Do you know which Christmas cookies are the most popular in the Czech Republic? Here's the answer: Linzer cookies, aka linecke cukrovi!
What Are Linzer Cookies?
These are small festive cookies made of shortbread pastry, filled with fruit jam. They are classically shaped like hearts, flowers, or stars. Czechs bake Linzer cookies a few days before Christmas so that the cookies have time to soften.
The Czech word for Linzer cookies is “linecké cukroví”.
MY TIP: Try these coconut meringue cookies called "kokosky" in Czech (they taste heavenly!)
Origin
Linzer cookies come from Austria, a state in central Europe, and got their name from the city of Linz. They are also known as Linzer tarts.
The Czech lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918, from where these delicious cookies found their way into Czech cuisine.
➤ See more Austrian recipes
Ingredients
To make Linzer cookies, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour; for the dough (linecké těsto) + for dusting the work surface
- Unsalted butter
- Coarse sugar
- Lemon zest; freshly grated
- Vanilla paste
- Egg yolk
Next, prepare the icing sugar for dusting the top of the cookies with the hole and sour & tart jam for the filling (seedless red currant jam is the best, optionally raspberry, rosehip).
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Instructions with Photos
STEP 1: Put the flour in a bowl, add the cold chopped butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla.
STEP 2: Using your hands, work into a smooth dough. Be patient; it's going to take a while. Stop kneading once the dough is soft; otherwise, the cookies will be too stiff. Wrap the dough in cling film, and put it in the fridge to rest for about two hours.
STEP 3: Take the dough out of the fridge, divide it in half. Put one half back in the refrigerator and leave the other on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes to soften. The dough should be stiff, not soft, but it should be able to be rolled out. Knead the dough briefly with your hands, making sure it is evenly smooth.
STEP 4: On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to the thickness of straw (about ⅛" or 3 mm) and cut out the shapes. I used a cookie cutter in the shape of a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) in size. If the top part has a hole in the middle, prepare an equal number of upper and lower cookie parts.
STEP 5: Transfer the cut-out Linzer tart shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper using a flat knife.
STEP 6: Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 340 °F (170 °C) for 12 minutes.
STEP 7: Dust the slightly cooled tops of the cookies with icing sugar. Carefully spread the bottom cookie part with jam and cover it with the sugar-dusted top piece.
Useful Tips
- In the case of Linzer tarts, it is a shortbread dough, so do not knead it for a long time, else the cookies will be stiff.
- When rolling out the dough, try not to sprinkle too much flour on the work surface. The dough should be chilled so that the fat in the dough solidifies and you can roll out the dough well.
- Try rolling it out between two baking sheets if you feel that the dough is too sticky when you work.
GOOD TO KNOW: The more flour you incorporate into the Linzer dough when rolling it out, the stiffer the cookies will be and the longer it will take to soften.
Questions and Answers
The baking time for Linzer cookies is relatively short. Allow 10-12 minutes in an oven preheated to 340 °C (170 °C) – conventional settings, not in a fan-forced oven. Linzer cookies should be slightly pinkish on the surface; not brown.
Linzer cookies made according to this recipe are rather crispy on the day they are baked, but the next day they are nice and soft. The shelf life of properly stored cookies is about three weeks. If you're planning Linzer cookies for the Christmas table, you can bake them anytime from early December to a day or two before Christmas.
Store Linzer cookies in a resealable container or in a suitable paper box with a lid. Since the top is sugared, it has worked for me to store the cookies on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. Store them in a cool, dry place.
More Czech Christmas cookies:
- Vanilkové rohlíčky – crescent cookies
- Masarykovo cukroví – favorite Christmas cookies of TGM, the first president of the Czech Republic
- Vosí hnízda – non-baked cookies called beehive nests
Recipe Card
Linecké cukroví – Czech Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 and ¼ stick (140 g) butter unsalted
- ⅓ cup (70 g) coarse sugar
- 1 egg yolks
- ½ tsp vanilla paste
- ½ tsp lemon zest freshly ground
- ½ cup (150 g) jam e. g., raspberry
- ⅓ cup (90 g) powdered sugar for dusting the top part of cookies
Instructions
- Put the flour in a bowl, add the cold chopped butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Using your hands, work into a smooth dough. Be patient; it's going to take a while. Stop kneading once the dough is soft; otherwise, the cookies will be too stiff. Wrap the dough in cling film, and put it in the fridge to rest for about two hours.
- Take the dough out of the fridge, divide it in half. Put one half back in the refrigerator and leave the other on the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes to soften. The dough should be stiff, not soft, but it should be able to be rolled out. Knead the dough briefly with your hands, making sure it is evenly smooth.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to the thickness of straw (about ⅛" or 3 mm) and cut out the shapes. I used a cookie cutter in the shape of a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) in size. If the top part has a hole in the middle, prepare an equal number of upper and lower cookie parts.
- Transfer the cut-out Linzer tart shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper using a flat knife.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 340 °F (170 °C) for 12 minutes.
- Dust the slightly cooled tops of the cookies with icing sugar. Carefully spread the bottom cookie part with jam and cover it with the sugar-dusted top piece.
Notes
- Makes about 30 Linzer cookies.
- In the case of Linzer tarts, it is a shortbread dough, so do not knead it for a long time, else the cookies will be stiff.
- When rolling out the dough, try not to sprinkle too much flour on the work surface. The dough should be chilled so that the fat in the dough solidifies and you can roll out the dough well.
- Try rolling it out between two baking sheets if you feel that the dough is too sticky when you work.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Valerie
My dad comes from the Czech Republic, and we always had different shapes of these cookies for Christmas. Their taste is synonymous with Christmas. Unfortunately, he passed away and I lost the family recipe. Thankfully, I found a worthy replacement!
Lex
This makes me feel closer to my roots. Thank you!
Petra Kupská
You are very welcome and thanks for your kind words!