Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Cookies

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Cookies

Two buttery, chocolate, hazelnut and almond cookies sandwiched together with a layer of jam or chocolate hazelnut spread, these Chocolate Linzer Cookies are perfect for any holiday cookie box!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Chill Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Chocolate, cookies, hazelnut, jam, sandwichcookies

Servings:

Calories: 191kcal

Ingredients

Dough

45 grams hazelnuts toasted and peeled
30 grams almonds raw
150 grams butter
100 grams powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 4 grams
40 grams Saco Premium Blended Cocoa powder
100 grams all purpose flour
75 grams almond flour

Finishing Touches

50 grams powdered sugar
150 grams raspberry jam or chocolate hazelnut spread

Instructions

Make the Dough

Grind or chops the nuts as finely as you can without turning it into almond/ cashew butter. If you're using a food processor, stop once the nuts look finely ground but haven't started clumping together.
In a mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the soft butter, vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar. Start slow and then increase the speed to medium. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the cocoa powder and mix again.
Add in the ground nuts, all purpose flour, and almond flour and mix again until fully combined.
Pour the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and bring it together into a smooth disk. Wrap the dough tight and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Shape and Bake the Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Roll the chilled cookie dough out on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to 1/4" thickness, as thin as you can with the finely chopped nuts. Use one larger cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible.
Transfer the large cookies to the lined baking sheets. Cut out the centers of half of the cookies with the smaller cookie cutter.
The small cut outs can be baked as their own separate cookie or mixed back in with the remaining dough.
Carefully bring the dough scraps back together and re roll it out. Cut out another round of cookies and repeat the process one more time. I usually do this while the first batch is baking.
Leave at least .5" between each cookie, they shouldn't spread much but you want to make sure air can easily circulate around each cookie.
Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Once the cookies have baked for 10 minutes, take them out of the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool briefly.

Finishing touches

*If filling with chocolate hazelnut spread, dust the tops of the cookies, with the center cut out, with powdered sugar before filling.
After 5-10 minutes, flip the cookies without a center cut out, over. Then, place one tablespoon of jam or chocolate spread into the center of each and slightly spread it out.
Place one cookie with the center cut out over each cookie with filling on it and press down gently to sandwich them together.
Sprinkle the surface of the sandwiched cookies with powdered sugar and leave to cool fully.

Notes

Tips for making Linzer cookies

Grind or chops the nuts as finely as you can without turning it into almond/ cashew butter. If you're using a food processor, stop once the nuts look finely ground but haven't started clumping together.
Make sure the butter is soft but not melted - this will allow the dough to come together faster without developing gluten and causing the cookies to be tough.
When mixing the dough, be careful not to over mix it. However, it should be a smooth cohesive ball of dough rather than still crumbly. You can bring it together when wrapping it in the plastic wrap, just make sure it is fully mixed and that you can no longer see any dry bits.
The cookies are traditionally cut out in a circle with a shape in the center; however you can use any shape you want. Just make sure that the shape has enough surface area so the jam doesn't run out.
Traditionally, for the cookies to stick together with the jam, they should be assembled while still warm, just make sure they have cooled slightly or else they will break. However, if filling with chocolate hazelnut spread, allow the cookies to cool fully first.

Nutrition