Strawberry Linzer Biscuits

The recipe, step by step

These strawberry Linzer biscuits remind me of the beautiful jam-filled biscuits I enjoyed when I was young. Two delicate, buttery biscuits are sandwiched together with strawberry jam, while a small shape cut from the top lets the bright red filling glint through.

A light dusting of icing sugar gives them an elegant finish, but one of the things I love most about these biscuits is how easy they are to personalise. Cut hearts into the centres for Valentine’s Day, use stars or bells at Christmas, or keep things simple with circles and diamonds at any time of year.

They are also a lovely recipe to make with children, who can help roll the dough, choose the shapes and assemble the cooled biscuits.

For an extra-special filling, try my Strawberry & Elderflower Jam. And if you enjoy Linzer-style biscuits, my Chocolate Linzer Biscuits are filled with chocolate ganache instead.

Recipe Highlights

• Ease: Easy to make, with plenty of opportunities to customise the shapes and filling.
• Taste: Rich, buttery vanilla biscuits with sweet strawberry jam.
• Texture: Delicate and crisp when freshly assembled, gradually becoming softer as the jam settles into the biscuits.
• Serving: Lovely with tea or coffee and pretty enough for gifting or celebrations.
• Quantity: 14 assembled biscuits.
• Preparation: 30 minutes.
• Baking: 16 minutes.
• Chilling: 1 hour.
• Total time: 1 hour 46 minutes.

Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Linzer Biscuits

The biscuit dough itself is wonderfully simple. Butter, icing sugar, egg yolks and vanilla create a rich, delicate dough without the need for any raising agents.

Chilling the dough gives it time to firm up before rolling, making it much easier to cut clean shapes. Better still, the prepared dough can be kept refrigerated for up to five days, so you do not have to make and bake everything on the same day.

Once baked, the fun really begins. You can change the centre cut-outs to suit the occasion and use different jams, lemon curd or chocolate spread for the filling.

And while strawberry jam gives these biscuits their beautiful jewel-like red centres, the basic dough works with all sorts of flavours.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Linzer Biscuit Dough

• Butter: Use 200 g butter. Softened butter creams smoothly with the icing sugar and helps give the biscuits their rich, delicate texture.
• Icing sugar: Use 80 g icing sugar, also known as powdered sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the biscuit tops before assembly.
• Egg yolks: Use 2 medium egg yolks, 40 g in total. They add richness and help bind the dough.
• Vanilla: Use 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla paste. Vanilla works particularly well with the butter and strawberry filling.
• Plain flour: Use 250 g plain flour, also known as all-purpose flour. Avoid adding unnecessary extra flour, as too much can make the biscuits dry or tough.
• Fine sea salt: Add 1 pinch fine sea salt. A small amount balances the sweetness and enhances the butter, vanilla and fruit flavours.

Filling

• Strawberry jam: Use 8 teaspoons strawberry jam. A thicker jam is easier to sandwich between the biscuits without it running out around the edges. For a homemade version, try my Strawberry & Elderflower Jam.

Nigel recommends

Vanilla Bean Paste

For the vanilla glaze, Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste adds a rich, concentrated vanilla flavour with visible vanilla seeds, and only a small amount is needed.

Ingredient

Nielsen Massey

Vanilla Bean Paste

Rich vanilla bean paste with a concentrated vanilla flavour and visible vanilla seeds, ideal for cakes, biscuits, custards, creams and glazes.

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How to Make Strawberry Linzer Biscuits

Make and Chill the Dough

1. Cream the butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar together. Gradually beat in the egg yolks, vanilla and salt.

2. Add the flour: Add the flour and gently bring everything together until a soft dough forms. Avoid overworking the dough, as this can make the biscuits tough once baked.

3. Chill the dough: Divide the dough into two equally sized discs. Wrap each one tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour. The dough can also be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Prepare for Baking

4. Preheat the oven: Once the dough has rested, preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4.

5. Let the dough soften slightly: Remove both pieces of dough from the refrigerator and leave them on the kitchen worktop for about 10 minutes, or a little longer if your refrigerator is particularly cold.

6. Prepare the trays: Line 2 baking trays with baking paper or silicone baking mats.

Roll and Bake the Biscuit Bases

7. Roll the first dough: Unwrap one disc of dough, place it on a lightly floured work surface and roll it to approximately 0.5 cm / ¼ inch thick.

8. Cut the biscuit bottoms: Using your chosen cutter, cut as many biscuit bases as possible. I have made these with both 4 cm / 1½-inch cutters and larger 6 cm / 2½-inch cutters. Transfer the cut-outs to one prepared tray, gather the scraps and continue rolling and cutting until you have used the first piece of dough.

9. Bake the bottoms: Bake the first tray for 8–10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Leave them on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.

Make the Biscuit Tops

10. Shape the tops: Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the second piece of dough to make the top halves of the biscuits. Cut a smaller decorative shape from the centre of each top so that the filling will show through. Hearts are lovely for Valentine’s Day, while stars or bells work beautifully at Christmas. If a small cut-out refuses to release, use a cocktail stick to help. Gather any offcuts with the remaining scraps and use them to make a few extra biscuits. On a warm day, refrigerate the cut biscuits on their baking tray for 10 minutes before baking to help them retain their shape.

11. Bake the tops: Bake the second tray for 8–10 minutes, as with the first tray, then cool completely.

Assemble the Linzer Biscuits

12. Fill and assemble: Dust the cooled biscuit tops with icing sugar. Place approximately ½ teaspoon strawberry jam on each whole biscuit base and spread it slightly. Finish by placing one dusted cut-out biscuit on top.

Variations

Nutella

Fill the biscuits with a thin layer of chocolate hazelnut spread for a richer variation.

Do not add too much, as the filling can squeeze out when the biscuits are sandwiched together.

Raspberry Jam

Raspberry jam gives the biscuits a slightly sharper fruit flavour that works beautifully with the sweet, buttery dough.

Apricot Jam

Apricot jam has a bright, gently tangy flavour and makes a lovely alternative to strawberry.

Lemon Curd

Lemon curd turns these into fresh, citrusy Linzer biscuits.

Because lemon curd generally needs refrigeration, follow the storage instructions for the curd you use.

Make Chocolate Linzer Biscuits

For a completely different version, try my Chocolate Linzer Biscuits, made with cocoa biscuit dough and chocolate ganache.

Choose Different Shapes

Changing the centre cut-out is one of the easiest ways to adapt these biscuits for different occasions.

• Hearts: Valentine’s Day.
• Stars, trees or bells: Christmas.
• Flowers: Spring celebrations.
• Circles or diamonds: Everyday baking.

Keep the outer cutter the same for both halves so that the finished biscuits fit together neatly.

Nigel’s Recipe Tips

Use Properly Softened Butter

The butter should be soft enough to cream smoothly with the icing sugar but not melted or greasy.

Very cold butter will be difficult to cream properly, while overly warm butter can make the dough too soft.

Avoid Overworking the Dough

Once you add the flour, bring the dough together gently and stop as soon as it forms a soft dough.

Working it unnecessarily can develop more gluten and make the finished biscuits tougher.

Give the Dough Its Full Chilling Time

The dough needs 1 hour in the refrigerator before rolling.

This firms the butter and makes the dough much easier to roll and cut cleanly.

Let Very Cold Dough Rest Before Rolling

Straight from a cold refrigerator, the dough may be too firm and prone to cracking.

The WPRM method gives it about 10 minutes on the worktop before rolling, with a little longer if necessary.

Roll to an Even Thickness

Aim for approximately 0.5 cm / ¼ inch throughout.

An even thickness helps all of the biscuits bake at a similar rate.

Chill the Cut Biscuits on Warm Days

If the dough becomes warm while you are rolling and cutting it, place the prepared biscuits in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.

This helps preserve the decorative shapes.

Watch the Edges Rather Than the Clock Alone

Bake the biscuits for 8–10 minutes and look for the edges to just begin turning golden.

They will continue to firm as they cool, so avoid baking them until they are deeply coloured.

Dust the Tops Before Assembly

Dust the cut-out biscuit tops with icing sugar before placing them over the jam.

That way, the bright filling remains clean and visible through the centre.

Don’t Overfill Them

About ½ teaspoon of jam per biscuit is enough.

Too much can squeeze out around the edges as you add the top biscuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Linzer Biscuits?

Linzer biscuits are sandwich-style biscuits with a filling between two layers. The top biscuit has a decorative cut-out so that the filling shows through.

Can I Use a Different Jam?

Yes. Strawberry, raspberry and apricot jam all work well.

Choose a filling that is reasonably thick so that it stays neatly between the biscuits.

Can I Make the Dough Ahead?

Yes. The WPRM recipe states that the wrapped dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Why Did My Biscuits Spread?

The dough may have become too warm before baking.

On warm days, refrigerate the shaped biscuits on their baking tray for 10 minutes before putting them in the oven.

Why Is My Dough Cracking When I Roll It?

Very cold dough can be difficult to roll.

Leave it at room temperature for about 10 minutes, or slightly longer if necessary, before trying again.

Do I Need Special Linzer Cutters?

No. You can use ordinary round or decorative biscuit cutters for the outer shapes and any smaller cutter you have for the centres.

Even the end of a suitable piping nozzle can work for a simple circular opening.

Can Children Help Make Them?

Yes. Children can help roll the dough, cut the shapes, choose the centre designs, dust the cooled tops and assemble the biscuits.

Adults should handle the oven and hot baking trays.

How Do I Keep Linzer Biscuits Crisp?

For the crispest texture, store the baked biscuits without their filling and assemble them nearer to serving.

Once filled with jam, moisture gradually passes into the biscuits and makes them softer.

Tools You’ll Need

• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Large mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• Two baking trays
• Baking paper or silicone baking mats
• Round or decorative biscuit cutters
• Smaller cutters for the centres
• Cocktail stick for stubborn small cut-outs
• Teaspoon
• Fine-mesh sieve for dusting
• Wire cooling rack

Storage and Freezing

Storing the Dough

The wrapped biscuit dough can be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Storing the Baked Biscuits

These Linzer biscuits are at their best on the day they are assembled, while the biscuits are still crisp.

Keep filled biscuits in an airtight container for 3–4 days. They will gradually soften as moisture from the jam moves into the biscuits.

For a crisper result, store the unfilled biscuit halves separately and add the jam closer to serving.

Freezing

The baked biscuits can be frozen without the jam, although the original recipe notes that they may not be quite as crisp as freshly baked biscuits once defrosted.

Allow them to cool completely before freezing and add the filling after they have fully defrosted.

Nutrition

Serving: One 4 cm strawberry Linzer biscuit.

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.

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