Pistachio Linzer cookies are a delightful twist on the classic holiday Linzer Cookies treat. With a nutty, buttery base and a golden caramel center, these cookies are as beautiful as they are delicious.
One of my favorite cookies to make are shortbread cookies filled and sandwiched like these Strawberry Jam Shortbread Cookies. Because there is a lot of hand handling, feel the dough, and enjoy the therapeutic process. This recipe is the perfect example, the dough is soft, easy to handle and does not leave much of a mess. It is also a fun recipe to play around with flavors, which is why I took an extra step and made batch of thickened Pistachio Infused Caramel for the filling.
Key Ingredients
The complete recipe is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card. Here is a quick description of the key ingredients including substitutions if possible.
- Shelled pistachios. The start of the show, toasted are preferable, but ok to use raw.
- All-purpose flour and granulated sugar. The high ratio of flavor is what gives the cookies their tender and crumbly texture which is ideal to the classic linzer cookies.
- Unsalted butter. Cold and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. The cold temperature is what allows us to roll and cut the dough without any chilling time.
- Egg yolk. Add another layer of tenderness while preventing the cookies from spreading and losing the ridges definitions.
- Milk. Just a Tablespoon to soften the dough while increasing it elasticity and making it easy to roll, work and cut.
The Filling
Traditionally, Linzer cookies feature raspberry jam, but this time I decided to have some extra fun and fill the cookies with Pistachio Caramel that has been thicken with whipped butter. Of course you can go the distance with a variety of filling as long as you keep in mind that even though the pistachios have a distinguished flavor, it is very mild and can be overpowered by some flavors like dark chocolate.
Make It
To make the dough, we are using a food processor, which is the best way to chop the pistachios and incorporate the butter into the flour without risking over mixing which result in a chewy cookie. Please careful read my notes/tips below accompanied by a step-by-step images for a visual guide.
- Do not over process the nuts, or they will expel too much oil, become too pastry, and the dough will be hard to roll and cut.
- Add the cold butter and process it until you no longer see any lumps. (about 10 seconds)
- Once you added the egg yolk and milk, process until you have dough. It won’t be smooth because of the ground nuts, but it should be soft, slightly chilled and easy to press without being sticky.
- Once the dough is ready, you need to act fast, and roll it over a piece of parchment paper, cut and bake. If you’re kitchen is too warm, or you are not available to roll the dough right away, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until use, or up to 48 hours. By doing that we prevent the butter from melting and softening the dough making it too sticky to roll.
- Use any cookie cutter shape to cut the dough, the classic linzer is round with ridges, but a heart, or flower shape will take it up a notch in the appearance department.
Yields
This recipe makes approximately 18, 2.5 inches sandwiched cookies, depending on the size of your cutter.
Making Ahead
You can prepare the dough up to 2 days in advance and keep it chilled.
For longer storage, freeze the unbaked cutouts in separate layers and bake directly from frozen, adding an extra minute to the baking time. You can freeze the dough wrapped in plastic wrap and in a freeze bag for up to 6 weeks. Place the dough overnight in the refrigerator when ready to bake.
Storing and Freezing
Store the cookies at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerate for up to one week.
- Freezing – Freeze unfilled cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before adding the filling. Filled cookies don’t freeze well as the jam can make them soggy.
Pistachio Caramel Cookies
Ingredients
Pistachio Cookies
- 1/2 Cup (75g) Toasted pistachios
- 1 2/3 Cup (200g) AP Flour
- 1 Stick (113g) Unsalted butter cold cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/3 Cup (70g) Sugar
- 1 Large Egg yolk, cold
- 1 TBS Milk, cold
Pistachio Caramel Cream
- 1 Cup Pistachio caramel
- 1/2 Cup (113g) Unsalted soft butter
Instructions
To make the cookie dough
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a large cookie pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, place the toasted pistachios and process until finely ground.
- Add the flour and sugar and process for about 15 seconds.
- Process the butter until you don't notice any butter pieces, and have a mixture slightly moist, kind of like wet sand. About 15 seconds.
- Add the yolk and milk and process until a soft dough is formed that easily pressed but does not stick.
- Divide the dough into two, and roll each piece into a 1/3-inch thick over a large piece of parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and use 2-2.5-inches round ridges cookie cutter to cut the dough.
- Place the cut cookies over a larhe baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Use a 1-inch round cookie cutter to cut half of the cookies at the center. ( I use a large piping tip)
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are slightly puffy and very lightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to completely chill before you invert them.
Pistachio Caramel Cream
- Whip the soft butter in a large bowl.
- Add the pistachio cream and whip until the cream is smooth and the caramel is fully incorporated.
Assemble
- Fill a large piping bag with the caramel filling and pipe over half of the cookies (the ones with not holes).
- Dust the other half with powdered sugar then place them over the cookies topped with the cream.
Notes
- Roll the dough as soon as it is ready, and if needed refrigerated it until ready.
- Make the dough up to two days ahead of time and refrigerate for up to two days.
- Store the cookies at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerate for up to one week.
- Freeze unfilled cookies up to two months.
