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4.75 from 16 votes

These gluten-free linzer cookies are one of our family’s favorite cookies.  Linzer cookies are popular Austrian holiday cookies that I know you will love, too! These cookies are easy to make, and you can fill them with jam, Nutella, frosting, or anything you like!

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A stack of gluten free linzer cookies tied by string.

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year…and not just because I get to make and eat a lot of cookies! 🙂 This cookie idea is also perfect as a Christmas cookie exchange recipe.

Linzer cookies are also perfect to use as a Christmas cookie exchange recipe. Your friends will love how pretty these cookies are! It is my favorite time of year, and today we celebrate with linzer tart cookies. If you are a cookie fanatic like me, you will want to check out all of my gluten-free cookie recipes.

To be honest, I was quite intimidated at the thought of making linzers! But this recipe was super easy to follow & they turned out AMAZING! And SO much easier to make than I thought!!”

Julie, Blog comment

Allergen Information:

This linzer cookie recipe is gluten-free and soy-free. You can use plant-based, dairy-free butter to make this recipe dairy-free. To make this recipe gum-free, use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend. It uses psyllium husk powder as a binder instead of xanthan or guar gum.

Rows of linzer cookies dusted with powdered sugar.
Photos of the linzer cookies ingredients.

Ingredient Notes:

For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.

  • Gluten-Free Flour Blend—I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours.
  • Almond Flour – Use almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your cookies grainy.
  • Sugar – Use cane sugar.
  • Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, you must add 3/4 a teaspoon.
  • Almond Flour – I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your donuts grainy.
  • Eggs – Use size large.
  • Butter – Use unsalted butter.
  • Nutella – Read to ensure your Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread is gluten free.
  • For best results in making these gluten-free linzer cookies, take special care to measure your flour and dry ingredients correctly. If you add too much gluten-free flour or other ingredients, it can mess with the cookies as they bake. If your cookies don’t have the right ratios of ingredients, you may end up with a baking disaster.
  • Chill the cookie dough when possible. I know you are probably ready to eat your cookies, but taking a few minutes to chill the batter makes them less likely to spread.
  • Use a cooled cookie sheet when baking. Don’t take a hot cookie sheet and put the batter on it, or I promise the cookies won’t turn out. They start baking immediately, and it messes with their shape of them. Use a couple of sheets and rotate them out when making large batches of cookies.
  • Don’t let the cookies sit on the pan too long. After they have baked, only let them sit for up to 5 minutes on the baking sheet. The pan will still be hot and continue baking them otherwise.

Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:

Photos of steps 1 and 2 making the linzer cookies.

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk.

Step 2: In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.

To measure your gluten free flour, I recommend using the spoon method or leveling method. In a perfect world, people weigh their flour, but most do not own a kitchen scale. Every gluten-free flour blend has a different weight, making a scale even trickier. Put the measuring scoop into the flour and fill. Do not pack the flour. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour. You can also use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour.

Linzer photos of steps 3 and 4.

Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. This linzer cookie dough mixes up quickly. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate the cookie dough for an hour.

Step 4: Place the dough on a piece of wax paper and cover it with another. Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness between two pieces of wax paper.

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Linzer steps 5 and 6 photos.

Step 5: Use linzer cookie cutters to get the tops and bottoms. You can find linzer cookie cutters online via Amazon and at local stores like Sur La Table.

Ensure the cookie cutters you use make it easy to get the middle shape out. I had a set where the shape was difficult to push the dough out of, which caused a lot of tears in the cookie dough.

Step 6: Place the cut-out cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350º F for about 7-8 minutes.

Spreading Nutella on the linzer cookie bottoms.

Step 7: When the cookies are cool, frost the bottoms with Nutella, jam, or any filling you like! Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Put the tops on, then dust with powdered sugar. (Dusting with powdered sugar is optional.) Enjoy these gluten free linzer cookies with a glass of milk! These cookies are perfect for holiday cookie exchange parties! Here are more of my favorite Gluten Free Cookies for a Cookie Exchange Party!*

More delicious filling ideas:

  • Fruit jams and preserves.
  • Frostings.
  • Peanut butter
  • This one may seem odd, but chocolate mousse is also delicious in this linzer cookie.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do you know when the cookies are finished baking?

These linzer cookies are thin and will not need much time to bake. Bake for 8 minutes and check the cookies. If they are looking slightly golden, they are finished baking. They should take no longer than 10 minutes.

How long will these cookies keep fresh?

These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container. I highly recommend not using Nutella or any filling until you are ready to eat the cookies. Sitting for a few days with Nutella or jam will make the cookies soggy.

Can you freeze linzer cookies?

These cookies freeze well. Add to a freezer-safe plastic bag and freeze. They will keep up to 4 months in the freezer.

Reader Review:

I struggled a bit with the dough being sticky but worth the effort they are delicious!”

Denise, Pinterest User

I have a great Gluten Free Cookie Troubleshooting Guide to help you bake perfect cookies every time!

Love This Recipe?

If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!

Gluten Free Nutella Linzer Tart Cookies

Sandi Gaertner
These gluten-free Linzer tart cookies are a fun twist on a classic! Buttery, tender almond-flour cookies are sandwiched with rich, creamy Nutella for a chocolaty spin on the traditional jam-filled treat.
4.75 from 16 votes
gluten free allergy icon
soy free allergy icon
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Print Pin it
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Gluten Free Cookies and Bar Recipes, Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 135 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Dusting:

  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Filling:

  • ⅓ cup Nutella

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Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend, and 3/4 cup cane sugar. Use a whisk to blend them together.
  • In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter and 1 large egg. Mix well.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix into cookie dough. The dough should be soft but workable.
  • Mix and put dough onto plastic wrap.
  • Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 350º F.
  • Dust a silicone mat with a little flour to prevent sticking. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a silicone mat.
  • If your dough is sticky, sprinkle a little gluten free flour over the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
  • Use linzer cutters to cut the shapes in the cookie dough. Place the cut outs onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
  • Bake the linzer cookies for 8-9 minutes, remove to cooling rack. The bake time can vary slightly depending on the size of your cookies.
  • Move the cookies out of the oven and slide the parchment paper with the cookies onto a cooling rack. Let them fully cool to room temperature.
  • When they are cool, spread Nutella on the bottom cookie. Put the top cookie with the hole on top.
  • Dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

Notes

  1. I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work. I have not tested other flours.
  2. If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
  3. I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is coarser and will make your donuts grainy.
  4. To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
  5. These cookies will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 5mgPotassium: 21mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 128IUCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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4.75 from 16 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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35 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    To be honest, I was quite intimidated at the thought of making linzers! But this recipe was super easy to follow & they turned out AMAZING! And SO much easier to make than I thought!!

    Reply

  5. Hi! This cookies look amazing!
    I was wondering if I could substitute butter for coconut oil. And in what proportion?
    Thanks

    Gaby

    Reply

    1. Hi Gabriela, I haven’t tested this out with coconut oil, but I would say you will need to refrigerate the dough to get the coconut oil very cold before rolling out the dough. Please come back and let us know how it turns out.

      Reply

      1. Thanks Sandi, haven’t try it yet with coconut oil, but I just got vegan butter. For us outside the US how many grams do you mean by a stick of butter? Thanks

      3. Thanks Sandi, I finally used vegan butter and I found out that the dough was too sticky to work with, so I added more flour and almond flour. It is too wet… I have a cookie in the oven right now as a test
        Fingers crossed

      4. That is interesting Gaby. I wonder why vegan butter would behave differently? I hope the test cookie came out. If it works, please let me know how much additional flour so I can make a note in the recipe for other readers 🙂

  6. 4 stars
    I noticed that there is a discrepancy between your blog post instructions and the official recipe instructions—one says to roll the dough 1/4inch thick, the other says 1/2inch. Which is correct? Half an inch seems very thick.

    Reply

    1. Hi Cammi, coconut flour absorbs a lot more liquid than almond flour and I haven’t experimented with that flour in this recipe. To avoid nuts, I recommend using 1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour blend (I love Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend best.) You may need to adjust the liquids slightly…I haven’t experimented with only flour, but you will be able to tell if you need more liquid if the dough is crumbly. Let us know how it turns out 🙂

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    I just made them…they are delichious . Although I didn’t have the almound flour and as a substitute put white rise flour. After taki g from the frezze added a tsp of coconut oil. Went great.
    Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

    1. Hi Demi, I have not tried your suggested blend so I don’t know how this would turn out. Oat flour needs more liquid than rice flour so you will probably need to do a lot of experimentation to get it right. Let us know how it turns out.

      Reply

  10. My Christmas list doesn’t seem to be getting shorter especially when I see a recipe that is definitely worth trying. Wondering if these could be made ahead and froze for a couple of weeks?

    Reply

    1. Hi Laurel, I have not tried to freeze these cooked. The dough will definitely freeze well. Thank you so much for stopping by 🙂

      Reply

  11. These look beautiful! I am wondering if either this recipe or your grain free linzer cookie recipe can be made with shortening or coconut oil instead of butter. We aren’t able to do dairy.

    Reply

    1. Hi Amy, good morning :-). I would say you can use either, but with the coconut oil, they may spread a bit so try to bake a couple first before baking the whole batch to test it. Take care and thank you for your note. Sandi

      Reply

      2. Sorry Wafaa. You can use just the gluten free flour blend. You would want to use 1/4 cup additional to make up for not using the almond flour.

  13. Hi,

    I must be missing something because I can’t seem to find the actual recipe for these cookies anywhere. Do I have to sign up to be able to see the ingredients and how-to? Please let me know,

    Thanks
    Marisa

    Reply

    1. Hi Marisa, That was happening for me as well. I refreshed the page cache and I think it should be showing up now. Sorry about that. I appreciate your letting me know.

      Reply