This Linzer Cookie recipe adds a delicious twist to these traditional holiday cookies with a peppermint chocolate ganache filling. The cool and creamy filling is sandwiched between two tender cookies flavored with a hint of cinnamon and orange zest. This post has been sponsored by the makers of ZIPLOC® Brand + NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
When the holiday season rolls around, my favorite thing to do is fill the house with the delicious smell of cookies baking in the oven. These fun Chocolate Ganache Linzer Cookies are filled with an easy chocolate ganache made with NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Semi Sweet morsels and Peppermint morsels.
Why I love these Linzer cookies:
- They are very easy to make.
- You can prepare them in larger batches and freeze them for the holidays.
- They can be customized with different flavors and fillings.
- They are pretty and will make a delightful gift, packed in a Ziploc® Brand Slider Bag.
What are Linzer Cookies?
Linzer Cookies are a sandwich cookie version of the Linzer torte, a traditional Austrian pastry, often served during Christmas time. The crust is usually made with flour, ground almonds, sugar, egg yolks, spices, and lemon zest. The tart is then filled with a fruit preserve and baked with a lattice crust on top.
These Chocolate Ganache Linzer Cookies are made with almost all of the same ingredients with just a couple of alterations:
- Flour
- Almond flour
- Sugar
- Egg yolk
- Cinnamon
- Orange zest instead of lemon zest
- A cool and creamy chocolate ganache filling made with a mixture of NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Semi Sweet morsels and peppermint morsels instead of fruit preserve
How to make Linzer Cookies
There are two components to these chocolate ganache Linzer cookies: the cookie dough and the ganache filling. Both are fairly easy to make. To make the cookie dough:
Making Linzer cookie dough (Photos 1 – 6)
- Mix sugar and orange zest together, then beat with softened butter until combined and fluffy.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.
- Beat again until combined. You may need to scrape down to bowl to ensure thorough mixing.
- Add the flour mixture, which includes all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon.
- Mix until a dough forms.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, then roll out and cut into shapes for baking.
How to make the peppermint ganache filling?
- Add NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Semi Sweet morsels and peppermint morsels in a bowl, pour the hot cream over it.
- Let stand for at least 30 seconds to melt, then whisk until smooth and shiny.
- Allow ganache filling to cool and set slightly before using.
Making peppermint chocolate ganache for Linzer cookie filling (Photo 7 – 9)
You should be able to find all the ingredients you need to make this Linzer cookie recipe at Walmart this holiday season. The peppermint morsels are creamy with a wonderful burst of cooling peppermint flavor that I think you’ll love.
Flavor Variations for Linzer Cookies
Almond is traditionally used in Linzer cookies but if you want to switch up the flavor, use different nuts or seeds. You can grind them in a food processor and add different flavor fillings.
- Try ground walnuts or pecans with cinnamon and fig jam for filling.
- Try ground pistachio with cardamom, orange zest, and orange marmalade for filling.
- Try ground macadamia nuts with white chocolate ganache for filling.
- Or change it up with pepitas or pumpkin seeds with pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin butter for filling. You could also make a pumpkin spice ganache using NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE pumpkin spice morsels, which you should be able to find at Walmart along with the peppermint morsels I used in this recipe.
These are just a few flavor ideas that you might not have seen before, but the flavor combinations are seriously limitless.
Preparing Linzer Cookie Recipe Ahead
Can you freeze linzer cookies?
This Linzer cookie dough freezes well and is the perfect make-ahead candidate for all your holiday baking extravaganzas. I prefer freezing the unbaked cookie dough instead of the baked and assembled cookies so that you’ll always have freshly baked cookies to serve.
- You can freeze the dough once you shape it into a disc – wrap well, place discs into Ziploc® Brand Slider Bags, and freeze up to three months. You must thaw the dough before rolling and cutting.
- You can also precut the cookies before freezing – layer the cut but unbaked cookies with parchment paper in between so they don’t stick together. They can be baked from frozen. Lengthen baking time by 1 – 2 minutes.
You could also freeze the baked cookies before or after the filling has been added. But if you have frozen cookie dough, freshly baked linzer cookies are just 12 minutes away.
How to store linzer cookies?
They will last for 2 – 3 days at room temperature. Longer than that, I recommend refrigerating them because the filling contains cream.
This Linzer Cookie recipe is a great addition to your list of holiday cookies to make this season. They are fairly easy to whip up and such a pretty sight to see. Put a smile on someone’s face with a bag of these cookies in their stockings.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, send me a photo, rate it, and don’t forget to tag me @wildwildwhisk on Instagram. I’d love to see what’s cooking up in your kitchen. Cheers!
📖 Recipe card
Chocolate Ganache Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie
- 4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature (113 g))
- ½ cup granulated sugar (96 g)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (about half a medium orange)
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cups all-purpose flour (126 g)
- ¾ cup almond flour (79 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
Ganache filling
- ¼ cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Semi Sweet chocolate morsels (45 g)
- ¼ cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Peppermint morsels (45 g)
- 2 oz heavy cream (57 g)
Instructions
- To make the cookie dough: first, add sugar and orange zest to a stand mixer bowl. Use a hand whisk or your fingers to rub the mixture together to release the citrus oil. Add softened butter and beat with the paddle attachment until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract, and beat until combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat into a flat disc or rectangle, wrap well, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
- On a lightly floured countertop, roll the dough to ¼” thick and cut with a 2” cookie cutter. Use a smaller cookie cutter to make a cutout in the center for half of the cookie dough. Gather the scraps and roll it back out again; continue cutting until all gone. Place cookie dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1” apart. Refrigerate while waiting for the oven to preheat.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until the edges are just beginning to brown. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the ganache filling: place NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE Peppermint and Semi Sweet morsels in a medium bowl. Microwave the cream for 30 seconds, and pour it over the chocolate chip mixture. Let stand for a minute, then whisk until completely smooth. Allow to cool and set slightly before filling the cookies, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- To assemble the cookies: place the cookies with the center cutouts on a separate baking sheet and sift powdered sugar over the top. Place the whole cookies on another baking sheet with the bottom side up. Spoon 1 teaspoonful of ganache filling on top; use a butter knife to spread it slightly. Place sugar-dusted cookies on top of the ganache to complete assembly.
Video
Notes
- Refrigerating the cookie dough will make it easier to roll out.
- At any point during rolling, if the cookie dough feels too soft, you can put it back in the refrigerator to firm back up.
- I use a Linzer cookie cutter in this recipe but I don’t use the center cut out piece along with the cookie cutter as instructed because I find that they don’t cut perfectly center. Also, it can be difficult to get the piece of dough inside the small cutter out, I use a chopstick to push it out.
- Dust powdered sugar on the top cookies before assembling so you don’t get powdered sugar on the filling. It gives a nicer contrast this way.
Nutrition
Are these going to taste like almond? Can I omit the orange zest?
The almond flavor is very mild with a hint of cinnamon and orange. You can omit the orange zest if you don’t like it or use lemon zest if you have for a touch of freshness. If you want it to taste more like almond, I would add almond extract, omit the cinnamon and orange zest all together.
These are lovely and that chocolate peppermint ganache is to die for. Perfect for Christmas gifting
Can I omit the almond flour and just use 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour?
I don’t recommend it because the almond flour gives the cookies a more tender texture. If you use all flour, I would use 1 2/3 cup and not 1 3/4 cup. It is not a straight substitution. But your cookies may turn out a little harder if not using almond flour.