until you have used up all of the mixture, then beat in the vanilla.
- (Optional) Remove ½ of the buttercream from the bowl. To the buttercream in the mixer, add in the crushed freeze-dried raspberries. Beat together until well combined.
- If you are only using vanilla buttercream, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your tip of choice. If you are using both raspberry and vanilla buttercream – Place the vanilla buttercream and raspberry buttercream into separate piping bags. Snip a hole at the bottom of each bag. Then, place the two bags side-by-side into another piping bag that’s fitted with your piping tip of choice.
Raspberry Powdered Sugar
- In a small food processor, blitz the freeze-dried raspberries until they become powdered. Then, blitz in the powdered sugar until the mixture is cohesive.
- Arrange all of the cookies that have a heart cut-out onto a tray, and dust them with the raspberry powdered sugar.
- Pipe the frosting onto the under-side of the cookies that don’t have a heart cut-out, then top each cookie with one that does. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.