These sugar-dusted, jam-filled, egg-free, and sweetly scented Lavender Linzer Cookies are a must-have for the holidays. They are so festive and delicious!
Linzer cookies are two cookies sandwiched together with a layer of jam or preserves in the middle. I first made them last year for a double celebration of Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day which fell on the same day. These delightful cookies were delicious and very pretty to look at. Our friend’s daughter loved it so much, I packed a few more for her to take home. She apparently kept the cookies out of reach of her younger brother and slowly savored them. When I visited my girlfriend in England this past summer, she also requested for me to make them. Good thing I had my recipe link on-line. 🙂
This time round, I wanted to make it a little different. Using my Lavender Almond Cookies as a guide, I made these lavender scented shells instead. These shells are really great with a layer of lemon curd. That’s my personal preference, but the family likes them with raspberry or strawberry jam. Not a problem at all as they can be spread with whatever jam or preserve you have available in your pantry.
Again I made two batches of cookies – one with all-purpose flour (shown here with step-by-step pictures) and a gluten-free version using my GF Flour Mix for Cookies.
- 2½ cups (375g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp culinary lavender
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 sticks (225g) butter
- ½ cup (110g) sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- ½ cup jam or preserves (choice of raspberry, strawberry, lemon curd)
- Crush lavender using a pestle and mortar. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, crushed lavender, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as possible. Mix in the rest. Add milk and knead until dough comes together. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter. With half of the rounds cut a hole in the middle using small cookie cutters**. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, until edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool to room temperature.
- Spread jam or preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust cut-out cookie with powdered sugar and press the flat side onto solid cookie with jam or preserves in the middle and powdered sugar on the top.
Cookies on the top plate are made using all-purpose flour and the ones on the bottom plate are made using my GF Flour Mix for Cookies.
- 2½ cups (350g) GF Flour Mix for Cookies*
- 2 tbsp culinary lavender
- 1½ tsp guar gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 sticks (225g) butter
- ½ cup (110g) sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
- ½ cup jam or preserves (choice of raspberry, strawberry, lemon curd)
- Crush lavender using a pestle and mortar. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, crushed lavender, guar gum, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as possible. Mix in the rest. Add milk and knead until dough comes together. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to ¼-inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter. With half of the rounds cut a hole in the middle using small cookie cutters**. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, until edges begin to brown. Allow cookies to cool to room temperature.
- Spread jam or preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust cut-out cookie with powdered sugar and press the flat side onto solid cookie with jam or preserves in the middle and powdered sugar on the top.
* If you are using a linzer cookie mould, cut half of the rounds with small cookie cutter insert and the other half without the insert.
The two versions look very similar – gluten-free on the left and traditional on the right. The gluten-free flour dough came together a little easier as it is lighter. The cookies held together very well and have a melt-in the-mouth texture.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Biren, I love jam in my linzer cookies but I would really enjoy the lemon curd and lavender! What a delicious combination! As always, your photos and recipes inspire me to greater heights!!
Very pretty linzer cookies. Love the added lavender in this recipe.
Looks like you are doing a lot of Christmas baking. Send me some! Oh you can bake till CNY…it’s just less than 2 mths away ;p
I may be doing just that since CNY is on Jan 23rd. 🙂
Very very pretty and dainty and just absolutely perfect for the holidays! I love this recipe with the addition of lavender
Pretty cookies you baked, Biren! I like it that you’re so thoughtful to have the regular and the gluten-free recipes for your cookies so that everyone gets to enjoy these yummy treats! 😉
Happy weekend!
Thanks Lyn! I did not want my eldest son to be left out. That is why I don’t bake as often as I would like to unless I can make something gluten-free for him as well.
Lots of gorgeous and delicious cookie recipes on the web now, and this is one of them! I love how flexible you can be with the filling!
You are sweet Tina! 🙂
These are so pretty Biren, and I love the use of lavender…wonderful!
Wishing you a fantastic weekend
Very beautifully done! The addition of lavender sounds great too. It’s nice that you’re already baking holiday cookies. I am so behind…
love the idea to add lavender in the cookie, must be very good aroma.. and this is also a good idea to give out to friends and relatives. Happy weekened !
that’s really pretty! they look good enough to be store-bought!
Pretty, pretty, pretty cookies!! I want one of those cookie cutters. How cool. I love all the flavors you have here… wonderful! Have a great weekend! ~ Ramona
These are on my Christmas list to bake! Yours look so wonderful and thank you for the step by step instructions…
You are most welcomed. Thanks for visiting! I hope you will visit again soon. 🙂
These are my favorite holiday cookies. Yours look beautiful!
Love those linzer cookies. They are so crumbly and light….
Oh, Biren, I would love to come right over to bake with you. Haven’t made Linzer cookies in such a long time, and yours turned out so beautiful. Love the specks of the lavender touch in the dough…such a clever idea. The little cutouts are so cute. I only have just the one cutout from the entire set, will have to look for more. The heart shaped one is so cute, as well!
Photos are beautiful, as well. So complimentary with the Christmas ornaments, bows, and candy in the background! Absolutely superb, my dear friend. You know, you are always welcome to come and visit me…no snow, or super cold weather here! We would have fun, baking together!
Hugs,
It would be fun to bake with you. One of these days I should go south to visit to get a short reprieve from this cold weather. Thank you so much for the invite. 🙂
Look at that! PERFECT holiday cookies 🙂
These look so good with the holiday colors and those adorable shapes with the snow-like dusting of sugar. You go Biren! My holiday baking begins next week…last minute, last minute, I know right!
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
All the best with your holiday baking Devaki. Can’t wait to see what you come up with. 🙂
I absolutely love using lavender when baking! These cookies are beautiful and festive, Biren! You have done a simply gorgeous job with them!
xoxo,
Tammy <3
Gorgeous cookies Biren! I love the addition of lavender! I’m making Linzer cookies for the first time this year – hope they come out as nice as yours.
Hi Biren,
Love your blog and all the recipes.
You’re a passionate baker and I would love to invite you to join World Homebakers Alliance. 🙂
My mission is to
– Unite every passionate homebakers in this planet.
– Making them the preferred choice (compare to factory products) by the consumers.
Please join us and improve homebaking.
http://homebakers-alliance.com/
You can share your recipe with us here or even join the crazy experiment contest. 🙂
Hi Siang, thanks for your compliments and invitation to join World Homebakers Alliance. I will definitely check it out.
Hi Biren, these are lovely holiday cookies! I think lavender goes so well with any types of fruit jams too. It adds nice flavors. It looks like you had great influence from your trip to England. I must go there to get inspired. 🙂
pretty cookies.. i love all of them
Hi and thanks for visiting! I hope you will visit again soon. 🙂
These cookies looks so delicate and full of holiday spirit! The combination of lavender and jam must make these cookies so delicious!
Hi Yi, thanks for visiting and commenting! I have always liked Linzer cookies as they look so pretty and festive. Lavender and jam do go quite well together.
hi,
ins singapore we cant get
GF flour Mix for cokies,,any subsitute..
thanks
I mix my own GF Flour Mix. Here is the link to the GF Flour Mix recipe. You can also click on the green colored links in the recipe above.