Discover how to bake Vegan Linzer Cookies with this simple recipe. Enjoy these classic holiday treats with a delightful twist – all plant-based and irresistibly delicious!
Table of Contents
Linzer cookies, also known as Jam Sandwich Cookies or Spitzbuben Cookies in Switzerland, are among the most beloved Christmas treats. This vegan version is just as delicious as the original. Buttery-soft cookies filled with fruity raspberry jam – simply irresistible! Perfect for those who love fruity and sweet delicacies.
Vegan Linzer Cookies are a twist on the classic Austrian Linzer Torte, named after the city of Linz in Austria. Known for their delicate, buttery texture and rich, fruity filling, they’re typically enjoyed during the holiday season. Traditionally, Linzer cookies are filled with red currant jelly, but this recipe calls for a raspberry linzer cookie version. However, you can use any jam you like.
The combination of these butter cookies with raspberry jam is simply delicious! Plus, it looks so pretty with the red jelly dripping out in the middle of the cookie.
Are you ready for holiday baking? In this blog post, I’ll show you how easy it is to bake this vegan Linzer cookie recipe at home. I’ve included plenty of tips, a step-by-step guide, and variations. This recipe is also great for baking with kids.
How Do You Make Vegan Christmas Cookies?
Baking vegan cookies without eggs, milk, and butter is easier than you might think! The original recipe uses egg whites, but you can easily substitute it with plant-based milk or even water in this recipe – about 30ml (2 tablespoons) per egg white. I like to use oat milk.
Instead of butter, the dairy-free version works wonderfully.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
Visual Step-by-Step Guide
I’ve created a visual guide with step-by-step pictures to ensure success on your first attempt. This is especially recommended for baking beginners.
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt. Add the vegan butter and plant-based milk, working everything into a smooth dough.
- Chill: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.
- Roll Out and Cut: Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of ¼-inch (½ cm) and cut out the cookies with your favorite shape. Make sure you have an equal number of tops and bottoms.
- Bake: Bake the vegan Linzer cookies at 350°F (convection) for 8-10 minutes until they are lightly golden.
- Fill: Let the cookies cool, then spread jam on the bottom pieces. Place the tops on and lightly press them together.
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- Serving Suggestion: You can sprinkle the finished Linzer cookies with powdered sugar before serving. They not only look pretty but also gain an additional sweet note. However, this is optional!
Tips & Tricks
- Kitchen Equipment: I recommend using a food processor or electric hand mixer to process all the ingredients into a smooth dough.
- Chilling the Dough: After kneading, let the dough rest in the refrigerator for about an hour. To prevent drying out, wrap it in plastic wrap. This step makes rolling out the dough easier later.
- Floured Surface: Use plenty of flour on the surface when rolling out to prevent the dough from sticking. The cookie cutters should also be dipped in flour to ensure clean cutting.
- Cutting Out: A special Linzer cookie cutter is ideal for cutting out vegan Linzer cookies. Love hearts? 💕 Use a heart shape to cut out the middle of the tops – especially popular for Valentine’s Day.
Variations
- Different Jam Fillings: Instead of raspberry jam or red currant jelly, you can use apricot, strawberry, cherry, or even lemon jam. Each type of jam gives the Linzer cookies a unique flavor.
- Chocolate Filling: Fill the cookies with vegan Nutella for a chocolate version.
- Sugar-Free Jam: Feel free to use this sugar-free raspberry chia jam recipe to make a sugar-free filling.
- Spices in the Dough: Add a special touch by including spices like ground cinnamon, gingerbread spice, or cardamom. This gives the cookies an additional festive touch.
- Citrus Aromas: Use grated orange or lime zest instead of lemon for a fresh note.
Make-Ahead & Storage Instructions
Preparing the Dough: You can store the raw dough in the refrigerator for 2 days. Let it warm up at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out.
Storage: Store the vegan Linzer cookies in a cookie tin or airtight container at room temperature. They stay fresh for at least a week but are always best when freshly baked and are then the crispiest, as the jam filling makes them soften more quickly.
Freezing: The cookies can also be easily frozen. Once cool, freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw individually at room temperature.
More Vegan Christmas Cookie Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Linzer Cookies
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Plus, enjoy weekly doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ lemon, only zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup vegan butter, or margarine (1 stick = ½ cup)
- 2 tablespoon oat milk, or water
- ½ cup raspberry jam, or red currant jam
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt. Add the vegan butter and plant-based milk. Mix, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, into a smooth dough.
- Form the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. → The dough can be refrigerated for up to two days. If so, let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature before rolling it out.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it out, using a rolling pin, to about ¼-inch (½ cm) thickness.
- Using a linzer cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all dough is used. → Make sure you have an equal number of tops and bottoms.
- Transfer the cookies to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Spread ½ teaspoon jam on the bottom pieces. Place the tops on and lightly press them together.
- You can sprinkle the finished Linzer cookies with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Jam: The traditional recipe calls for red currant jam. However, I prefer to use raspberry jam. You can take whatever jam you like the most.
- Store them in a cookie tin at room temperature. They stay fresh for at least one week.
- Make-Ahead: You can store the raw cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature, then continue to shape and bake the cookies.
- Freeze cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer bag, and thaw single cookies for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Equipment
Nutrition
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They look amazing. Can the reicpe be halved?
Sure – just use the serving slider to half the ingredient list! 😉
Made these for my sister who is vegan. My brother, who is not, said they were amazing and my dad agreed. Took longer to bake for me, maybe because I cut the first batch thicker than I was supposed to. Used cashew milk instead and they came out great regardless. Super easy recipe. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks!!
So glad to hear, Kerry! Thank you for your lovely comment! 💕
I agree with you
I made these as heart valentine cookies, and they were amazing! This recipe is a winner, thank you for sharing it!
What a beautiful idea, Evelyn! Thank you for your kind comment! 💕
Made these for my boyfriend – hopefully he will like them! My brother and I have eaten a couple, and they taste so amazing – such a fab recipe! Thank you so much.
(I didn’t have the correct cutters, so had to make do with the top of a milk carton, and it worked! May not have been as pretty!)
Glad to hear it, Willow! You are such a kind girlfriend 😉! And thank you for your kind comment! 💕
My friends call these "jam jams." Yours are gorgeous! They look almost too pretty to eat.
"Jam Jams" sounds beautiful for them ? Thank you so much – But I ate them anyway ??
Loved your recipe. The cookies look amazing in the pics. Not good at baking myself, so all this looks too perfect.
Thank you so much for your lovely words. I am sure if you start to practice a bit, once you will be an excellent baking chef ?
It’s funny! Every culture seems to have them but call them something different. I know Latin America has one and my (ancestrally british) family call them "empire biscuits. So excited to make some!
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That’s indeed funny. I do know them just from Switzerland – Good to know that other countries have their own "Spitzbuben". They are one of my favourite Christmas Cookies ?