Whisk Away Your Inner Grinch with Our Delightful Linzer Grinch Christmas Cookies
If you love the classic story, share your love with some gorgeous Linzer Grinch Christmas Cookies. They are a pretty cookie for Christmas!
More delightful Christmas desserts to try: Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Sugar Cookie Truffles, and Gingerbread Cookie Christmas Trees.
Learn how to make Linzer Grinch Christmas Cookies. These whimsical treats are a holiday hit that even the Grinch himself couldn’t resist. With a heartwarming blend of sweet raspberry jam and buttery almond goodness, these Linzer cookies are sure to melt away even the coldest of hearts. In this post, we’ll provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to make these festive cookies, along with some variations to change it up a bit. So let’s get started!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
There are so many reasons to love these Grinch Christmas Cookies. Firstly, they are incredibly easy to make, making them a perfect holiday baking project for the whole family. The combination of butter, cinnamon, and almond flour creates a rich and flavorful cookie base that pairs perfectly with the sweet and tangy raspberry jam filling. The green food coloring adds a festive touch, making these cookies a standout addition to any holiday dessert table. Plus, the adorable heart-shaped cutouts in the center of the cookies add a whimsical touch that will delight both kids and adults alike.
Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Egg yolk
- Vanilla extract
- Flour
- Almond flour
- Sea salt
- Green food coloring
- Raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar
How to Make the Cookie Recipe:
To make the dough, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and cinnamon until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Then, add flour, almond flour, and cinnamon to the mixture and mix until just combined. Add green gel food coloring and mix until the bright green color desired is achieved. Refrigerate the dough to chill for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator to a room temperature place and let it soften for 5 to 10 minutes. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8″ thickness. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer them to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Gather the scrap dough, roll, and repeat. Cut out small heart shapes in the center of half of the cookies.
Bake all the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble the cookies, spread a little bit of raspberry jam across the center of each whole cookie. Sandwich with the cookie with the heart-shaped cutout on top. Sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Variations on Grinch Christmas Cookies:
Chocolate Twist: Add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to the dough for a chocolatey twist. You can also use chocolate ganache as a filling instead of raspberry jam.
Peppermint Delight: Add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the dough for a refreshing twist. Fill the cookies with crushed candy canes mixed with raspberry jam for a festive flavor combination.
Decorations: Feel free to add a small red heart sprinkle, jumbo heart sprinkles or candy hearts to accentuate the cut out heart in the chewy sugar cookies.
Can the Recipe be Stored or Made Ahead?
Yes, these Linzer Grinch Christmas Cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw them in the fridge before serving.
Common Questions about making Linzer Grinch Cookies:
Can I use a different type of jam for the filling?
Yes, you can experiment with different flavors of jam, such as strawberry or apricot, to create your own unique twist on these cookies.
Can I use a different shape for the cutouts?
Absolutely! While the heart-shaped cutouts add a festive touch, you can use any shape you like, such as stars or Christmas trees, to match your holiday theme.
Can I make the dough in advance and bake it later?
Yes, you can prepare the dough in advance and refrigerate it for up to 2 days before baking. Just make sure to let it soften slightly before rolling and cutting out the cookies.
Can I use gluten-free flour in this recipe?
Yes, you can substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend to make these cookies gluten-free. However, the texture and taste may vary slightly.
Grinch Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 T unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 c flour
- 3/4 c almond flour
- 1/4 t sea salt
- Green food coloring Raspberry jam
- raspberry jam
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- To make the dough: Beat the butter, sugar, and cinnamon until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Add the flour, almond flour and cinnamon to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Don’t over-beat.
- Add in the green food coloring and mix until desired color is achieved.
- Refrigerate the dough in the bowl for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- To assemble: Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften for 5 to 10 minutes, until it feels soft enough to roll. It should still feel cold but shouldn’t feel rock-hard. On a floured surface, roll the dough out about 1/8″-thick. Using a 2 1/2″ round cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scrap dough, roll, and repeat. If at any time during this process the dough becomes sticky and hard to work with, simply refrigerate it for about 20 minutes, until firm.
- Cut 15 rounds from the remaining dough. Once you’ve transferred these cookies to a baking sheet, use a small heart cookie cutter to make a peekaboo cutout in the center of each. Continue to reroll the scrapes to get as many cookies as possible.
- To bake: Bake all of the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- To fill the cookies: Using the back of a spoon, spread a little bit of jam across the center of each whole cookie. Sandwich with the cookie with the cutout on top. Sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Storage: Cookies should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.
These Grinch Linzer Cookies are a delightful addition to any holiday baking repertoire. With their festive green color, sweet raspberry jam filling, and buttery almond flavor, they are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face. Whether you’re baking them for a Christmas party, a cookie exchange, or simply to enjoy with your loved ones, these whimsical treats are bound to become a holiday favorite. So go ahead and whisk away your inner Grinch with these delightful Linzer cookies!
More recipes to try:
- Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies
- Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
- Red Velvet Holiday Loaf
- Sugar Cookie Truffles
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I'm Emily and I share my ideas to celebrate and create over at The Benson Street.
