Linzer Cookies are definitely one of the most traditional Austrian cookies there are. Traditionally they are filled with raspberry jam (or apricot jam in my family), dusted with powdered sugar, and the star of every holiday cookie tray. So here is a seasonal twist on an Austrian Classic: Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies. Picture a cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread with a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Sandwiched together with luscious homemade foolproof lemon curd. If this doesn't scream Spring and Easter I don't know what is.
Make sure to check out my recipe for Gluten Free Vanilla Crescent Cookies - my Grandma's Recipe so you know it's going to be delicious.
For another citrus recipe, make sure to take a look at my Gluten Free Key Lime Pie Bars or my Gluten Free Lemon Snack Cake. Use any leftover of the lemon curd to fill my Gluten Free Thumbprint Cookies.
Jump to:
- Recipe Ingredient Notes for Linzer Cookie Dough
- Recipe Ingredient Notes for Lemon Curd
- Equipment Recommendation for making Lemon Curd
- How to make Foolproof Lemon Curd
- Tools needed to create Linzer Cookies
- How to make Gluten Free Linzer Cookies
- How to roll out and cut Linzer Cookies
- How to fill Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
- What to do with lemon curd
- FAQ for Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
- Join my Gluten Free Community!
- Note about Salt in my Recipes
- Baking in grams
- Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures
- Substitutions and Modifications
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Recipe Ingredient Notes for Linzer Cookie Dough
Gluten Free Flour: I have made this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 as well as my own gluten free flour blend. This is a very forgiving recipe so if you would like to use a different gluten free flour, you may do so. If you use a blend without xanthan, please add 1.5 teaspoons of xanthan gum.
Nut flour: Traditionally Linzer Cookies are made with Hazelnut Flour but it is very pricey in the US (and sometimes hard to find). So I use very fine Almond Flour. If you have access to hazelnut flour I highly recommend giving it a try sometimes. The Almond flour I use is very finely ground. Make sure to store any leftover Almond flour or nut flour in general in your freezer to keep it fresh.
Butter: Please use unsalted, room temperature butter for the recipe. It should be around 65F which is a lot colder than many of us consider room temperature. To test if your butter is at room temperature nudge it with your finger. You should see an indent but the butter should not feel like you can poke right through it.
Powdered Sugar: Gluten Free Linzer Cookies made with powdered sugar have a more delicate crumb. It is also known as confectionary sugar or icing sugar.
Recipe Ingredient Notes for Lemon Curd
Lemons: If you can, I recommend using organic lemons in this recipe for Lemon Curd. Especially when using their zest. No matter what, make sure to give them a good rinse. I do NOT recommend using bottled lemon juice in this recipe.
Eggs: Many curd recipes call for egg yolks only. I feel like that makes the curd taste eggy. This is why we are using two whole eggs and two egg yolk in this recipe. Make sure to save any leftover egg whites to make Meringue Cookies or Marshmallows.
Butter: Please use unsalted, room-temperature butter for the recipe for foolproof lemon curd. It should be around 65F which is a lot colder than many of us consider room temperature.
Equipment Recommendation for making Lemon Curd
To make Lemon curd you will need the following equipment.
- Zester and a juicer - because we will need fresh lemon juice
- A stand mixer or hand mixer. Please use the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer.
- Heavy, nonreactive saucepan such as stainless steel, anodized aluminum, and enamel. I do not recommend using plain aluminum or unlined copper since those materials will react with the acid in the lemons. This will not only cause a discoloration but also a metallic taste.
- Whisk and a heat-proof spatula
- fine mesh strainer and a bowl to strain your curd into
How to make Foolproof Lemon Curd
This foolproof recipe for lemon curd works perfectly to sandwich together gluten free linzer cookies. It can be made up to two weeks in advance and can even be frozen if needed.
Step 1: Start by gathering all your equipment and setting up a bowl with a fine-mesh strainer so you are ready to strain the curd when it’s done cooking.
Step 2: Zest one lemon and set aside. Squeeze your lemons and strain out any seeds if needed. You will need 165 grams of freshly juiced lemon juice for this recipe.
Step 3: In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 185 grams of granulated white sugar, a pinch of salt, and 85 grams of room-temperature butter. Make sure to reserve the additional 30 grams of butter for finishing the curd. Cream the butter and sugar together. This should take about 2 minutes.
Step 4: When the butter and sugar have been creamed together, slowly add your eggs. The mixture will not cream together. Do not be worried about that.
Step 5: Once you have added the eggs, add your lemon juice. The mixture will curdle but it will smooth out once we cook it.
Step 6: Transfer your butter/sugar/egg/lemon juice mixture to your saucepan and over low heat cook until your lemon curd starts to look smooth. Make sure to constantly stir the mixture. The curdling will disappear when the butter starts to melt.
Step 7: Increase the heat to medium, and while stirring constantly, cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Do not allow for it to come to a boil. The lemon curd is ready when it leaves a path on the back of a spoon.
Step 8: Remove the curd from the heat and strain curd (this will remove any accidentally cooked bits and pieces of cooked eggs) into your prepared pan.
Step 9: Whisk the reserved 30 grams of unsalted butter into the curd. Add lemon zest and stir to combine. Allow for the foolproof lemon curd to cool to room temperature before transferring it to the refrigerator. It will thicken as it cools.
The lemon curd will be good for up to 14 days in your refrigerator in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in your refrigerator before using it.
Tools needed to create Linzer Cookies
Cookie Cutters: I use Double-Sided Fluted and Plain Edge Cookie Cutter and a tiny round cutter for my Gluten Free Lemon Linzer Cookies. You can use any mini cookie cutter for center. I love using mini hearts and stars.
Rolling Pin: you will need a rolling pin to roll out the gluten-free Linzer cookie dough. BUT, you can always use a clean bottle (like a wine bottle) in a pinch
Offset Spatula: I love using Mini Offsets to move delicate cookie dough
How to make Gluten Free Linzer Cookies
Traditionally this dough is made right on the kitchen counter by cutting the butter into the dry ingredients, adding the egg (or egg yolks), and kneading it by hand. But to make things easier, I am using my standmixer.
Cream Butter and Powdered Sugar: Combine your room temperature butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. We will cream those two ingredients for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Since this dough does not contain any leavening agent the creaming will provide structure. Make sure to scrape down the bowl halfway through the creaming process.
Add Egg and Vanilla: add the whole egg and vanilla extract and mix until incorporated for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides.
Dry Ingredients: combine your gluten free flour, almond flour (or hazelnut flour) and salt in a separate bowl, whisk together, and add to your wet ingredients. Mix everything together until a dry, crumbly dough forms.
Rest the dough: Remove dough from the stand mixer bowl and transfer to a parchment paper lined sheet tray or plate (a ¼ sheet tray works great for this task) The dough will be very soft so I recommend sprinkling some gluten free flour on the parchment paper first. Use your hands and push the dough together in a disk or square, sprinkle some additional flour on top and place it in your refrigerator. The dough MUST rest for at least 2hrs and up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
How to roll out and cut Linzer Cookies
As mentioned, this gluten free dough is very delicate unless you allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least 2hrs.
Step 1: Remove the dough from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Place dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll the Linzer cookie dough out to about ¼” thick. I think it’s the easiest to do this on floured parchment paper.
Step 3: Use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes. I use a 2 ½” scalloped edge cookie cutter for the tops of the cookies and a 2 ½” round cookie cutter for the bottom. You can also use the same cutter for tops and bottoms. Use a tiny cookie cutter (or the back end of a piping tip) to cut out the centers in your top cookies. You want to have an even number of tops and bottoms.
Step 4: Combine all the dough scraps, and roll out the dough again. If the dough is very soft, I recommend placing it back in the fridge and allowing it to firm up again. Cut out more cookies. You may repeat this once, or two times otherwise the cookies will become tough and spread. So make sure to get as many cookies as possible out of the dough. IF you have any dough left, I recommend baking off all the scraps as is. They are great for snacking. No cookie dough should go to waste
Step 5: Use an offset knife to transfer your gluten free Linzer cookies to a parchment-lined sheet tray. Place the tray in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to allow the dough to firm up. The cookies will bake more uniformly when the cut-out cookies are frozen for 15-20.
Step 6: To bake the cookies, make sure not to crowd the sheet tray and only bake one tray at a time. Also, make sure not to place the raw cookie dough on a hot sheet tray or your cookies will spread. Bake the cookies until they are just starting to turn brown on the edges. This should only take around 8-10 minutes at 350F.
How to fill Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
Please make sure the baked linzer cookies are fully cooled before filling them with your lemon curd. Dust your Top cookies (the ones with the center cut out) with powdered sugar. Add a spoon of your fully set-up lemon curd onto the bottom cookies (withOUT the cut-out centers). Sandwich the two halves together.
Because Lemon Curd needs to be refrigerated, please store your Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies in the fridge. I was worried the cookies would turn soft but to be honest, the cookies were amazing straight from the fridge.
What to do with lemon curd
There are many uses for lemon curd aside from filling gluten-free Linzer cookies.
- Enjoy it with ice cream, yogurt, or your favorite granola bowl.
- Serve it with waffles or pancakes
- Use it as a topping for my Gluten Free Vanilla Snack Cake
- Spread it on homemade biscuits or shortbread
- Or just eat it as is.... plain. For a luscious treat
FAQ for Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
My Lemon Curd is very runny!
Lemon Curd will thicken as it cools. I recommend allowing the lemon curd to chill in the fridge for at least 4-5hrs, if not overnight for it to be a perfect consistency for sandwiched cookies.
Can I make this recipe for Linzer Cookies nutfree?
Yes. Please substitute the nut flour with gluten-free flour.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes. I actually prefer freezing the solid block of Linzer Cookie dough vs the cutout cookie shapes. It takes up less space in the freezer. To thaw the unrolled cookie dough, allow for it to thaw in your refrigerator or on your counter and proceed with the recipe as written. The dough might be a bit trying to roll out so make sure to have some additional flour handy.
Can I freeze the cutout cookies?
Yes, to freeze the cutout cookies freeze them on a sheet tray and then transfer them to an airtight container once frozen. There is no need to thaw the cookie dough before baking. Just bake them from frozen and adjust the bake time accordingly.
Can I make this authentic Austrian recipe with “regular all purpose flour”?
Please use 200 grams of regular all-purpose flour instead of gluten-free flour.
How should I store the baked and filled Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies?
I recommend placing the baked and filled cookies in an air-tight container and storing them in your fridge. Allow for them to come to room temperature before serving even though personally I enjoy them cold from the fridge.
Can I make this recipe for foolproof lemon curd vegan?
I have not attempted to make lemon curd without eggs. This recipe can easily be made dairy free by using a dairy free butter (I do NOT recommend coconut oil!).
Can I make this recipe for foolproof lemon curd with limes?
Yes. You can substitute the fresh lemon juice with fresh lime juice.
Join my Gluten Free Community!
Note about Salt in my Recipes
I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.
Baking in grams
I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.
Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures
All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.
If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.
Substitutions and Modifications
Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
Gluten Free Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies. Picture a cross between a sugar cookie and shortbread with a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Sandwiched together with luscious homemade foolproof lemon curd.
Ingredients
For the Foolproof Lemon Curd
- zest of one lemon
- 165 grams fresh juiced lemon juice
- 185 gram granulated white sugar
- 113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature - DIVIDED!
- ⅛ teaspoon/a generous pinch of kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
For the Gluten Free Linzer Cookies
- 200 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 100 grams powdered sugar
- 200 grams Gluten Free Flour (with xanthan)
- 100 grams superfine Almond Flour (or Hazelnut Flour)
- 1 large egg (55 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Additional Flour for rolling out
Instructions
How to make Foolproof Lemon Curd
- Zest one lemon and set aside. Squeeze your lemons and strain out any seeds if needed.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine granulated white sugar, a pinch of salt, and 85 grams of room temperature butter. Make sure to reserve the additional 30 grams of butter for finishing the curd. Cream the butter and sugar together. This should take about 2 minutes.
- When the butter and sugar have been creamed together, slowly add your eggs. The mixture will not cream together.
- Once you have added the eggs, add your lemon juice. The mixture will curdle but it will smooth out once we cook it.
- Transfer your butter/sugar/egg/lemon juice mixture to your saucepan and over low heat cook until your lemon curd starts to look smooth. Make sure to constantly stir the mixture. The curdling will disappear when the butter starts to melt.
- Increase the heat to medium, and while stirring constantly, cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Do not allow for it to come to a boil. The lemon curd is ready when it leaves a path on the back of a spoon and has a temperature above 175F
- Remove the curd from the heat and strain curd into your prepared pan.
- Whisk the reserved 30 grams of unsalted butter into the curd. Add lemon zest and stir to combine. Allow for the foolproof lemon curd to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator. It will thicken as it cools.
- The lemon curd will be good for up to 14 days in your refrigerator in an airtight container. You can also freeze it up to 3 months. Thaw it in your refrigerator before using.
How to make Gluten Free Linzer Cookie Dough
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, almond flour, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides.
- Add the whole egg and vanilla, then beat again until well-combined for an additional minute.
- Add flour mixture to the bowl and beat until just combined and a crumbly looking dough has formed.
- Remove dough from the stand mixer bowl and place it on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Form it into a disk shape or rectangular with your hands. If your dough is sticky, add a little sprinkle of additional flour. This should help with kneading it together.
- Cover the sheet tray with foil or wrap in plastic and allow for it to rest in your fridge for 4hrs and up to 3 days.
How to bake your Linzer Cookies
- Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Place dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll the dough out to about ¼” thick. Try not to roll it too thin. I think it’s the easiest to do this on floured parchment paper.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes. I use a 2 ½” scalloped edge cookie cutter for the tops of the cookies and a 2 ½” round cookie cutter for the bottom. You can also use the same cutter for tops and bottoms. Use a tiny cookie cutter (or the back end of a piping tip) to cut out the centers in your top cookies. You want to have an even number of tops and bottoms.
- Combine all the dough scraps, roll them out again and cut out cookies. I do not recommend repeating this more than 2 times or your dough will become tough and start to spread while baking. One fun way to use dough scraps is to just bake them off as is and eat them as snacks.
- Use an offset knife to transfer your cookies to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to allow the dough to firm up.
- In the meantime preheat your oven to 350F.
- When your oven is hot, arrange 8-10 cookies on a sheet tray and bake for 10-12 minutes. You want the edges lightly turning brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Repeat the baking with all the cookies you have cut out. Make sure to not use a hot sheet tray to bake them or they will spread out!
- When the cookies are baked and COLD, dust your top cookies (with the cut-out centers) with powdered sugar and spread some of your fully cooled and set Lemon Curd on the bottom cookies (withOUT the cut-out centers). Sandwich the two halves together.
- Enjoy your cookies or store them in an airtight container in your fridge up to 5 days. The cookies will become softer over the time of days.
Notes
Lemon Curd: Make sure to reserve 30 grams of the unsalted butter to finish the curd with.
Linzer Cookie Dough: The Linzer Cookie dough will be very soft when first made. You MUST chill it for at least 2hrs. The Lemon Curd needs to set up anyways, therefor there is no need to rush baking the Linzer Cookies
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200
Calories are a guestimate.
Steph says
We made the Lemon Curd last night to make those Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies and ended up eating the entire bowl of Lemon Curd. So Good and thank you for those super easy instructions. Guess we have to make more!
Katie says
These are simply incredible 10/10 recipe!
Ruth says
Love this recipe. Thanks for making lemon curd so easy.
Anthony says
These look amazing. I love lemon curd but never knew how to make it. The kids are going to love making these with me
Maiko says
These cookies were divine! I used vegan lemon curd recipe I found and swapped the butter with my favourite vegan butter, turned out amazing!
Daniela says
Love hearing this! Thank you for sharing!
Anaiah says
These gf lemon curd linzer cookies turned out so beautifully! They were fun to make and the filling was perfect!
kaci says
for some reason my recipe made less than 12 pairs, i did the same measurements and thickness but i didn’t get even close to 25 cookies :/
Daniela says
I am sorry to hear this. I have made this recipe numerous times and always get more than a dozen of pairs from this recipe. I hope they were delicious regardless.
Kirsten says
When you say strain the curd what does that mean?
Daniela says
As shown in the blog post with detailed step-by-step pictures, you use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the curd after cooking to remove any bits and pieces of accidentally cooked eggs.
Kirsten says
Ah that sounds right sorry I didn’t notice the blog post! Thanks so much
Daniela says
I recommend skipping the "Jump to Recipe" Button in general. I spent hours writing blog posts answering questions, sharing tips and tricks on how to successfully make my recipes. Thank You, Daniela
Simone says
Hello from another gluten free Austrian (from Kärnten to be precise)! 🙂 I’ve been looking for a gluten free Linzeraugen recipe for a long time and was very skeptical it could work. But these are delicious! Mine turned out beautifully and were nice and crisp. I kept them in a tin (without the filling) for over a week and they didn’t loose any of their crispness or flavor. (It might have helped that I live in dry Colorado) Thanks so much for this lovely recipe!
Daniela says
Ja hallo Kärnten! I am so glad this recipe worked for you. And I love hearing that you were able to keep them fresh for a week.
Briana Lewis says
Hello! I accidentally left a question under a review but I was wondering if the only cookie cutter sizes I could find are 2 inches or 3 inches, which one should I choose and do you know if I should let them bake longer?
Daniela says
You could use either? It's really up to your personal choice. And baking times are anywhere between 8-10 minutes. I would adjust as needed. Rather undertake than overbake