From Nigel's Kitchen Table
Strawberry Linzer Biscuits
Buttery Linzer biscuits sandwiched with strawberry jam, with a delicate cut-out top that lets the filling shine through.
Navigate the recipe
On this page
The recipe, step by step
Utterly delicious, these strawberry Linzer biscuits are a posh version of the jammy dodger biscuits I used to get when I was young.
Two buttery biscuits sandwiched together with a hole cut out of the top biscuit, so the strawberry jam glints through. Great for baking with children as they are so customizable, choose from a variety of fillings and cut the centres out to match a theme, hearts for valentines day, bells or stars for Christmas or a simple round circle or diamonds for any occasion.
If you want to make these biscuits even more special, try my strawberry elderflower jam recipe as a filling.
INGREDIENTS
For this recipe, all you need are these ingredients:
- Butter
- Icing sugar (plus extra for dusting the biscuits)
- 2 medium egg yolks
- Plain or all-purpose flour (BL55)
- Strawberry jam
- Salt – I highly recommend adding a good pinch of fine sea salt to your biscuit dough. It may seem unusual in a sweet recipe, but salt helps balance the sweetness, soften any bitterness and bring out the flavour of ingredients such as chocolate, vanilla, citrus and spices. It should not make the biscuits taste salty; it simply makes every flavour brighter and more rounded.
I like to use Maldon Sea Salt flakes or Cornish Sea Salt, crushed finely before adding, but any good-quality fine sea salt will work well. Do not be tempted to leave it out—it is often the small ingredient that makes the biggest difference.
- Vanilla – I use Taylor & Colledge vanilla products, they add a delicious taste to your recipes and enhance the other ingredient flavours: pure vanilla extract, vanilla paste or vanilla pods.
WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?
This strawberry linzer biscuit recipe is very versatile and you can have fun trying different flavours!
Here are a few suggestions:
- Nutella
- Raspberry jam
- Apricot jam
- Lemon curd
EQUIPMENT SUGGESTIONS
I like the sturdiness of this bowl and its 4-litre capacity means I can use it for mixing just about everything in the kitchen. It is also microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safe.
These different size mixing bowls are really useful depending on the amount of food you are preparing. They also have airtight lids that fit snugly to seal and keep food fresh, great for using as dry storage bowls with lids. The plastic lid of the largest bowl has a removable centre, where one of 3 graters can be used for grating cheese or vegetables.
These measuring spoons are really handy for getting the right measurements of those small ingredients. I also like the fact that they are magnetic, sticking together and narrow to fit into spice jars.
Nutrition
Serving: one biscuit (4cm)
% Daily Values based on a 2,000-calorie diet
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
These Linzer biscuits are best served on the day of baking, warm and crispy from the oven. Store them in an airtight container for 3-4 days, they will soften as time goes by.
Freezing: The baked biscuits can be frozen without the jam, but they will not be as crispy as freshly baked ones. I recommend making the dough in advance and assembling them on the day.
Strawberry Linzer Biscuits
INGREDIENTS LIST
Biscuits:
- 200 g butter
- 80 g icing sugar (US powdered sugar) (plus extra for dusting the biscuits)
- 2 medium egg yolks (40g total)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
- 250 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
Filling:
- 8 tsp strawberry jam
Preparation
- Biscuits: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Gradually beat the egg yolks, vanilla and salt into the butter mixture.
- Add the flour and gently bring it together until the mixture forms a soft dough. Try not to overwork the dough, as it will become tough when baked.
- Divide the dough into two equally sized discs. Wrap each piece tightly in cling film and place in the fridge for 1 hour. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Once the dough has rested, preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4 .
- Remove the two pieces of dough from the fridge and leave them to rest on the kitchen worktop for 10 minutes or longer if your fridge is very cold.
- Line 2 baking trays with baking paper or with silicone mats.
- Rolling the dough: Unwrap one of the doughs and place it on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of about 0.5cm (¼ inch).
- Shaping the bottoms: Using a cutter of choice, cut out as many biscuit bottoms as you can from the doughI made two size biscuits, a 4cm (1½ in) cutter and a 6cm (2½ in) cutter for larger biscuits.Transfer the cutouts onto one of the baking trays. then gather your scraps and repeat the process until you've used all the dough from the first dough.
- Baking bottoms: Bake the first tray of biscuits for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Shaping the tops: Repeat the process with the second dough to make the top half of the biscuits. Once you have your cutouts, choose a cutter to remove the centre of the biscuit. which will show off the filling in your biscuits. You can change the center cutout to match a theme, such as a heart shape for valentines.If the shape you’re stamping out doesn’t come out, use a cocktail stick to help.Add any offcuts to the other scraps of dough and roll out a couple of extra biscuits. If it is a warm day, put the biscuits in the fridge on the baking tray for 10 minutes to ensure they retain their shape during baking.
- Baking tops: Repeat the baking of the second tray of biscuits for 8 to 10 minutes as with the first.
- Assembly: Dust the biscuit tops with icing sugar. Using a teaspoon, place a small dollop of strawberry jam on the biscuit bottoms. Place a ½ tsp of jam onto the center of each bottom biscuit, spreading it slightly. Top with the dusted tops.
FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS
Made this recipe?
I would love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment and add a star rating to help other home cooks discover the recipe.
Keep cooking
You may also like
Recipe
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Soft lemon crinkle cookies with snowy cracked tops and a bright, refreshing citrus flavour.
View recipe
Recipe
Coffee & Walnut Loaf Cake
A moist coffee and walnut loaf cake finished with a smooth espresso and vanilla glaze.
View recipe
Recipe
Lemon Drizzle Cake
A moist buttery sponge soaked with bright lemon syrup and finished with a sweet citrus glaze.
View recipe
Around the table
Questions and kitchen notes
Made this recipe? Leave a rating and tell me how it turned out. Your questions and tips may also help the next person making it.