Growing up near Austria, Linzer cookies are a nostalgic part of my childhood. I've since created my favorite sourdough version, which I now prefer! These buttery cookies, perfect for any occasion, have a melt-in-your-mouth quality that makes them both beautiful and delicious!
Using sourdough discard in cookies is my new obsession.
BUT, I was first skeptical about whether sourdough discard would work in Linzer cookies. Turns out, it does, and it only makes the cookies better!
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Ingredients
Traditional Linzer cookies are made with some almond flour, and you'll soon see I didn't use any. I tested both versions (with almond flour and without) and found that not using almond flour resulted in more tender cookies.
- butter: make sure to use unsalted butter at room temperature.
- powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- salt
- vanilla extract
- sourdough discard: try to use an inactive sourdough starter (discard). Use an active starter if you really must, but the cookies tend to puff up slightly in that case, which can be a problem with assembling these cookies at the end.
- all-purpose flour: make sure the flour is sifted! It really does make a difference. This is especially important if you are using cup measurements, since sifted flour gains a lot of volume.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Linzer Cookies
Using a stand mixed with a paddle attachment, start mixing the butter while slowly adding in the powdered sugar. Mix until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
Lower the mixing speed and add sourdough discard. Mix briefly, then start adding in the flour. After adding in all the flour, give the dough about 3 minutes of mixing to come together. If it doesn't, add a SMALL splash of water and go from there until you get a dough that is pliable enough to form a dough ball.
Take the dough from the stand mixer, and knead with your hands until a ball forms. This shouldn't take more than a minute. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour (and up to 2 days). This will allow the dough to harden so it’s easier to roll out.
On a surface dusted with flour, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough, sprinkling more flour on the surface and pin as needed to prevent sticking. Aim for a thickness of ¼ inch (0.6 cm).
With a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter, create circle shapes from the dough, re-rolling and cutting any scraps. Then, use a 1 ½ inch heart-shaped cutter to make a cutout in the center of half the circles.
Arrange whole and cutout cookies on parchment-lined (or baking mat-lined) baking sheets (you'll probably need two).
Place the cookies on the top and bottom racks of the oven, swapping and turning the pans halfway through baking, until the edges turn a light golden color.
Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes at 350°F (about 175°C). After baking allow the cookies to cool.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies with cutouts.
Then, spread jam on the bottom of each solid cookie and top with a sugared cookie, sugar-side facing up.
Hint: as with all sourdough discard recipes, different sourdough discards (especially if you eyeball the feedings) will have different consistencies. That is the reason why there is always the possibility of the dough not coming together after mixing. If it ends up a bit too sticky, add some flour. If it looks crumbly and will not form a ball, add a TINY splash of water. Only make small adjustments at the time and go from there!
Variations & Add-ins
- Chocolate Lizer - by adding a bit of cocoa powder to the dough and using a hazelnut or chocolate spread instead of jam, you can make these cookies into a chocolate treat!
- Raspberry, apricot, plum, ... - try to add different kinds of jams to these cookies to see which one you like the most.
- Valentine's Day cookie - any kind of red-colored jam will give these cookies serious Valentine's Day vibes!
- Festive cookies - using a star-shaped cookie cutter for inner cookies will get you a festive Linzern cookie.
💭Crucial Success Tips
- You can place these cookies close on your baking sheets because they don't spread at all!
- The dough has a high butter content and can soften quickly. Roll out one batch at a time, keeping the rest chilled until needed. If it gets too soft, don't worry, just refrigerate it again.
- In Austria, it's common to enhance the jam you put in cookies with a bit of rum (a tradition I like as well!). If you like, mix in 1-2 tablespoons of dark rum into the jam.
FAQ
Yes! Wrap the dough discs and freeze them for up to 3 months. To use, it is best to thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Yes! If you want to bake them for a special occasion but don't want to actually make them the night before, you can easily make these 3 days in advance.
I wouldn't make them sooner because they do lose some of the crispiness if they stay at room temperature longer.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
Looking for other sourdough discard recipes? Try these:
📖Printable Recipe
📖 Recipe
Sourdough Linzer Cookies with Jam Filling
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 cookie cutters
- 1 Plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 230 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 75 grams powdered sugar
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 220 grams all-purpose flour sifted
- 125 grams strawberry jam
- 150 grams sourdough starter discard
Instructions
- Using a stand mixed with a paddle attachment, start mixing the butter while slowly adding in the powdered sugar. Mix until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Lower the mixing speed and add sourdough discard. Mix briefly, then start adding in the flour. After adding in all the flour, give the dough about 3 minutes of mixing to come together. If it doesn't, add a SMALL splash of water and go from there until you get a dough that is pliable enough to form a dough ball.
- Take the dough from the stand mixer, and knead with your hands until a ball forms. This shouldn't take more than a minute. Flatten the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour (and up to 2 days). This will allow the dough to harden so it’s easier to roll out.
- On a surface dusted with flour, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough, sprinkling more flour on the surface and pin as needed to prevent sticking. Aim for a thickness of ¼ inch (0.6 cm).
- With a smaller heart-shaped cookie cutter, create circle shapes from the dough, re-rolling and cutting any scraps. Then, use a 1 ½ inch heart-shaped cutter to make a cutout in the center of half the circles.
- Arrange whole and cutout cookies on parchment-lined (or baking mat-lined) baking sheets (you'll probably need two).
- Place the cookies on the top and bottom racks of the oven, swapping and turning the pans halfway through baking, until the edges turn a light golden color.
- Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes at 350°F (about 175°C). After baking allow the cookies to cool.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies with cutouts.
- Then, spread jam on the bottom of each solid cookie and top with a sugared cookie, sugar-side facing up.
Video
Notes
- As with all sourdough discard recipes, different sourdough discards (especially if you eyeball the feedings) will have different consistencies. That is the reason why there is always the possibility of the dough not coming together after mixing. If it ends up a bit too sticky, add some flour. If it looks crumbly and will not form a ball, add a TINY splash of water. Only make small adjustments at the time and go from there!
- You can place these cookies close on your baking sheets because they don't spread at all!
- The dough has a high butter content and can soften quickly. Roll out one batch at a time, keeping the rest chilled until needed. If it gets too soft, don't worry, just refrigerate it again.
- In Austria, it's common to enhance the jam you put in cookies with a bit of rum (a tradition I like as well!). If you like, mix in 1-2 tablespoons of dark rum into the jam.
Nutrition
How to Store Sourdough Linzer Cookies
Keep these in a sealed container for 3-4 days; they'll stay crisp and tasty.
Or, freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature when you're ready to enjoy!
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