These healthy Linzer cookies are not only so adorable but they're made with way less amount of butter and use honey as the cookies' sweetener. They're soft and tender with a hint of lemon to them. Not overly sweet and just perfect for when you want to show off your baking skills (nobody will know they're so easy to make!)
I love to make cookies, especially for the festive seasons! They make everything more fun and joyful, don't you think? Have you tried our readers' favorite, my healthy chocolate chip cookies or my healthy carrot cake cookies? They're delicious!
My late mother's classic pineapple-shaped tart cookies and her classic almond cookies are also amazing!
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Why This Recipe Works
The holidays are not merry without cookies, I get it. Some rich and decadent cookies like my Nutella stuffed chocolate chunk cookies and my double chocolate fudge cookies are amazing as they are. But these easy Linzer cookies are so versatile that you can enjoy them more healthily. Here's why we've been making these healthy Linzer cookies instead of the classic ones as one of our healthy Christmas cookies!
Healthier ingredients - I'm using healthier ingredients for these Linzer tart cookies. There's no white flour or white sugar in the cookies. I'm also using way less amount of butter.
Taste amazing - They're so delicious, you wouldn't know they're healthier if I didn't tell you! Soft and crumbly cookies with jam filling, oh yeah!
Ingredients For This Recipe
Light spelt flour - My first-ever secret in how to make cookies healthier is by swapping the all-purpose flour for spelt flour. It's a 1:1 swap and it behaves the same as all-purpose flour, but it is healthier. I switch from light to whole-grain spelt flour depending on the recipe. Since I want these cookies to look light, so I'm using light spelt flour.
Almond flour - Adds flavor to our cookies! I'm using blanched almond flour to preserve the clean and light looks of the cookies. You can use unblanched almond flour with no problems. Just know your cookies will be slightly darker.
Honey - As the sweetener for our cookies. Not only that, but it also gives that slightly chewy texture. Delicious! You can use maple syrup, although it'll make the dough slightly stickier since it's runnier than honey. Add just a bit more spelt flour as needed. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky but you can still form it into a ball without having your hands messy. Refer to my photo and video below for consistency.
⭐ See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Mix dry ingredients - Easy steps on how to make healthy Linzer cookies at home! Add spelt flour, almond flour, salt, and cinnamon powder in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. Make the dough - Add butter and honey to the standing mixer bowl and using the flat beater attachment, mix until you get a creamy mixture. Add in egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, and mix well. Add in the dry ingredients mixture and mix just until everything comes together, without overmixing. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Wrap it in a cling film, and flatten it into a disk. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
3. Cut out the cookies - Dust your working surface and rolling pin with some flour. Roll out the dough ¼ inch thickness. Cut out the cookies using the Linzer cookie cutters. Alternate the base and the top so that you always have a full pair. Using an offset spatula, remove the cookies onto parchment paper on a baking tray. They can be placed near each other because they don't spread.
4. Bake - Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (175ºC), without the fan, on the lower ⅔ rack for 10-12 minutes. Overbaking will result in hard cookies. The bottom of the cookies should just barely be brown.
5. Assemble - Separate the top and the base cookies. Place the top cookies on a rack. Dust them with confectioner sugar. Put a dollop of jam on the base cookies and place the dusted top cookies on top, press lightly. Enjoy!
Recipe Expert Tips
- Don't roll out the dough too thick. We're going to sandwich these healthy Linzer cookies later, so we don't want to end up with such thick cookies at the end.
- Alternate the top and base cookie cutters. This way you'll always have them in pairs. Do the base, followed by the top, and repeat. Don't do several of the base (or top!) at one time.
- Don't over-bake the cookies. They'll taste hard like cardboard. The cookies' bottoms should just be barely brown.
- Don't use too much jam. This will prevent the jam from oozing out when you sandwich the cookies together. Less messy!
How To Serve, Store, And Freeze
Serve - These healthy Linzer cookies are excellent for tea, gatherings, as gifts, or when you want to impress somebody! I like to have them with plain milk, oh so divine! They are perfect for Christmas, as well as my snowball cookies without nuts, Marco's family's easy fruitcake, and my mini panettone with chocolate chips.
Store - Keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2 weeks. Place parchment paper in between layers when stacking them.
Freeze the baked and assembled cookies - Keep them in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Freeze the raw dough - Press it into a flat disk, place it in a Ziploc bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw the dough in the fridge and follow the instructions to roll it out onwards. Or freeze the cut-out cookies on parchment paper on a tray for 1 hour. Once frozen, place them in an air-tight container. Bake them a few minutes longer without thawing.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, definitely! I recommend baking them and then storing them in the fridge (or freezer!). Fill them with jam on the day of or even 2,3 days before. For related details, refer to my storing tips above.
Since Linzer cookies have fruit jam, I'd recommend you keep them in the fridge for safety reasons. I've had them in an air-tight container for 3,4 days at room temperature in winter and they were fine since it was cold. Use your common sense in this, alright?
I love raspberry jam! It has the right amount of tanginess and sweetness. But of course, you can use whatever jam you choose.
2 reasons are contributing to the cookies ending up hard. 1) Over-mixing the cookie dough. Just mix the least possible. 2) Overbaking the cookies. Keep an eye on them, the bottom of the cookies should just barely be browned.
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Watch The Recipe Video
📖 Recipe
Healthy Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cup light spelt flour
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup butter , room temperature
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 large egg , room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
Others
- some confectioner sugar , for dusting
- ¾ cup sugar-free raspberry jam , more or less
Instructions
Dry Ingredients
- Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl with a spoon, set aside.
Wet Ingredients
- Add butter and honey to the standing mixer bowl and using the flat beater attachment, mix until you get a creamy mixture. Add in egg, vanilla extract, and lemon zest, and give everything a quick mix.
- Now add in the dry ingredients mixture and mix just until everything comes together, don't over-mix the dough. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Wrap it in a cling film, and flatten it into a disk. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Cutting Out Cookies
- Dust your working surface and rolling pin with some flour. Roll out the dough to around ¼ inch thickness. Cut out the cookies using the Linzer cookie cutters. Alternate the base and the top so that you always have a full pair.
- Using an offset spatula, place the cookies on parchment paper on a baking tray. They can be placed near each other as the cookies won't spread.
Bake
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF (175ºC), without the fan, on the lower ⅔ rack for 10-12 minutes. Don't overbake them as they'll end up being hard. The bottom of the cookies should just barely be brown.
Assemble
- Place all of the top cookies only on a rack/tray. Dust them with confectioner sugar.
- Put a dollop of jam on the base cookies and place the dusted top cookies on top, press lightly. Enjoy!
Notes
- I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe as it's more precise.
- Use a portable oven thermometer to get a precise oven temperature (I use it all the time).
- As always, don't overmix the dough to avoid forming gluten, making the cookies hard.
- These cookies cook fast, so be alert. The bottom should just be barely brown. Don't overbake them.
Nutrition Facts
Originally published on Dec 10, 2022. Updated with improved text on Dec 5, 2023.
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