These cranberry orange linzer cookies are great for Thanksgiving or Christmas. The cookies are made with an orange almond cookie, homemade cranberry curd, and a dusting of powdered sugar. This cookie recipe has amazing holiday flavor. Who can say no to a cookie sandwich?
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Linzer Cookies
Cranberry Curd
- Cranberries – Use fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to balance the tart and bitter flavor of the cranberries.
- Water
- Orange juice – Freshly squeezed.
- Orange zest – Use a zester or very fine grater to zest an orange. You will need the zest of about one orange.
- Egg yolks – Large egg yolks create a thick and creamy texture.
- Unsalted butter – Cold unsalted butter creates a silky smooth texture.
Orange Almond Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Almond flour – Superfine blanched almond flour works best in this recipe.
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds amazing vanilla flavor to the cookie dough.
- Orange zest
- Powdered sugar – For dusting the linzer cookies.
Tools & Supplies for Making the Cranberry Orange Linzer Cookies
How to Make the Cranberry Orange Linzer Cookies
- Make the cranberry curd: Check out this post on how to make cranberry curd. Make the curd the day before you bake the cookies so it can cool and thicken.
- Make the cookie dough: Whisk the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt. Set aside. Cream the unsalted butter and granulated sugar. Add in the orange zest, egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough forms. Shape the cookie dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll and cut out the cookie dough: Roll out the chilled cookie dough on a lightly floured surface, about 1/6 inch thick. Cut out the cookies using a linzer cookie cutter set. For each cookie, you will need one solid cookie and one cookie with the center cut out.
- Bake the cookies: Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet pan. Bake the cookies for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Fill the linzer cookies: Add a teaspoonful of cranberry curd to the bottom cookies. Spread with an offset spatula. Dust the top linzer cookies with powdered sugar and place on top of the cranberry curd to create a sandwich cookie.
Recipe Tips
- Make the cranberry curd a day ahead of time. This will save you time on the day you plan on baking the cookies.
- Roll the cookie dough out on a floured parchment sheet for easy clean up. An adjustable rolling pin helps create an even sheet of cookie dough.
- Be sure the cookie dough is cold when you are cutting out the linzer cookies. I like to roll out the dough and chill the dough sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before cutting the cookies.
- To see the cranberry curd in the center of the cookie, dust the tops of the linzer cookies before creating the sandwich cookie.
- If you are not a fan of cranberry curd, use raspberry jam or your favorite fruit jam or preserves.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
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Cranberry Orange Linzer Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Cranberry Curd
- 6 oz cranberries fresh or frozen
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tbsp orange juice freshly squeezed
- ½ tsp orange zest
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter cubed and cold
Almond Orange Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- â…” cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Cranberry Curd (Make the day before)
- In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, granulated sugar, water, orange juice, and orange zest. Cook the cranberry mixture over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 to 15 minutes until the cranberries break down and the mixture thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Puree the cranberry mixture using an immersion blender (blender/food processor) until it is smooth.
- Add the egg yolks to a medium bowl and whisk until broken up. Very slowly drizzle the hot cranberry mixture into the egg yolks whisking constantly to temper the egg yolks. Transfer the cranberry mixture back to a saucepan and place over low heat. Cook the mixture for an additional 3 minutes whisking constantly until thickened.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add in cold, cubed unsalted butter, one cube at a time, whisking in between each addition. Once all the butter is added, transfer the curd to a heat-safe container. Cover the cranberry curd with a lid or plastic wrap and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, chill the curd in the refrigerator overnight.
Almond Orange Cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in the orange zest, egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the cookie dough forms. Shape the cookie dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface, about 1/6 inch thick. Cut out the cookies using a linzer cookie cutter set. For each cookie, you will need one solid cookie and one cookie with the center cut out. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet pan. Bake the cookies for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To assemble the cookies, add a teaspoonful of cranberry curd to one of the bottom cookies. Spread with an offset spatula. Dust the top linzer cookies with powdered sugar and place on top of the cranberry curd to create a sandwich cookie.
Notes
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